Planning Your Program
Perhaps you've given some consideration to offering a group study abroad program; you have a topic in mind that you think students will enjoy, and you know just the location in which it could be best taught. What, though, do you do next, and what procedures do you need to follow to make it all work?
General Information
North Dakota State University faculty are encouraged to organize short-term study tours abroad. These tours can range from one, two or three weeks in duration. Although there are many versions, the essence of a study tour is an academic course of approximately three credits involving both traditional classroom learning and experiential learning opportunities in an international setting. The primary purpose of the study tour course is to provide students with a first hand opportunity to investigate other cultures and apply this knowledge to their own academic development. A secondary goal is to use the study tour experience as a method of providing international experience and development for NDSU’s faculty. As the faculty tour director prepares the course proposal, particular attention should be directed toward a clear statement of how the study tour meets these goals.
Tours are often offered for credit through the Office of Distance and Continuing Education. Such tours should be administered with the approval of the International Advisory Council.
Discuss your ideas
The Office of International Programs can provide you with valuable assistance as you formulate your plan. They will help you determine whether your ideas have the potential for reality as a study abroad program and whether the time-line you are considering is feasible. Considerations at this point will include whether your proposed topic of study is sufficiently focused or too narrow; whether similar programs already exist; how to develop a program budget; and how to recruit applicants.
Other faculty members who have led group programs can tell you what they have done in the past and what they might do differently in the future. Their first-hand experience can be extremely helpful to you as you define your program and decide how to administer it. Talking with others will help you determine the level of interest that others would have in participating in a program such as yours, how much they'd be willing to pay for such a program, and what sights they'd like to see while abroad.
Early in the process, meet with your department head or chair to determine the level of support that might be available to you in terms of program approval and salary funds.
Determine program details
Deciding where your program will be based, what time of year you'll be traveling, and how long the group will be gone will help you determine program costs and will also provide needed information for your Group Study Abroad Program Approval proposal.
In some cases, the length and dates of your program will be determined by the time of year you have selected (Spring Break, Winter Interim, etc.). Other considerations will be weather in the host country, celebrations or other special events in the host country, seasonal changes in airfare and accommodation rates, and what you hope to accomplish academically.
You will also need to consider how many different sites you wish to include in your program, how feasible it will be to move your group from one site to another (increased travel usually means increased cost), and how each of the sites might enhance your program objectives.
Develop your budget
Develop a program budget, estimating costs for each aspect of your program. The Program Approval application (in Appendix 3, or download from the Office of International Programs’ Web site) contains an Excel table that will help you determine your students’ and your own daily expenses while overseas. Budgets will normally include: air fare, accommodations, specified meals, ground transportation, faculty per diem, tips/taxes/incidentals, tours/site visits, and international program fee.
It is important that your budget be as accurate as possible. Transportation and housing can be affected by the number of participants (housing can also be affected by the male/female participant ratio). Adding a "contingency fund" of $50-$100 per student for unexpected occurrences (emergencies, opportunities that arise after you're in the host country, etc.) is recommended.
The number of students selected for your program will be a factor in determining your budget. Large groups of students will not be as easily moved in some locations as in others (busses might work well in London though not in a rainforest, for instance). Large groups might, however, help to keep cost-per-participant rates low, though groups of more than 15-20 students would necessitate having a co-director (either another NDSU faculty or staff member --- perhaps one who would take over the program in future years --- or a contact person in the host country).
The size of most tours range from 10-20 participants. Because of the difficulty of ascertaining numbers in advance, budgets should be based on a minimum number of 10*. Discretion should be used in determining the number of tour directors, but as a guideline one person should be capable of leading a tour of 10-20 participants. ( *This number of participants is subject to change depending on group expenditures.)
You will also want to determine the minimum number of participants you must have on your program in order to cover costs yet remain affordable for students. Remember that there are costs to participants beyond the program fee for your program. They will also be assessed tuition (includes the DCE fee), designated fees (Student Activity Fees, ConnectND Fee, etc.), and the Study Abroad Administrative Fee. Students will also have out-of-pocket expenses for passport, the International Student Identity Card, visa (if required), meals, airfare, etc.
