Information for faculty and staff


Guidelines for Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs

Below are some guidelines for faculty-led study abroad program creation. For a more comprehensive guide, you can request a copy of The Guide to Successful Short-Term Programs Abroad from the MSU Study Abroad Office once you have a program idea in mind. Though you will be asked to answer some of these questions on the Faculty-Led Course Proposal Form, there may be many things you do not know how to answer. You are invited at any stage in your program planning to set up a meeting with the Associate Director for Education Abroad to discuss all aspects of your program and work through any uncertainties you may have. The Helpful Links section on this page also provides several documents that will be of great assistance as you plan and execute your program abroad.


PROGRAM MODELS

There are two models for creating a new faculty-led program:

  • Independent. In this model, you as faculty make all logistical and academic arrangements both at home and abroad. You will attend a faculty orientation to become accustomed to your responsibilities in this role. You will serve as Faculty Director for the program at home and abroad.
  • Provider. In this model, you will work with a travel provider who will make all logistical arrangements including air travel, on-site housing, and all on-site visits. You will make all academic arrangements at home and work with the travel provider to include sites you wish to be part of the program abroad. In this model you may have another faculty/professional staff member with you as Director of the program, allowing you to teach and the Director to deal with logistical and medical issues as they arise.

In both of these models, a student orientation is required and conducted by the Study Abroad Office. MSU paperwork requirements will be set early in the planning stages and a webpage created for your program to guide students through their paperwork and orientation requirements.


PROGRAM PROPOSAL DEADLINE

Faculty-led programs are work-intensive and require much communication between the Study Abroad Office, the faculty, and the overseas site. For faculty new to program development, the Study Abroad Office will assist with making overseas contacts but the bulk of commitment for resources will lay with the faculty director. For this purpose, planning should take place plenty ahead of time. Deadlines for this year are:
Summer and Fall 2010 Programs: September 30, 2009
Winter 2010-2011 Programs: April 30, 2010
Spring 2011 Programs: April 30, 2010
Spring Break 2011 Programs: April 30, 2010
Summer 2011 Programs: April 30, 2010
Fall 2011 Programs: April 30, 2010


PROGRAM PERSONNEL & PARTICIPANTS

  • Will you be co-leading the program with another faculty member?
  • How many students do you expect to participate? There is a minimum of 6 students per program. If you plan to have more than 24 students, you should plan for another faculty member to accompany you.

ACADEMICS

  • How does the course relate to the chosen site abroad?
  • Can the course be counted as a major/minor/elective/general education requirement? Could dual credit be offered for students in the same course?
  • What are the goals of the course?
  • What are the program dates?
  • How many credits will you offer? Is there enough time, given SACS requirements, for appropriate course credit to be earned during this time?
  • Will you offer/require pre-departure course meetings? Post-program meetings/project? For example, a second-half semester course as pre-departure requirement or a large paper/project as a follow-up to the program.
  • How will you structure the on-site academic requirements of the program? Will you hold course meetings daily, every other day, once per week, hold lectures, have student presentations, etc.?

ACTIVITIES

  • What level of familiarity do you have with the program site? Are you comfortable leading students within the program city(ies) on your own?
  • Do you prefer to use a travel provider to handle all on-site logistical arrangements?
  • What are your planned excursions? How do they relate to the course? What about cultural activities?
  • Do you have contacts for the excursions or do you need assistance with making contacts?
  • What are the minimum physical activity levels you expect students taking your course to have? For example, the ability to walk 5 miles per day, hike for 4 hours at a time, etc.

HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS

  • Where will participants be housed?
  • How many per room?
  • Cost per participant? Single supplement?
  • How is payment being made to the provider?

MEALS

  • How many meals are provided with program fees? Which ones?
  • How are meals provided? (i.e. with housing, cash stipend, group meals)

TRAVEL

  • Will round-trip travel to the program site be included in the fee?
  • Will participants be allowed to purchase tickets separately from the group flight?
  • How will on-site transport be arranged from/to the airport, to/from excursions? How will payment be made?