Starting a ShortTerm Study Abroad Program: The Consideration of Strategic Planning

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Starting a Short-Term Study Abroad Program The
Consideration of Strategic Planning

• Dr. Brian Harley
• Assistant Dean, International Programs
• Director, Office of Programs for Study Abroad

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Overview of Presentation

• 1.) Data about short-term study abroad programs
• 2.) Strategies for developing short-term
  programs
• 3.) Comments about collaboration associated with
  the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation
  Act of 2007

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• 1.) Data about short-term study abroad programs

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• U.S. Study Abroad (1985-86 to 2005-06)

223,534 students
Bhandari, R. and Chow, P. (2007). Open Doors
2007 Report on International Educational
Exchange. New York Institute of International
Education.
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• U.S. Study Abroad Top 20 Destinations

Bhandari, R. and Chow, P. (2007). Open Doors
2007 Report on International Educational
Exchange. New York Institute of International
Education.
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• U.S. Study Abroad by Program Length
• (1993-94 to 2005-06)

Short-term
Bhandari, R. and Chow, P. (2007). Open Doors
2007 Report on International Educational
Exchange. New York Institute of International
Education.
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• Duration of Study Abroad
• by Institutional Type, 2005-06

NOTE Select tables also online at
http//opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p113249
Bhandari, R. and Chow, P. (2007). Open Doors
2007 Report on International Educational
Exchange. New York Institute of International
Education.
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• Associates Institutions with Over 100 Study
  Abroad Students, Ranked by Student Total, 2005-06

Bhandari, R. and Chow, P. (2007). Open Doors
2007 Report on International Educational
Exchange. New York Institute of International
Education.
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Statistically significant difference in time
spent thinking about why other countries have
different perspectives than the United States
Student Respondents On-campus -versus-
Returned Study Abroad
Source Chiefo and Griffiths, 2003. Whats a
Month Worth? Student Perceptions of What They
Learned Abroad. International Educator.
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1. know how to make an overseas phone call2.
want to attain language fluency in future3.
can explain one aspect of US foreign policy4.
are more patient with non-English speakers5.
can communicate in another language6. want to
learn more about world geography7. are
developing new appreciation for the arts8.
watch non-American news on television9. listen
to music sung in language other than English10.
think about why other countries have different
perspectives than the United States
Differences between On-campus and Returned Study
Abroad Respondents
(Chiefo and Griffiths, 2003)
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Academic purpose- Gateway experience- Start of
transformation
Positive Finding A study of one institutions
short-term programs shows how participating
students grow in ways their stay-at-home peers
do not
Source Chiefo and Griffiths, 2003. Whats a
Month Worth? Student Perceptions of What They
Learned Abroad. International Educator.
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• 2.) Strategies for developing Short-term
  Programs

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Purdues Office of Study Abroad

• A Staff of 10 with 104 combined years in Study
  Abroad (including 53 at Purdue)
• Dedicated to Preparing and Sending as Many
  Qualified Students on Quality Programs as
  Possible

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An Environmental Scan
Positives
Negatives
Internal Characteristics
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
External Characteristics
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
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Identifying Salient Issues
Opportunities
Threats
Predominant Capability Areas where we are
already strong, and can excel.
Mobilization Areas where we should focus our
strengths to be able to deal with problems and
issues.
Strengths
Investment/Divestment Areas where we need to
decide whether to stop trying, or to develop some
new capabilities to be able to access
opportunities.
Damage Control High priority areas for action,
to prevent disaster or failure.
Weaknesses
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Components of a Plan
The ends or targets toward which effort is
directed
Goals and objectives
Approach
Resources
The way you put things together to get the
results you want
The raw materials you have to work with
Activities
The things you do with the resources you have
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Assumptions of Effective Collaboration

• Be aware of variances by academic unit
• Help design approaches consistent with academic
  culture(s)
• Parallel unit goals, strengths, and limitations
• Create plans which are sustainable over time

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Key Strategy Components

• Get students out on study abroad in any
  reasonable way possible
• Seek wider involvement - look at
  under-represented areas both academically and
  demographically
• Identify sustainable plans and appropriate
  assessment
• Promote community buy-in related to program
  design and control

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More students out on study abroad

• Goals and Objectives
• Define the unit of analysis that we are going to
  measure and assess
• Raise awareness by announcing study abroad
  definition in formal memo
• Create dialogue about what is within study
  abroad
• Resources
• Supportive Provost and President (with overt
  financial support)
• On-campus communications systems including
  website
• Approach
• Internal conversations and top-down messages
  (numerical goals)
• With finite study abroad staff, other leadership
  will also be needed
• Acknowledge that initially this will be more of
  an accumulation than a plan
• Roles and Activities
• Communications with key stakeholders
• Vigilant monitoring of non-reported international
  activities with students

