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Social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter are increasingly being integrated into recruiting and outreach activities across the US universities. Despite their popularity among staff, resources on best practices in higher education remain sparse. As new communication tools evolve and transform higher education, researchers must adapt their approaches to understand these tools and collect relevant data. This study presents and tests new methods for conducting research in higher education communications. The author presents digital ethnography as a relevant methodological approach for researching and understanding online communities in higher education. Using an exploratory online survey distributed through online social networks as an example, the author gathers data on the use of social media in international higher education recruiting and outreach. The exploratory survey sought information on which social media tools were being used by university staff, the perceived benefits and drawbacks of social media use in international recruiting and outreach, and how universities measured social media for international recruiting purposes. Using a digital ethnographic approach, the author gathered relevant, timely data from international higher education professionals and gained insight into the norms, rules, and workings of social networking communities. Results point to new methods for understanding the evolution of higher education communications for researchers and university staff alike. Data from the exploratory study of international higher education communications are presented as an example of the rich amount of data obtained through the approach.

The purpose of this paper is to share the results of the 2019 international interlending survey conducted by the American Library Association, Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section (STARS) International Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Committee, the fourth such survey conducted by this group since 2007.

Committee members developed the survey instrument and collected data in Qualtrics. Questions from the 2015 and 2011 instruments were reused to support longitudinal data analysis, and new questions related to improving the sharing of resources across borders were added. The survey was distributed to libraries worldwide via multiple methods, and translations in six of the seven official International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions languages were provided.

Results reveal challenges to engaging in global resource sharing in the areas of discovery and request methods, policies and service models, copyright and licensing, delivery and payment. Strategies to overcome these challenges, as informed by both the survey results and recent literature, are shared. Reinforcing each other, these independently and organically developed solutions illustrate ways to further advance ILL.

The findings can aid ILL practitioners and the organizations to which they belong in improving the sharing of resources across borders. By optimizing this service, libraries can better support researchers in a globalized environment.

The 2019 RUSA STARS survey is the first survey on the topic of international ILL to offer multiple translations complimenting global distribution. It contributes to the literature by offering a broad and updated perspective on current international ILL practices, challenges impeding the sharing of library materials abroad and possible solutions.

The purpose of this paper is to provide preliminary results of the 2011 survey on international interlending conducted by the ALA RUSA STARS International Interlibrary Loan Committee.

An international survey was deployed using SurveyMonkey, an online survey tool, and distributed through various electronic resource sharing discussion lists and personal contacts with international libraries.

The 2011 survey aimed toward international libraries revealed similar results to those of the Committee's 2007 survey of US libraries. Most international interlending participants both borrow and lend materials internationally. Further analysis will be done focusing on barriers to as well as identification of common practices in international interlending.

This research provides the most recent survey of international interlending practices and will yield potential methods and activities for improving resource sharing globally.

Global focus on reforming teachers has resulted in the inclusion of multiple survey questions about teachers’ professional learning activities in large-scale international studies. A cross-national analysis of these survey data will likely enhance our understanding and inform the future direction regarding teacher professional development policy and practice. Yet we do not know whether these surveys measure the key features and their contextual factors of teachers’ professional learning activities to allow a systematic cross-national analysis. Based on international and U.S. literature, I develop a conceptual model of teachers’ professional learning activities in global context and analyze relevant survey items used in three major international studies – TIMSS, PIRLS, and TALIS. I conclude the chapter with a discussion of the coverage of these survey items and a direction for improving data collections of teachers’ professional learning activities in large-scale international studies.

The subject of part‐time work is one which has become increasingly important in industrialised economies where it accounts for a substantial and growing proportion of total employment. It is estimated that in 1970, average annual hours worked per employee amounted to only 60% of those for 1870. Two major factors are attributed to explaining the underlying trend towards a reduction in working time: (a) the increase in the number of voluntary part‐time employees and (b) the decrease in average annual number of days worked per employee (Kok and de Neubourg, 1986). The authors noted that the growth rate of part‐time employment in many countries was greater than the corresponding rate of growth in full‐time employment.

The purpose of this paper is to provide preliminary results of the 2015 international interlending survey conducted by the ALA RUSA STARS International Interlibrary Loan Committee and compare these results to those of the survey conducted in 2011.

An international survey was developed using Qualtrics to both gather and analyze the results received after the survey was distributed via listservs and personal contacts.

The 2015 survey’s results generally showed similarities to those in 2011 with most participants both borrowing and lending materials internationally. The differences between the 2011 and 2015 survey are highlighted as are barriers to international interlending.

This study illustrates the most recent survey of international interlending practices with comparison to previous studies and will yield potential methods and activities for improving resource sharing globally.

To assess incoming international students' library and computer experience before coming to the US, and to determine their current library needs.

A study was undertaken to assess incoming international students' exposure to libraries, computer literacy skills, and to determine their library needs. Results from a survey conducted in August 2003 include demographic information about incoming students, computer and library use before coming to the US, library concepts that are new to them, and opinions about the library.

Survey results show that international students arrive in the US with high levels of computer literacy and that most incoming students have used a library in their home country. Findings suggest that international students would benefit from specialized library information competence and orientation programs.

