Culinary study abroad opportunities at the Art Institute of Atlanta

Abstract

This study researched the possible need for a Culinary Study-Abroad Program at The Art Institute of Atlanta and how it will impact enrollments in the Culinary Arts department. The research objectives were: 1. Measure the level of interest, location, types, and costs of Study Abroad Programs desired by Culinary continuing students at The Art Institute of Atlanta. 2. Determine and profile the student’s international background and experience. 3. Compare and contrast methods used by institutions that have an established Study Abroad Program to assist The Art Institute of Atlanta in its design and implementation in Study Abroad opportunities. 4. Evaluate select Study Abroad Programs to determine their influence on student enrollments within select majors. The data for this research was collected through the use of a questionnaire as shown in Appendix A, which was distributed in all the Culinary Arts lab courses at The Art Institute of Atlanta during the month of February 2002. A total of 433 surveys were distributed and the return rate was 264 surveys or 61 percent of the total starting student body in the Culinary Arts Program in the Winter quarter of 2002. All 264 surveys were considered valid data and used in the tabulation of the findings. The SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solutions) software package analyzed and computed these data, with the exception of the open-ended question. Basic descriptive statistics (Mean and Standard Deviations) and frequency distributions were computed for each variable. The findings of the study are summarized below: An overwhelming majority (86 percent) of the students surveyed expressed an interest in a Culinary study-abroad program. Of the respondents interested in such a program, the majority of the students were day students in the first or second quarter of the program with the average age of 18 to 24 years old. There were an equal number of males to females responding to the survey and over one-quarter of the respondents had an associate, bachelor, or postgraduate degree. The majority of the respondents were US students (97 percent), with just a small percentage of the respondents as International students (3 percent). The International students native homeland was very diverse representing 7 countries, with Puerto Rico (25 percent) showing the highest frequency. More than three-quarters of the US respondents had not worked, studied, or lived abroad (185 respondents), while 8.6 percent (22 respondents) worked abroad, 6.6 percent (17 respondents) studied abroad, and 12.5 percent (32 respondents) lived abroad. A fair portion of the respondents spoke a foreign language (27 percent) with several respondents being bilingual. This group spoke a total of 16 different foreign languages, with the highest frequency being Spanish (47.6 percent), French (23.2 percent) and German (8.5 percent). The two most desired Culinary study-abroad course options were the 10-Day Culinary Tour as a 4-credit hour elective and the one-quarter, 16 credits, including an Internship program. The preferred location of study for the 10-Day Culinary Tour and non-credit Internship option was Italy and France for both options. The most “affordable price” for the 10-Day Culinary Tour option were in the groups ranging from $2000.00 - $2500.00, not including tuition. The top three reasons that were generally the most important to the respondents for pursuing Culinary study-abroad courses were: expand Culinary skills, broadened cultural knowledge, and professional advancement. Analysis of the open-ended question supported the empirical data. One-third of the respondents described in their own words any additional comments or suggestions that might benefit The Art Institute of Atlanta in the development and implementation of a Culinary study-abroad program. The comments were grouped into 7 categories with the highest number of responses answering in the form of cost associated with a study-abroad program and the ability of the student to afford such a course offering. A summary of these findings can be found in the Appendix B. One of the objectives of this study was to compare and contrast methods used by institutions that have an established study-abroad program to assist The Art Institute of Atlanta in its design and implementation in study-abroad opportunities. The Art Institute of Atlanta is currently evaluating a partnership with Schiller University within its study-abroad programs. Possible 10-Day Culinary Tours as an elective or an eight-week program abroad to include an internship are being examined. Niagara University established a relationship with Schiller University in 1988, with an increased number of students participating in their study-abroad program. The success of Niagara’s Departmental Study-Abroad Program can be attributed to including faculty in the design and implementation process. Other institutions, such as the Baltimore International College (BIC), have an owned and operated property internationally and use their hotel as a venue for their Culinary Arts study-abroad program. BIC has also established academic criteria for students studying abroad to insure a more successful outcome of the international experience. Johnson and Wales University, The Art Institute of Atlanta Culinary Arts largest and closest competitor, has an institution in Sweden, but does not have a formal Culinary Arts study-abroad program. The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has a domestic study-abroad program for the bachelor in Culinary Arts Management in which students study for 6 weeks at the Greystone campus in Napa Valley, California. Other program offerings by the CIA include a “Travel Program,” allowing for international travel and study-abroad to foodservice professionals for continuing education units (CEU’s). Another objective of this study was to evaluate selected study-abroad programs to determine their influence on student enrollments within select majors. Studies indicate that “special programs” such as study-abroad programs, had a positive effect and influenced the student’s decision to enroll in a particular institution. Also, when examining the institutions with the largest study-abroad enrollments in 1998 to the largest college enrollments for fall of 1997, 80 percent of the largest study-abroad programs by type of institution were also listed in fall of 1997 with the colleges with the largest enrollments. This concludes that the larger college enrollments will result in larger study-abroad enrollments. Furthermore, Dr. Gary Praetzel, Dean of the College of Hospitality Management at Niagara University states that Niagara’s established study-abroad program with Schiller University has “definitely had a positive impact” on their student enrollment numbers and that the institution uses study-abroad “as a marketing tool.” Based on these studies and statistics, this evidence indicates that study-abroad programs do have a positive impact on an institution’s enrollment numbers.