William H . Stewart | Korea University, Republic of Korea (original) (raw)
Papers by William H . Stewart
Open Praxis, Dec 31, 2022
Journal of international students, Feb 6, 2022
International journal of computer science education in schools, Mar 1, 2023
Computational Thinking (CT) has become popular in recent years and has been recognized as an esse... more Computational Thinking (CT) has become popular in recent years and has been recognized as an essential skill for everyone in the digital age. CT literature, however, is at an early stage of development, and there is no consensus among researchers/scholars in the field. To date, many have been unable to concretely explain what CT is, or how to teach and assess this broad skill set. This is particularly evident in different educational contexts and settings such as higher education versus elementary education. The purpose of this cumulative literature review is to examine papers that focus on CT in terms of elementary education, elementary-aged learners, and related issues/considerations in order to provide a better understanding of the CT in an elementary context. An inductive qualitative content analysis was conducted on 58 papers set in elementary school settings about CT from 2010-2020. Five main themes emerged from the review: exploiting tangible blocks in a physical coding environment, integrating Scratch into various disciplines through programming, Scratch gaming for computational thinking, evaluating computational thinking skills through Scratch projects, and teaching and learning methods/factors affecting CT in children. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.
Journal of Educational Computing Research, 2021
Recently educational robotics has expanded into curriculum beyond traditional STEM fields, and wh... more Recently educational robotics has expanded into curriculum beyond traditional STEM fields, and which can also be used to foster computational thinking (CT) skills. Prior research has shown numerous interdisciplinary benefits related to CT, however, these influential factors have often been investigated with relatively few variables. This study investigated factors that may lead to 4th and 5th grade elementary school students’ development of computational thinking skills in collaborative robotics activities by hypothesizing a model which proposed that a problem solving inventory, intrinsic motivation, and enjoyment were the main predictors of computational thinking skills. The model was then tested by surveying students with several psychometric inventories where a revised model was then constructed. The study found significant relationships between perceived competence and enjoyment, and learning motivation, and intrinsic motivation. Another important finding was that problem solvin...
2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
Her research lies at the intersection of STEM education and technology-supported learning. Her cu... more Her research lies at the intersection of STEM education and technology-supported learning. Her current research focuses on integrating computational thinking in STEM learning, instructional strategies and online course design, and strategies for teaching difficult and complex science and engineering concepts. Dr. Youngkyun Baek, Boise State University Dr. Baek has been a professor of educational technology at Boise State University since 2011. He teaches 'Digital Engagement for Learning', 'Digital Game Design for K-12 Classrooms', 'Advanced Educational Game Design', and 'Autonomous Robotics for Teaching and Learning'. Dr. Baek has published several editions on game-based learning and written articles on digital and mobile learning games. His research interests are digital game design, mobile learning games, and new media & computational thinking. Currently he is developing Robotics and Games in Minecraft for computational thinking enhancement of students.
Online Learning
The COVID-19 pandemic caused universities worldwide to close campuses, forcing millions of teache... more The COVID-19 pandemic caused universities worldwide to close campuses, forcing millions of teachers and students to resort to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) and learning. Though necessary, the sudden move to remote delivery marked a significant departure from the standards and norms in distance education. In Korea, the pandemic coincided with the start of the 2020 academic year. Though ERT was new and unplanned during the first semester of the year, it became Sustained Remote Teaching (SRT) in the second. Through the lens of performance improvement theory, we sought to determine if students’ experiences and perceptions with learning remotely via SRT would change over time as a result of institutional preparedness and faculty support/experience. In total, 140 (Spring) and 93 (Fall) exchange students rated their perceptions of Teaching and Learning Processes, Student Support, and Course Structure with their ERT/SRT learning experiences via an electronic survey. An independent-samples...
Open Praxis, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant gaps in institutions' ability to maintain education un... more The COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant gaps in institutions' ability to maintain education under crisis conditions, which is now commonly referred to as Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). A critical analysis of the literature reveals that ERT is a label that does not differentiate adequately between the different ways ERT manifested worldwide and over time. In this conceptual paper, we analyze empirical research on remote teaching conducted over single, double, and three+ learning terms. Our analysis shows not only multiple possible phases of remote education but also different stages, scopes, and pathways between them. The proposed model in this paper can be used to analyze current literature, ground future research, and serve as a foundation for developing protocols and practices to proactively maintain education when exigent circumstances demand remote teaching over the short-, mid-, and long-term.