This study was conducted just over 3 weeks after the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Library opened its doors. Thus, student survey responses were collected during an unsettled period. While students perceive themselves as understanding library terminology, no testing was conducted to confirm this. Further study is needed to determine the extent of their knowledge of library terms and jargon.

Survey results have led to the implementation of library programs that support the information competence, retention and academic success of international students.

Few studies include the international students themselves to determine their library and educational needs. This study offers a current view of the library needs of international students as they perceive them.

The purpose of this paper is to use Song’s 2004 survey to assess this institution’s international business students’ perceptions and expectations of library services to improve the quality of services provided.

The authors of this study deployed Song’s 2004 survey, with his permission, to 775 international undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Fall 2016 semester using the online survey tool Qualtrics.

The current study compared Song’s 2004 survey results (n = 143) with the researchers’ results (n = 149). The response rate of the current survey deployment was 19.2%. This research focused on the comparison of this institution’s Chinese business students’ (n = 71) perceptions of library use and services in 2016 with Song’s Chinese students’ perceptions (n = 24) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne (UIUC) in 2004. The researchers asked the international business students (UG and GR) to rate their perceived importance of five topics of library services: personal study area, public computers, electronic resources, group meeting space and virtual reference. Overall students (n = 149) rated personal study area as being the most important library service (4.34; moderately important) and virtual reference as being the least important library service (3.33; neutral).

Overall the library literature is limited with respect to studies that compare the perceptions and expectations of library services of international students from China, who are studying business at universities or colleges in the USA.

There is little research into small higher education institutions and international students’ choice in selecting these institutions. The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors that influence international student choices in selecting a small institution. In particular, this study compares the differences between Chinese students and other international students in selecting an institution, specifically based on sources of information used, usefulness of the information, pull motivations, and reference groups/items.

This research study examined undergraduate international students at a small-sized Canadian higher education institution. “International students” were surveyed – as the total population included all students who are studying at the institution on a study permit or a temporary resident (visitor) visa. All full-time and part-time international students attending the institution were eligible to participate in the survey regardless of their faculty or major. For the sampling process, international students at the institution were intercepted on campus using convenient sampling and personal interview method to participate in the survey. In addition, students were invited within the classroom to volunteer to complete the survey. They were able to complete either a paper-based survey or an online survey by following a hyperlink.

Results indicate that international students considered “the university’s website” as the most used information source but perceived “direct communication from the institution” as the highest ranked usefulness of the information when selecting a small institution. Further, findings indicate that international student cohorts perceived “environmental cues and educational facilities” as the most important pull motivational factor and the institution itself as the reference that has the most significant influence on student decision making.

This study was conducted on students who were surveyed following their enrolment and attendance at the institution. Students were surveyed at various stages of their undergraduate studies. As a result, some of these responses may be several years from the actual decision of selecting an institution and student recall may not be accurately reflected. In addition, examining student decision making prior to, during, and immediately following their choice of institution would most likely create better information as student attitudes and perceptions would be recorded closer to the actual decision. In addition, given that these students are attending the institution their actual experience on-campus may have impacted their responses either positively or negatively.

This study provides insight into international student choice in choosing smaller institutions. These findings can support recruitment policy and strategy for international students and may assist in enhancing institutional performance.

The study reinforces the need for policy makers, institutional leaders and recruiters to understand motivations to pursue overseas studies and to ensure push, pull, and structural factors are aligned for successful student recruitment outcomes. While there is commonality among international student cohorts, there are also significant differences that need to be addressed by institutions and destinations for international students. These findings are presented from one small higher education institution in Canada.

This study created new knowledge regarding international student decision making in choosing to study at a small higher education institution. The study compared the key factors that influenced decision making and identified differences among Chinese students and other international students. There is little research into the international student decision making and small institutions. This study provides unique insight into international student choice and influences on their decision making.

Fabricated data jeopardize the reliability of large-scale population surveys and reduce the comparability of such efforts by destroying the linkage between data and measurement constructs. Such data result in the loss of comparability across participating countries and, in the case of cyclical surveys, between past and present surveys. This paper aims to describe how data fabrication can be understood in the context of the complex processes involved in the collection, handling, submission and analysis of large-scale assessment data. The actors involved in those processes, and their possible motivations for data fabrication, are also elaborated.

Computer-based assessments produce new types of information that enable us to detect the possibility of data fabrication, and therefore the need for further investigation and analysis. The paper presents three examples that illustrate how data fabrication was identified and documented in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and discusses the resulting remediation efforts.

For two countries that participated in the first round of PIAAC, the data showed a subset of interviewers who handled many more cases than others. In Case 1, the average proficiency for respondents in those interviewers’ caseloads was much higher than expected and included many duplicate response patterns. In Case 2, anomalous response patterns were identified. Case 3 presents findings based on data analyses for one PISA country, where results for human-coded responses were shown to be highly inflated compared to past results.

This paper shows how new sources of data, such as timing information collected in computer-based assessments, can be combined with other traditional sources to detect fabrication.