Partners: University of Minnesota (Minnesota).
There is nearly universal agreement among postsecondary educators that study abroad is a highly effective means of enhancing students’ understanding of international affairs. Despite this conviction, however, two major barriers have prevented many U.S. universities from significantly increasing their study abroad enrollments: 1) the added financial cost imposed on students studying overseas and 2) the delay in graduation incurred by students when they participate in study abroad programs that do not clearly meet program requirements for their major degree. Many universities are addressing the financial question by developing aggressive scholarship drives and establishing new funds.
The second problem, however, is particularly difficult to overcome and mainly affects large research universities, where faculty tend to be more separated from the study abroad enterprise. When students must choose between study abroad and a timely graduation, many undergraduates are compelled to omit study abroad from their programs of study.
This initiative expanded upon a pilot project at the University of Minnesota designed to enhance the articulation of study abroad programming with undergraduate-level major degree programs, and to disseminate successful practices and reforms to other major research universities. Working with faculty and study abroad staff in such diverse programs as the institute of technology, management, nursing, and human ecology, project staff assessed current major degree programs and study abroad opportunities, supported faculty site visits of targeted programs, developed new advising materials, Web sites, and practices, and provided special training for major degree program advisors. (See http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/ci/index.html for lots of information and resources developed for advisers, faculty, and students.)
This project: 1) supported the development of new approaches to articulating study abroad programming with undergraduate-level professional degree programs; 2) increased access to study abroad programming on the part of professional school students, students of limited financial needs, and students of color by eliminating an important barrier to study abroad; 3) created new partnerships involving six major research universities that encouraged disciplinary collaboration around study abroad; and 4) developed broadly replicable models for enhancing discipline-based advising that effectively integrates study abroad into some of our nation’s strategically most important fields.
Evaluation was conducted throughout the project, and project staff worked initially with a consortium of three major research universities to disseminate new findings and practices and to foster the creation of new discipline-to-discipline partnerships to enhance the integration of study abroad programming with professional degree programs at the undergraduate level. A very successful curriculum integration conference was hosted on the Twin Cities campus. Some 400 faculty, advisers, upper-level administrators, and study-abroad professionals from 120 institutions and 10 countries attended. This was our major dissemination event. (See http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/ci/stats/evaluation.html for detailed information about surveys, focus groups, and results.)
ONLINE REFERENCES:
Project Evaluation Resources
http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/ci/stats/evaluation.html
University of Minnesota Study Abroad Curriculum Integration Resources
http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/ci/index.html
University of Minnesota Study Abroad Major-Specific Advising Resources
http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/academic/advisingsheets/index.html
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C. Eugene Allen
Project Director
University of Minnesota
Office of International
Programs
645 Heller Hall
271 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Tel: 612-624-5580
Fax: 612-626-1730
Lynn Anderson
University of Minnesota
Learning Abroad Center
230 Heller Hall
271 19th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Tel: 612-624-4525
Fax: 612-626-8009
Al Balkcum
Project Co-Director
University of Minnesota
Learning Abroad Center
230 Heller Hall
271 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Tel: 612-626-9000
Fax: 612-626-8009
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