International Journal of Computer Science Education in Schools, 2023
Computational Thinking (CT) has become popular in recent years and has been recognized as an esse... more Computational Thinking (CT) has become popular in recent years and has been recognized as an essential skill for everyone in the digital age. CT literature, however, is at an early stage of development, and there is no consensus among researchers/scholars in the field. To date, many have been unable to concretely explain what CT is, or how to teach and assess this broad skill set. This is particularly evident in different educational contexts and settings such as higher education versus elementary education. The purpose of this cumulative literature review is to examine papers that focus on CT in terms of elementary education, elementary-aged learners, and related issues/considerations in order to provide a better understanding of the CT in an elementary context. An inductive qualitative content analysis was conducted on 58 papers set in elementary school settings about CT from 2010-2020. Five main themes emerged from the review: exploiting tangible blocks in a physical coding environment, integrating Scratch into various disciplines through programming, Scratch gaming for computational thinking, evaluating computational thinking skills through Scratch projects, and teaching and learning methods/factors affecting CT in children. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.
Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 2021
Abstract COVID-19 caused universities around the world to transition overnight to some type of re... more Abstract COVID-19 caused universities around the world to transition overnight to some type of remote learning or online format. The way this occurred, though necessary, was a departure from the standards and norms of traditional distance education and was a drastic change for the majority of faculty and students who had no prior experience with remote, blended, or online learning. This case study was conducted in the Republic of Korea with 15 international exchange students who found themselves forced to take distance education courses on an empty campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Themes of isolation and loneliness, diverse learning experiences, little-to-no social interaction, teaching, cognitive, or social presence emerged from the interviews. In this paper, we discuss our findings and the implications for future research and practice.
FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education, 2021
Since the mid 1980s to today, the Republic of Korea has experienced significant immigration. The ... more Since the mid 1980s to today, the Republic of Korea has experienced significant immigration. The influx of various forms of migrants has started changing the makeup of an otherwise ethnically homogenous society. Despite such demographics changes, commensurate adjustments to government policies or institutional services have not necessarily occurred. Globalization and related technological advancements, however, have made it possible to sidestep limitations/obstacles resulting from a lack of recognition or change. In the case of education, the Internet has enabled, at least for some, the ability to continue pursuing education “home”, while continuing to work and live “abroad”. Nevertheless, the determinants of distance education in such instances has not been adequately investigated. Though college choice literature is plentiful, it is largely traditional student oriented and based on face-to-face instruction. Few studies have investigated distance education college choice, which is ...
Open Praxis
Descriptions of distance students in the literature are robust. Yet when speaking about students ... more Descriptions of distance students in the literature are robust. Yet when speaking about students outside of a national context, nuance is lost by the failure to identify the complexity in borderless higher education. The global student body is often too broadly categorized as “international” when in reality, this can be further refined to produce two additional classifications that more appropriately identify and describe a hitherto invisible phenomenon: the expatriate and transnational distance student. Utilizing respondent-driven sampling, student demographic and academic program data were collected using these two operational definitions. The resulting data suggests a potential profile for the expatriate/transnational distance student phenomenon as manifested in South Korea, along with broader demographic and program characteristics. As a nascent phenomenon and introductory inquiry, the research is limited in scope with the intention of a) establishing a taxonomy for the distance...
The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools worldwide to suddenly transition to remote learning. The cha... more The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools worldwide to suddenly transition to remote learning. The change forced students, who might not choose to take distance education courses, to adjust to a new way of completing their coursework. Further, this impacted certain student groups like exchange students more adversely since distance courses complicated academic exchanges by rendering shortterm exchange students isolated on an empty campus in a foreign country, all while recently arriving to both. There are many intrinsic hardships to academic exchanges but there is a lack of research on exchange students' experiences learning online when immediately transitioning from face-to-face courses to emergency remote or online courses under such circumstances. This exploratory descriptive study investigated exchange students’ experiences learning online during the COVID19 pandemic in the Republic of Korea. 140 exchange students responded to a survey about their experiences and perceptions of t...
Journal of International Students, 2021
The closure of university campuses and the suspension of international student mobility programs ... more The closure of university campuses and the suspension of international student mobility programs have been common as a result of COVID-19, though not all programs have closed their doors. In the Republic of Korea, the relatively successful management of the pandemic allowed borders to remain open, nor have any national lockdowns been incurred to date, making student mobility possible throughout the pandemic. In Spring 2020, however, the Korean government started requiring quarantine-upon-arrival for all travelers from abroad. The sudden announcement, in addition to subsequent constantly changing policy provisions, created confusion; information from Korean government agencies and embassies both locally and abroad were conflicting. The fast approaching Fall 2020 semester would see students arrive en masse with no knowledge of how the quarantine process would work or in what ways (e.g., financially, psychologically, emotionally) the mandatory isolation period might affect them.
