International Parents and Students’ Perceptions and Expectations on an Australian Degree Program in Kkuic

Contents

Chapter I : Introduction        

Background        

Problem statements        

Purposes of the study        

Research Questions        

Research Hypothesis        

Definition of Terms        

Limitations of the study        

Chapter II: Literature Review        

Chapter III: Methodology        

Data collection: Methods and Venues        

Data Analysis        

Chapter IV: Results        

Expected Results        

Future Studies        

Expected budget        

Bibliography        

Appendix 1        

Appendix 2        

Chapter I : Introduction

Background

Khon Kaen University International College(KKUIC), established in 2008, is a part of Khon Kaen University(KKU), one of the four regional universities of Thailand established in 1964. KKU is now one of the top universities in Thailand, a home to over 40,000 students studying in 17 faculties, 1 satellite campus, 1 school and 3 colleges (Khon Kaen University, Thailand). KKUIC is one of those colleges and with degree programs provided entirely by English, KKUIC is the strategic tool of KKU to reach overseas students. There are approximately 500 students in KKUIC, with the majority of Thai students. There are currently 5 Bachelor Degree programs available: Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Tourism Management; Bachelor of Business Administration in Global Business and International Marketing; and Bachelor of Science in Multimedia Technology and Animation. There are approximately 500 students in KKUIC.

        Federation University Australia (FedUni)  is a dual-sector university with multiple campuses in Victoria, Australia. It is the result of emerging the University of Ballarat and Monash University (About FedUni - Federation University Australia). The school is centered in Ballarat, but there are also campuses in Ararat, Horsham and Stawell, offering technical and further education (TAFE) and Horsham's Higher Education Nursing program. The Ballarat and Mount Helen campuses offer traditional university programs, a few of which are Business, Engineering, Education, Nursing and Art. 

        In recent years, globalization has brought many changes in education worldwide (Vaira, 2004). Students can choose among thousands of institutions. Moreover, many schools and colleges choose to expand their campus, both domestically and internationally. While satellite campuses are a safe choice for recognized institutions, international branch campuses are a very new way to expand the schools. In this case, the institutions usually work with their local partners for a joint operation. International branch campuses are an entirely new and unpredictable trend of institutions  (Becker, 2010).

        Recognizing certain benefits of having a branch campus in Thailand, the Federation University of Australia is working is Khon Kaen University, specifically Khon Kaen University International College to create an Australian Bachelor’s Degree Program in Khon Kaen University, in attempt to attract more ASEAN students, and in the same time develop the reputation of the newly established KKUIC. The program basically includes Australia-based lecture materials: textbooks, assignments and test papers. The teaching will be done by KKUIC lecturers, and the grading will be done by professors at the Australian University. The Degree is Australian standard, and it would take 3 years to finish, same as which in Australia. Students will have a quality Australian Bachelor’s Degree without staying in Australia.

Problem statements

This research aims to support the co-operation between KKUIC and FedUni in bringing an Australian degree program into an emerging environment – an international college in Thailand, by figuring out how international parents and students who live in Thailand think, predict and expect about the above joint operation.

        The success of the program is affected by not only the quality of the students, but also the number of the students who attend it. Before launching the program, we need to know that both Thai and international parents and students are ready for it, and are willing to attend. There are two big parts of information that we gather: people’s perceptions and expectations. After knowing how people think, we can develop a proper marketing plan for the program in order to attract parents and students.

        International branch campuses in Thailand is a very new issue, therefore the results of this study can be useful for educators for future researches regarding starting new branch campus or joint program, especially in ASEAN countries like Thailand. The method used is survey/questionnaire design in order to collect and analyze quantitative data useful for research.

Purposes of the study

        The main purposes of this research are to find out international parents and students’ perceptions and expectations about an Australian bachelor’s degree in a Thai University. This research will help both sides, KKUIC and FedUni, get a bigger picture at the current status and predict future trend of international branch campus or joint degree programs in Thailand. Once this research shows positive results, KKUIC and FedUni will begin proceeding the joint operation.