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Outcome Steady Upward Growth in Programs and
Participants
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Seek wider involvement

• Goals and Objectives
• Democratize study abroad
• Widen to include research internships (and
  graduate students)
• Get qualified students on quality programs
• Resources
• Recurring funds for student travel grants
• Recurring funds for faculty start-up grants
  (study abroad and research)
• Approach
• Think beyond semester/summer and only classroom
  study
• Assume units do their own SWOT we can help
  afterward
• Roles and Activities
• Deans and department heads on site visits
• Engage International Programs Officers in
  planning

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Outcome Promoting breadth of programs to widen
audience
Level III High-intensity cross cultural
experiences requiring extensive interaction with,
and mastery of, the host culture. Usually
requires language ability. Usually for a
semester or more, often involving collaborative
research or application work in ones field of
specialization.
Level II More intensive courses requiring more
engagement with the host culture. May be longer
and more demanding. May require some language
ability. Often for a semester, often within
ones major.
Level I Shorter, introductory cross-cultural
experiences designed primarily to acquaint
students with other people and places.
Maymester, summer and break times primarily. May
include free electives and Gen Ed courses outside
the major.
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Identifying sustainable plans and appropriate
assessment

• Goals and Objectives
• Cost containment
• Work with partner universities strategically
• Resources
• Engage International Programs Officers in
  planning
• Security Risk Assessment Committee
• Approach
• Assume faculty burn out in absence of
  departmental commitment/plan
• Ongoing engagement/negotiation about the Tension
  of roles
• Curricular integration will be key for success
• Roles and Activities
• Assessment of student services
• Assessment of academic programs

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Outcome Curricular Mapping in Academic Units
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Promoting community buy-in

• Goals and Objectives
• Sustainable programs with curricular integration
• Cultural shift within institution about value of
  international education
• Resources
• Networking about other best practices in the
  field
• Peer data
• Leveraging institutional strategic plan
• Approach
• Faculty activities as cause and consequence of
  student activities abroad
• Recognizing possible tensions between creativity
  and control
• Roles and Activities
• Study abroad fairs, information sessions, resume
  writing workshops
• Student Ambassadors across Schools and Colleges
• Engaging international exchange students for
  recruitment

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Outcome Buy-in linked to funding
Faculty Development in China (FDIC) Grants To
familiarize Purdue faculty with key institutions,
cities, and regions in Chinatoward new
collaborative research, study abroad and student
exchange, faculty exchange, international student
recruitment, and engagement activities. Global
Partners (GP) Grants for Faculty and Staff To
familiarize faculty and academic support staff
with our overseas strategic partner institutions,
and the cities, regions, and cultures in which
they are found, so that faculty and staff may
better serve as advocates for study abroad when
advising students and designing curriculum and
plans of study. Study Abroad and International
Learning (SAIL) Grants To assist faculty and
departments in the development of short-term
study abroad and/or exchange programs with
partner universities overseas to increase study
abroad participation by undergraduate and
graduate students.
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Growth reflecting departmental support of study
abroad
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Outcome 2006 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus
Internationalization
Purdue University was one of five institutions
in the United States to receive this award, in
part, because of increases in study and research
abroad in recent multiple years.
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• 3.) Comments about collaboration
• associated with
• the Senator Paul Simon
• Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007

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Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of
2007 (H.R. 1469, S.991)
GOAL? - By 2017, send one million U.S.
college/university students abroad annually. -
The result will be half of U.S.
college/university graduates will have studied
abroad.
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Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of
2007 (H.R. 1469, S.991)

• PARTICIPANTS? Cross-section of U.S. population
• But note current under-represented groups
• Nontraditional students
• Students at two-year institutions
• Students and students at minority-serving
  institutions
• African-American and Hispanic-American students
• Students in STEM disciplines
• lt http//www.nafsa.org/public_policy.sec/study_ab
  road_2/faqs_2/significance gt

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Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of
2007 (H.R. 1469, S.991)

• MONEY?
• 80 million proposed (yet unfunded)
• 25 in direct grants to students
• 75 to institutions or consortia (of which 85
  needs to go to students versus overhead)
• Cost sharing expected

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Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of
2007 (H.R. 1469, S.991)

• C.I.B.E.R. OPPORTUNITY?
• Collaboration of different types of institutions
• Collective ability to send representative
  students abroad

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Thank you for your interestinStarting a
Short-Term Study Abroad Program

• Dr. Brian Harley
• Assistant Dean, International Programs
• Director, Office of Programs for Study Abroad
• bharley_at_purdue.edu