Open Praxis
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education in ways that academic institutions, scholars, admini... more The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education in ways that academic institutions, scholars, administrators, educators, and students will strive to fully comprehend for years to come. The global spread of SARSCoV2 in early 2020 prompted social distancing as the primary countermeasure against contracting and spreading the novel coronavirus, which in turn led academic communities worldwide to suddenly transition to emergency remote teaching (ERT) in order to maintain educational continuity. This review of the literature synthesizes findings from 38 empirical studies set in higher education about ERT in 2020 from all over the world. A thematic analysis of findings produced four major themes: 1) diverse ERT experiences; 2) digital divide and vast educational/socio economic inequalities; 3) commonly-experienced ERT problems, issues, and challenges; and 4) frequently-made adjustments in response to ERT. Findings are indicative of the immediate aftermath of transitions to ERT, and open areas...
FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education
The number of international students studying in the Republic of Korea has increased tremendously... more The number of international students studying in the Republic of Korea has increased tremendously over the last 20 years, marking a change in regional student mobility trends. While most international degree students tend to originate in countries in Asia, signifying regionalization versus internationalization, exchange students are diverse by nationality/ region. This concurrent nested mixed-methods study sought to investigate the pull factors of a Korean university among exchange students. 564 students completed an electronic questionnaire and through on campus interviews. Quantitative results suggested that exchange students found characteristics about Korea attractive (e.g., K-pop) as well as wanting international and/or cross-cultural experiences, to be the most appealing. 10 students participated in interviews, and findings showed that students became interested in Korea by exposure to popular media, as well as wanting a diverse, international study environment. The implicatio...
FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education
A lack of differentiation among student conceptualizations and the use of homogenous labels has m... more A lack of differentiation among student conceptualizations and the use of homogenous labels has made descriptions of distance students in the literature difficult to parse. While students in an online class may share the same nationality or citizenship, they may not share the same nation of residence or status of sojourn. Similarly,
Open Praxis
Transnational education is a rapidly evolving and constantly changing field. The Internet has ena... more Transnational education is a rapidly evolving and constantly changing field. The Internet has enabled virtually global access to distance education opportunities, however transnational distance students in particular have often been miscategorized, oversimplified, or overlooked in prior research. This literature review synthesizes research and publications over a ten-year period focusing on the emerging phenomenon of transnational distance students. Contrary to the allure of flexible, any time, any place learning often ascribed to distance education, diverse and complex situations are highlighted that paint a more nuanced picture of student circumstances and motivations, counterintuitive and underrepresented conditions that may influence students in their decisions to enrol in transnational distance education programs.
The number of international students studying in the Republic of Korea has increased tremendously... more The number of international students studying in the Republic of Korea has increased tremendously over the last 20 years, marking a change in regional student mobility trends. While most international degree students tend to originate in countries in Asia, signifying regionalization versus internationalization, exchange students are diverse by nationality/ region. This concurrent nested mixed-methods study sought to investigate the pull factors of a Korean university among exchange students. 564 students completed an electronic questionnaire and through on campus interviews. Quantitative results suggested that exchange students found characteristics about Korea attractive (e.g., K-pop) as well as wanting international and/or cross-cultural experiences, to be the most appealing. 10 students participated in interviews, and findings showed that students became interested in Korea by exposure to popular media, as well as wanting a diverse, international study environment. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of university inbound program promotion/marketing and program design/development for short-term mobility, along with areas for future research.
A lack of differentiation among student conceptualizations and the use of homogenous labels has m... more A lack of differentiation among student conceptualizations and the use of homogenous labels has made descriptions of distance students in the literature difficult to parse. While students in an online class may share the same nationality or citizenship, they may not share the same nation of residence or status of sojourn. Similarly, "local" students in transnational programs may in fact not be locals, and there is no clear consensus on what differentiates transnational versus international distance students. Such discrepancies have gained burgeoning recognition in recent years, yet related research is limited. This multicase study ultimately investigated the experiences of Western expatriate and transnational distance students situated in various cities throughout the Republic of Korea, highlighting themes of convenience, benefits, home-country orientation, and perceptions of a non-local future in their distance programs. Implications for both home-and host-country universities are discussed.
