Date of Defense

4-24-2026

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Department

Marketing

First Advisor

Beth Ernst

Second Advisor

Joe Milostan

Abstract

Study abroad is a valuable opportunity for students' personal and professional development and is offered in various study abroad models and frameworks, including university-run or externally-run. Western Michigan University offers various options, including Faculty-Led Programs, WMU Exchange Programs, Partner Study Abroad Programs, University-Approved Provider Programs, International Internships, and Independent Study Abroad Opportunities. The University-Approved Provider Programs option at WMU allows students to study abroad through a provider that could more directly meet their interests and goals due to the personalized options available. Despite the benefits of the University-Approved Provider Programs, participation in these programs is low. The information about this program option on the WMU website is not designed with the student's intent in mind, which is evident through the current design principles.

This thesis focuses on how website design affects student comprehension of University-Approved Provider Programs. It is a mixed-methods study that includes a literature review establishing the benefits of study abroad and different study abroad frameworks, an autoethnography of a University-Approved Provider experience, a comparative analysis of WMU's peer institutions' webpages on their third-party provider option, a website redesign implementing the LIFT model framework, and A/B testing to test the effectiveness of the mockup webpage. The findings of this thesis suggest that the current University-Approved Provider Programs webpage needs to be redesigned so WMU students are better educated on all of their study abroad program options.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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