International academic opportunities have gained increased attention among students, faculty, and administration at American universities. It is important for agricultural students to have an awareness and understanding of agricultural policy and issues in the United States and other countries. Also, faculty who have personal and professional ties internationally are often the link for these students to engage in global experiences. This study used descriptive survey methodology to assess students (N = 773) and faculty (N = 85) at the University of Arkansas about their perceptions of international experiences, as well as what they saw as the most influential barriers and influencers to participating in international experiences. Students noted their parents (M = 3.30) as the most impactful influence for deciding whether or not to engage in an international experience, and cost (M = 3.92) was perceived as the most influential barrier to an international experience. Faculty noted money (84.2%) and time (80.7%) as barriers, and about one-half of the faculty wished to collaborate with institutions in Europe. Faculty perceived that institutional financial support should be provided to both faculty and students (74.1%). This study notes student influencers and barriers and faculty needs and provides recommendations for improving international learning experiences and opportunities for future research.

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International programs (IP) continue to grow in importance. There is an increased demand from employers and communities for globally competent individuals, yet only 2.3% of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences (Bumpers College) students studied abroad in an agriculture-related program during the 2014 and 2015 academic year. This study used descriptive survey methods with University of Arkansas undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2017 Bumpers College courses (n = 1,758) to determine their perceptions of international experiences. These perceptions included identifying the most influential barriers and benefits to participation. The majority of students were interested in short-term faculty-led programs (n = 1,190, 72.1%), followed by international internships (n = 760, 46%). Students wanted to participate in an IP during summer I (n = 1,138, 69%), followed by summer II (n = 839, 50.8%). Based on a 5-point Likert-type scale, students reported "cost is too high" (M = 3.83, SD = 1.10) and being "too busy with school" (M = 3.27, SD = 1.18) as the most influential barriers to participating in an IP. Using the same Likert-type scale, students reported an IP being a "lifechanging opportunity" (M = 4.49, SD = 1.75) and "sets me apart when applying for grad school/jobs" (M = 4.27, SD = 1.90) as the most influential benefits. The fact that 5.5% of the students surveyed had participated in an IP confirms that the Bumpers College requires more immersion in order to meet the University of Arkansas goal for 25% international participation by 2020.

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Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to address critical considerations within rural advisory service (RAS) networks, specifically, getting the right information to audiences in a timely and appropriate manner. ICTs are technologies that facilitate knowledge and information sharing. For RAS networks, ICTs can be an important tool to ensure that both explicit and tacit information is shared with network members with the anticipated benefit of increased capacity of the network. Although the importance of ICTs are well documented within the literature, there are limited guidelines for what specific network capacities in ICT use are needed to better provide support for RAS providers to fulfill their responsibilities. Using the Delphi process, a panel of 31 experts from 24 countries arrived at consensus on 51 specific ICT use capacities associated with effective RAS networks. The results of the research provide a practical framework for RAS providers and networks to develop ICT use related capacity building and tactical planning activities. Keywords: Information Communication Technology (ICT); ICT use; Delphi; evaluation; capacity assessment