Open Praxis, Dec 31, 2022
Journal of international students, Feb 6, 2022
International journal of computer science education in schools, Mar 1, 2023
Computational Thinking (CT) has become popular in recent years and has been recognized as an esse... more Computational Thinking (CT) has become popular in recent years and has been recognized as an essential skill for everyone in the digital age. CT literature, however, is at an early stage of development, and there is no consensus among researchers/scholars in the field. To date, many have been unable to concretely explain what CT is, or how to teach and assess this broad skill set. This is particularly evident in different educational contexts and settings such as higher education versus elementary education. The purpose of this cumulative literature review is to examine papers that focus on CT in terms of elementary education, elementary-aged learners, and related issues/considerations in order to provide a better understanding of the CT in an elementary context. An inductive qualitative content analysis was conducted on 58 papers set in elementary school settings about CT from 2010-2020. Five main themes emerged from the review: exploiting tangible blocks in a physical coding environment, integrating Scratch into various disciplines through programming, Scratch gaming for computational thinking, evaluating computational thinking skills through Scratch projects, and teaching and learning methods/factors affecting CT in children. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.
Journal of Educational Computing Research, 2021
Recently educational robotics has expanded into curriculum beyond traditional STEM fields, and wh... more Recently educational robotics has expanded into curriculum beyond traditional STEM fields, and which can also be used to foster computational thinking (CT) skills. Prior research has shown numerous interdisciplinary benefits related to CT, however, these influential factors have often been investigated with relatively few variables. This study investigated factors that may lead to 4th and 5th grade elementary school students’ development of computational thinking skills in collaborative robotics activities by hypothesizing a model which proposed that a problem solving inventory, intrinsic motivation, and enjoyment were the main predictors of computational thinking skills. The model was then tested by surveying students with several psychometric inventories where a revised model was then constructed. The study found significant relationships between perceived competence and enjoyment, and learning motivation, and intrinsic motivation. Another important finding was that problem solvin...
2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
Her research lies at the intersection of STEM education and technology-supported learning. Her cu... more Her research lies at the intersection of STEM education and technology-supported learning. Her current research focuses on integrating computational thinking in STEM learning, instructional strategies and online course design, and strategies for teaching difficult and complex science and engineering concepts. Dr. Youngkyun Baek, Boise State University Dr. Baek has been a professor of educational technology at Boise State University since 2011. He teaches 'Digital Engagement for Learning', 'Digital Game Design for K-12 Classrooms', 'Advanced Educational Game Design', and 'Autonomous Robotics for Teaching and Learning'. Dr. Baek has published several editions on game-based learning and written articles on digital and mobile learning games. His research interests are digital game design, mobile learning games, and new media & computational thinking. Currently he is developing Robotics and Games in Minecraft for computational thinking enhancement of students.
Online Learning
The COVID-19 pandemic caused universities worldwide to close campuses, forcing millions of teache... more The COVID-19 pandemic caused universities worldwide to close campuses, forcing millions of teachers and students to resort to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) and learning. Though necessary, the sudden move to remote delivery marked a significant departure from the standards and norms in distance education. In Korea, the pandemic coincided with the start of the 2020 academic year. Though ERT was new and unplanned during the first semester of the year, it became Sustained Remote Teaching (SRT) in the second. Through the lens of performance improvement theory, we sought to determine if students’ experiences and perceptions with learning remotely via SRT would change over time as a result of institutional preparedness and faculty support/experience. In total, 140 (Spring) and 93 (Fall) exchange students rated their perceptions of Teaching and Learning Processes, Student Support, and Course Structure with their ERT/SRT learning experiences via an electronic survey. An independent-samples...
Open Praxis, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant gaps in institutions' ability to maintain education un... more The COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant gaps in institutions' ability to maintain education under crisis conditions, which is now commonly referred to as Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). A critical analysis of the literature reveals that ERT is a label that does not differentiate adequately between the different ways ERT manifested worldwide and over time. In this conceptual paper, we analyze empirical research on remote teaching conducted over single, double, and three+ learning terms. Our analysis shows not only multiple possible phases of remote education but also different stages, scopes, and pathways between them. The proposed model in this paper can be used to analyze current literature, ground future research, and serve as a foundation for developing protocols and practices to proactively maintain education when exigent circumstances demand remote teaching over the short-, mid-, and long-term.
