Study Abroad Curriculum Integration Workshop

1. Study Abroad Curriculum Integration Workshop Angie Edwards & Jennifer Sandler Friday, November 9th, 2012

2. Today's Workshop Action Items Big Picture & Context How-to & Resources

3. Workshop Terminology • Program= academic program • Site= study abroad site • Winthrop Program= short list of study abroad sites where tuition/room/board costs are similar to those at WU • Curriculum Integration= common terminology for this project we are embarking on: integrating study abroad seamlessly into the curriculum • Degree plan= 4-year plan

4. The Big Picture • Why are we here? • Where does this fit in with the GLI? • What goal(s) and learning outcomes are we addressing? • - GLI implementation goal #4

5. Our Major Goals • For this initiative, each department will: • Identify degree program's "sweet spot" semester(s) that incorporates taking Touchstone and/or major courses during semester- or year-long study abroad • Select 2 or more study abroad programs that will fit in the "sweet spot" • Disseminate information to advisors through training • Make information available via departmental websites

6. Big Picture & Context • Real and perceived barriers to study abroad • Money • Time (and time is money!) • Results from other institutions • University of Minnesota- Twin Cities http://umabroad.umn.edu/assets/files/PDFs/ci/B.VanDeusenCIcasestudiespaper.pdf • 150 percent increase in study abroad since the late 1990s • 28% of graduates have studied abroad as compared with a national average of approx. 10% • analysis of time to graduation data show that students who study abroad are graduating in a more timely manner than those who do not

7. Big Picture & Context • Why Touchstone courses? • Common across programs • Generally more flexibility in fulfilling these requirements than major/minor requirements (global and historical perspectives) • Best starting place to start to make the greatest impact across campus • What about major or minor courses abroad? • For some degrees, finding major courses abroad may be easier than others (History v. Education) • Please feel free to select programs that offer major or minor courses. If you do, we will consider that icing on the cake!

8. Why semester and not short-term programs? • Opportunity for longer experience and engagement • Financial reasons • Access to financial aid, namely scholarships and grants • Bang for your buck and ROI • WU bucks the summer study abroad trend, presumably because of the extra costs and limited access to financial aid

9. Why is this initiative important? • Streamlines advising by creating shared resources for your department • Helps students make study abroad a reality by giving them (and their advisors and parents) a clear path • Initial interest in study abroad v. actualization

10. Semester-long study abroad basics • Sophomore standing • 2.5 GPA (may vary by program) • Clean conduct record • Full-time enrollment overseas • Winthrop Programs: • Semester- or year-long • Generally most affordable- students pay Winthrop tuition, room, and/or board • Scholarships, grants, and loans (including LIFE, Pell, etc.) transfer • Additional funding available (loans/study abroad scholarships) • Additional costs: airfare, passport, spending money, student visa, CISI international travel insurance

11. What has the IC done to help? • Developed a matrix showing, of WU's affiliated programs, which offer courses in which Touchstone disciplines • Pre-reviewed other affordable programs for Touchstone possibilities- have X# on matrix • Created a 4-year degree plan template • Information will be available online: http://www2.winthrop.edu/gli/SAIntegration.aspx

12. How have these programs been reviewed/selected? • 19 Winthrop Programs • Some are 10+ years old. Newest is in 2nd year • Exchanges- bi-lateral/reciprocal exchanges of students (Germany, Sweden, Finland, Australia-Deakin University) • Direct-enroll- no exchange, but we work directly with the host institution to enroll students (England, Australia-USC) • Third-party provider- we work with a company or organization that either runs a program specifically for study abroad students or facilitates enrollment in the host institution when the host institution's support services may be lacking. (Costa Rica/Spain)

13. How have these programs been reviewed/selected? • All partner programs have been evaluated for: • Accreditation/recognition • In many cases, these are programs we have a history with and are satisfied with students' academic and personal experiences- collected through evaluations • In cases of new programs, we solicit feedback from other institutions who have sent students, review course syllabi, and visit when we can • Affordability • Student support services • Health and safety

14. What if my department or students want a more expensive program? • There are many fantastic programs out there, many of which cost more than a semester at Winthrop • We would encourage you to stick with options under $10,000 for tuition/room/board for integration in your 4-year plan • Other options can be offered, but it should be clearly stated in writing that students will need to pay the program's published fee

15. What if my program has prescribed specific courses to fulfill Touchstone requirements? • Is there some flexibility in how a particular requirement might be met? • A degree of flexibility may be needed • Consider course relevancy, rather than course equivalency • Could pre-requisite courses could be co-requisites?

16. Known limitations • By offering only affordable options, you will see that not all countries are available as options. We continually explore options for new exchange partnerships but these take time to develop • Programs that have prescribed courses to fulfill Touchstone requirements may have a more difficult time at this task- Flexibility and a bit of creativity is important! • Some students are still not going to follow these plans and will require individualized advising by both the department and IC. • Degree requirements, courses offered abroad, and site capacities could all change. Communication between IC and departmental liaisons is important.

17. Great, so how do I begin?

18. Step one: Find your program's "sweet spot" • If your program already has a 4-year plan, this will probably be relatively easy • Look at your typical 4-year plan and the semesters when Touchstone courses are generally taken • Play with the plan and shift courses around, trying to consolidate 12-15 hours of Touchstone and electives into one semester in the sophomore year or beyond (avoid graduation semester if at all possible)

19. Sample Plan

20. Step two: Find sites that offer courses needed • The matrix notes if there are any limitations on semesters the program is offered, or limits to the number of credits a student can take- pay attention to these before finalizing your plans

21. Insert images of plan next to matrix with highlighted matches

22. What if I can't find a good fit? • The majority of programs should be able to integrate 2 or more study abroad sites from the supplied list • If you encounter difficulty, please contact the IC and we will help you identify additional options • Just remember, there are only 2 of us- please be patient!

23. Step three: Finalize your 4-year degree plans • Plug degree requirements into the 4-year degree plan template • Highlight the study abroad semester • Include the study abroad sites identified