| The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of institutional factors and practices on the student experience and development of organizational identification in students in the context of transnational university partnership programs, collaborations between a U.S. "home" institution and a "host" institution abroad offering degree programs through distributed delivery models. Organizational identification is known to benefit the institution, influencing effectiveness and long-term institutional strength, and student engagement and satisfaction, both during the program and when they become alumni. Previous research has established that contextual factors---both environmental and structural---influence the development of organizational identification in students in single university settings and that student identification with the institution is positively related to their future support of their alma mater when they become alumni. However, little, if any, research exists on how organizational identification develops in students in transnational university partnership programs and whether it will contribute to students' desire to affiliate with and maintain a connection to one or both of the partner institutions when they become alumni.;Two Carnegie Mellon transnational partnership programs were examined through cross-case analysis: the Athens MSIN, a partnership program with Athens Information Technology in Athens, Greece, and the Chennai MSIT, offered through partnership with the SSN School of Advanced Software Engineering (SSN SASE), in Chennai, India. Each program utilizes a different approach and delivery model to offer its program and therefore provided the research with contrasting examples of transnational university partnership programs for exploration.;Findings from this study suggest that the student experience, which is shaped by environmental and structural factors in the delivery of the program, influences identification with the institution. Time spent at the home and host institutions, integration with other students enrolled at both institutions, the nature and degree of interaction with home and host institution faculty, the integration of the home institution culture into the program and access to home institution resources and services while at the host institution represent significant elements of the student experience in the context of transnational partnership programs that influence students' sense of belonging to the institution. |