International Journal of Computer Science Education in Schools, 2023
Computational Thinking (CT) has become popular in recent years and has been recognized as an esse... more Computational Thinking (CT) has become popular in recent years and has been recognized as an essential skill for everyone in the digital age. CT literature, however, is at an early stage of development, and there is no consensus among researchers/scholars in the field. To date, many have been unable to concretely explain what CT is, or how to teach and assess this broad skill set. This is particularly evident in different educational contexts and settings such as higher education versus elementary education. The purpose of this cumulative literature review is to examine papers that focus on CT in terms of elementary education, elementary-aged learners, and related issues/considerations in order to provide a better understanding of the CT in an elementary context. An inductive qualitative content analysis was conducted on 58 papers set in elementary school settings about CT from 2010-2020. Five main themes emerged from the review: exploiting tangible blocks in a physical coding environment, integrating Scratch into various disciplines through programming, Scratch gaming for computational thinking, evaluating computational thinking skills through Scratch projects, and teaching and learning methods/factors affecting CT in children. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.
Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 2021
Abstract COVID-19 caused universities around the world to transition overnight to some type of re... more Abstract COVID-19 caused universities around the world to transition overnight to some type of remote learning or online format. The way this occurred, though necessary, was a departure from the standards and norms of traditional distance education and was a drastic change for the majority of faculty and students who had no prior experience with remote, blended, or online learning. This case study was conducted in the Republic of Korea with 15 international exchange students who found themselves forced to take distance education courses on an empty campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Themes of isolation and loneliness, diverse learning experiences, little-to-no social interaction, teaching, cognitive, or social presence emerged from the interviews. In this paper, we discuss our findings and the implications for future research and practice.
FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education, 2021
Since the mid 1980s to today, the Republic of Korea has experienced significant immigration. The ... more Since the mid 1980s to today, the Republic of Korea has experienced significant immigration. The influx of various forms of migrants has started changing the makeup of an otherwise ethnically homogenous society. Despite such demographics changes, commensurate adjustments to government policies or institutional services have not necessarily occurred. Globalization and related technological advancements, however, have made it possible to sidestep limitations/obstacles resulting from a lack of recognition or change. In the case of education, the Internet has enabled, at least for some, the ability to continue pursuing education “home”, while continuing to work and live “abroad”. Nevertheless, the determinants of distance education in such instances has not been adequately investigated. Though college choice literature is plentiful, it is largely traditional student oriented and based on face-to-face instruction. Few studies have investigated distance education college choice, which is ...
Open Praxis
Descriptions of distance students in the literature are robust. Yet when speaking about students ... more Descriptions of distance students in the literature are robust. Yet when speaking about students outside of a national context, nuance is lost by the failure to identify the complexity in borderless higher education. The global student body is often too broadly categorized as “international” when in reality, this can be further refined to produce two additional classifications that more appropriately identify and describe a hitherto invisible phenomenon: the expatriate and transnational distance student. Utilizing respondent-driven sampling, student demographic and academic program data were collected using these two operational definitions. The resulting data suggests a potential profile for the expatriate/transnational distance student phenomenon as manifested in South Korea, along with broader demographic and program characteristics. As a nascent phenomenon and introductory inquiry, the research is limited in scope with the intention of a) establishing a taxonomy for the distance...
The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools worldwide to suddenly transition to remote learning. The cha... more The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools worldwide to suddenly transition to remote learning. The change forced students, who might not choose to take distance education courses, to adjust to a new way of completing their coursework. Further, this impacted certain student groups like exchange students more adversely since distance courses complicated academic exchanges by rendering shortterm exchange students isolated on an empty campus in a foreign country, all while recently arriving to both. There are many intrinsic hardships to academic exchanges but there is a lack of research on exchange students' experiences learning online when immediately transitioning from face-to-face courses to emergency remote or online courses under such circumstances. This exploratory descriptive study investigated exchange students’ experiences learning online during the COVID19 pandemic in the Republic of Korea. 140 exchange students responded to a survey about their experiences and perceptions of t...
Journal of International Students, 2021
The closure of university campuses and the suspension of international student mobility programs ... more The closure of university campuses and the suspension of international student mobility programs have been common as a result of COVID-19, though not all programs have closed their doors. In the Republic of Korea, the relatively successful management of the pandemic allowed borders to remain open, nor have any national lockdowns been incurred to date, making student mobility possible throughout the pandemic. In Spring 2020, however, the Korean government started requiring quarantine-upon-arrival for all travelers from abroad. The sudden announcement, in addition to subsequent constantly changing policy provisions, created confusion; information from Korean government agencies and embassies both locally and abroad were conflicting. The fast approaching Fall 2020 semester would see students arrive en masse with no knowledge of how the quarantine process would work or in what ways (e.g., financially, psychologically, emotionally) the mandatory isolation period might affect them.