Consider the risks
Risk assessment is a vital part of program planning. Discuss any concerns regarding risk with the OIP. Be aware that this issue is closely monitored at all levels of the process and may result in your program’s not receiving approval to proceed from the IAC or being evaluated for cancellation.
Check the following key Web sites for all countries you will be visiting:
Issues of safety and health present the greatest exposure to liability for you and for the institution. There is a “standard of care” in the study abroad industry that provides a framework within which the institution must strive to operate. To obtain a better sense of what is involved in this “standard of care”, you may wish to refer to the following:
- The Interassociational Advisory Committee on Health and Safety statement on “Responsible Study Abroad”. This can be found in Appendix 1.
- The Audit Checklist from the SAFETI Clearinghouse, also in Appendix 1.
As you look over your proposed itinerary, determine what could possibly go wrong at each step along the way and how those issues would or could be dealt with. Lost baggage, missed flights, the illness of a student or of the program director, and lack of transportation on arrival have all been known to happen, and you must be prepared to deal with them all. If you make program arrangements yourself and directly contract with providers, every effort should be made to check on the reliability, reputation, and safety record of each service provider you are considering employing (bus companies, hotels, etc.).
Consider Program Director Responsibilities
Directing a study abroad program entails additional responsibilities compared with the on-campus roles you play. Many of these responsibilities may be new for you. Additionally, taking a group of students abroad becomes an institutional endeavor and becomes an extension of many critical functions of the institution. The situation is complicated by the fact that you become the representative of the institution, and all of this happens in the context of an international location far removed from the home campus; however, you have the resources of the institution behind you throughout the process.
One of the best strategies you can adopt is to gain a thorough understanding of the coordination necessary between you and the institution and to understand your role in this entire process. Broad areas of responsibility for leading a group abroad are:
- Instructor and Advisor
- Program Developer
- Recruiter
- Financial Manager
- Institutional Representative (predominately for Judicial Affairs and Counseling)
- Crisis Manager
You are already experienced in the role of instructor and advisor, though you may find these roles changing markedly in the study abroad setting. The other key responsibilities lie outside the realm of usual faculty/staff functions, and there are many specific processes, requirements, and legalities of which you need to be informed.
Program Director Guidelines
Program directors will be involved in determining dates and itineraries, setting budgets, producing publicity materials, promotion and recruitment, pre-departure orientation, and program evaluation in addition to their leadership duties while on tour. Program directors must be available to participants prior to departure.
Program directors must keep all receipts and be able to document expenditures while on tour. Upon return, program directors must submit a detailed account of their expenditures, on behalf of the group as well as personal expenses related to the tour, within two weeks of their return.
All program directors must be North Dakota State University faculty or staff because of liability coverage. No compensation can be made to persons from outside the institution unless a special adjunct contract is drawn up, nor can any individual, including spouses of tour leaders, receive any financial benefit from participation in the tour unless he/she is acting in an official capacity and a special contract specifying duties and compensation has been drawn up.
Co-Directors
There may be circumstances when it might be beneficial for an additional faculty/staff member to accompany the study tour as a co-director. In order to do so, this individual must have a legitimate role in the planning, teaching and evaluation of the tour, with the specific responsibilities of the co-director clearly stated in the course proposal. The co-directors' travel expenses may be covered by incorporating within the students' tour fees a designated amount to cover these costs. In the latter case, there should be approximately ten students per faculty/staff member in order to make this cost effective for students. Co-directors will not receive additional compensation unless arranged with the program director, Department Chair, DCE, and International Advisory Council.
Accompanying family members/friends/significant others
As individuals responsible for students' academic program and personal needs, it is understood that program directors and/or co-directors be available at all times to meet student expectations. Consequently, although directors may be accompanied by other family members, friends or significant others, it is also understood that students will remain the first priority of the tour leaders. Should the director(s) be accompanied by others not participating in the tour, all expenses remain the responsibility of those individuals and should not be attributed to the students or departments involved in the tour.
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