Open Praxis
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education in ways that academic institutions, scholars, admini... more The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education in ways that academic institutions, scholars, administrators, educators, and students will strive to fully comprehend for years to come. The global spread of SARSCoV2 in early 2020 prompted social distancing as the primary countermeasure against contracting and spreading the novel coronavirus, which in turn led academic communities worldwide to suddenly transition to emergency remote teaching (ERT) in order to maintain educational continuity. This review of the literature synthesizes findings from 38 empirical studies set in higher education about ERT in 2020 from all over the world. A thematic analysis of findings produced four major themes: 1) diverse ERT experiences; 2) digital divide and vast educational/socio economic inequalities; 3) commonly-experienced ERT problems, issues, and challenges; and 4) frequently-made adjustments in response to ERT. Findings are indicative of the immediate aftermath of transitions to ERT, and open areas...
FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education
The number of international students studying in the Republic of Korea has increased tremendously... more The number of international students studying in the Republic of Korea has increased tremendously over the last 20 years, marking a change in regional student mobility trends. While most international degree students tend to originate in countries in Asia, signifying regionalization versus internationalization, exchange students are diverse by nationality/ region. This concurrent nested mixed-methods study sought to investigate the pull factors of a Korean university among exchange students. 564 students completed an electronic questionnaire and through on campus interviews. Quantitative results suggested that exchange students found characteristics about Korea attractive (e.g., K-pop) as well as wanting international and/or cross-cultural experiences, to be the most appealing. 10 students participated in interviews, and findings showed that students became interested in Korea by exposure to popular media, as well as wanting a diverse, international study environment. The implicatio...
FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education
A lack of differentiation among student conceptualizations and the use of homogenous labels has m... more A lack of differentiation among student conceptualizations and the use of homogenous labels has made descriptions of distance students in the literature difficult to parse. While students in an online class may share the same nationality or citizenship, they may not share the same nation of residence or status of sojourn. Similarly,
Open Praxis
Transnational education is a rapidly evolving and constantly changing field. The Internet has ena... more Transnational education is a rapidly evolving and constantly changing field. The Internet has enabled virtually global access to distance education opportunities, however transnational distance students in particular have often been miscategorized, oversimplified, or overlooked in prior research. This literature review synthesizes research and publications over a ten-year period focusing on the emerging phenomenon of transnational distance students. Contrary to the allure of flexible, any time, any place learning often ascribed to distance education, diverse and complex situations are highlighted that paint a more nuanced picture of student circumstances and motivations, counterintuitive and underrepresented conditions that may influence students in their decisions to enrol in transnational distance education programs.
The number of international students studying in the Republic of Korea has increased tremendously... more The number of international students studying in the Republic of Korea has increased tremendously over the last 20 years, marking a change in regional student mobility trends. While most international degree students tend to originate in countries in Asia, signifying regionalization versus internationalization, exchange students are diverse by nationality/ region. This concurrent nested mixed-methods study sought to investigate the pull factors of a Korean university among exchange students. 564 students completed an electronic questionnaire and through on campus interviews. Quantitative results suggested that exchange students found characteristics about Korea attractive (e.g., K-pop) as well as wanting international and/or cross-cultural experiences, to be the most appealing. 10 students participated in interviews, and findings showed that students became interested in Korea by exposure to popular media, as well as wanting a diverse, international study environment. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of university inbound program promotion/marketing and program design/development for short-term mobility, along with areas for future research.
A lack of differentiation among student conceptualizations and the use of homogenous labels has m... more A lack of differentiation among student conceptualizations and the use of homogenous labels has made descriptions of distance students in the literature difficult to parse. While students in an online class may share the same nationality or citizenship, they may not share the same nation of residence or status of sojourn. Similarly, "local" students in transnational programs may in fact not be locals, and there is no clear consensus on what differentiates transnational versus international distance students. Such discrepancies have gained burgeoning recognition in recent years, yet related research is limited. This multicase study ultimately investigated the experiences of Western expatriate and transnational distance students situated in various cities throughout the Republic of Korea, highlighting themes of convenience, benefits, home-country orientation, and perceptions of a non-local future in their distance programs. Implications for both home-and host-country universities are discussed.