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Maximizing Faculty-Led Study Abroad at Community Colleges
Laura Pierce WeldonAssociate Vice President, Custom Programs
ISA (International Studies Abroad)
Rebekah de Wit, Ph.D.Director of Global Education
The Community College of Baltimore County
Gregory Malveaux, Ph.D.Coordinator of Study Abroad & Professor of English
Montgomery College
NAFSA 2016 Annual ConferenceDenver, CO
June 2, 2016
Today’s Discussion
1. Challenges in administering programs
2. Solutions for developing programs
• Budgetary and administrative needs
• Accessibility
3. Working effectively with providers and academic
institutions
4. Case studies
Challenges
Challenges in CC Study Abroad
1. Planning
• Limited resources, insurance
• Multiple vendors, contracts, payments, currencies
• Daunting to sustain
2. Faculty interest
• Limited time to plan and run
• Limited experience with study abroad
• Sustainability concerns
Challenges in CC Study Abroad
3. Financing programs
• Financial aid• Scholarships• Grant funding
4. Student recruitment
• Commuter population• Non-traditional students • Socio-economic challenges • On-campus vs. online challenges
Challenges in CC Study Abroad
5. Institutional logistics
• Limited institutional experience limited processes
• Already pressed staff with limited buy-in
o Bursar
o Financial aid
o Registrar
o Finance
o Risk management
Solutions
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Consider a provider
• Professionals with in-country contacts
• Range of payment options
• Easily sustainable
• Experienced with wide range of programs/disciplines
• Carries the administrative burden
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
“Plug & Play” programs
• Easy to adapt to different courses
• Recruit faculty after program is planned
• Short-term programs = less time commitment
• Easy for new faculty to pick up
• Maintain academic integrity
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Financing programs
• Spring break or end of semester program with optional added fees
• Study-abroad specific scholarships
• Grants for faculty funding
• Collaboration with neighboring CCs (shared or one way)
• Collaboration with neighboring universities (one way)
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Student recruitment: Marketing
• Flyers
• E-mail campaign
• Class announcements/presentations
• Blackboard pages
• Events/info tables at peak times between classes
• Info tables at campus events/fairs
• Invite provider for support
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Student recruitment: Creative academic planning
• Credit options
o More than 3 credits
o More than one associated course/discipline
• Short-term for broader pool of participants
• General vs. specific courses
o General education
o Few/no pre-requisites
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Student recruitment: Creative academic planning, cont’d.
• Stand-alone course: 100% go abroado Custom dates: late start more recruitment time
o Contextualized content
• Regular semester courses with option to go abroado Broader recruitment pool (multiple course/discipline options)
o Simplifies logistics
• Other course structures: o Online course
o Credit & Continuing Education (non-credit) partnership
o One-credit course
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Administrative buy-in
• College’s mission and multi-year plans
• “Global” / “Diversity”
o We value the diversity of people, cultures, ideas and viewpoints and we honor the dignity of all persons.
o We are committed to preparing students to be active citizens, ready to meet the challenges of an increasingly diverse world and a changing global marketplace.
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Administrative buy-in
• Global learning outcomes for participants
• Strategic benefits to college
o An institutional recruitment tool: more students, high-achieving students
o A course recruitment tool
o A faculty buy-in tool: generates options/excitement
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Administrative buy-in
Using providers can help make your case:
o Administrative burden
o Liability and co-insurance
o No college money on the line
Cancelation without penalty
Incorporate faculty costs into the student fee
Option to generate revenue
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Facilitating student payments
• Ask Financial Aid for recommendations on payment structure and timing:
o When students receive refund checks
o Which payment structure(s) ease use of aid
• Several possible avenues:
o “Course fee” through Bursar’s office
o “Program fee” through Bursar’s office
o Campus Box Office
Community College Consortia
Solutions for CC Study Abroad
Consortium model example:
MD Community College International Education Consortium (MCCIEC)
o Meet 2-3 times per semester
o Share ideas/best practices, problem-solve
o Facilitate cross-enrollment across faculty-led programs
o Co-administer programs
Sample Consortium Goals: MCCIEC Model• Limited resources and student means are common challenges in the community college
context. MCCIEC aims to bridge the gaps through (1) improving the accessibility, quality, and diversity of study abroad opportunities for Maryland community college students and (2) serving as a resource for Maryland community colleges to share strategies for success in study abroad and to collaborate on initiatives for mutual benefit. Specifically, MCCIEC:
• Enables students to participate in study abroad programs sponsored by other member institutions;
• Allows institutions with few or no study abroad programs of their own to offer study abroad opportunities;
• Allows institutions that sponsor abroad programs a greater chance of reaching target enrollment;
• Enables students to pay in-county tuition rates and use some types of financial aid for study abroad courses;
• Enables the home institution to collect tuition, fees, and FTE for its students who enroll in study abroad at other institutions; and
• Serves as a resource for all Maryland community colleges to develop and improve their abroad programs under guidance of experienced colleagues with established programs (consulting on liability and risk, insurance, vendor relationships, etc.).
Why Your Own Consortium?
Why start your own consortium? Some already exist to join…• You can do both!• If it’s your own, you can have
o More opportunities for your students and faculty (less competition)o Closer parallels to your local/regional needs (certain populations,
access to certain resources – or lack thereof, etc.)o More opportunities to customize for your institution (programs to fit
your majors, fora to fit topics you need, etc.)o Lower dues/membership fees
• Physical proximity = more opportunities for collaboration o Students can drive to orientations.o Consortium members can drive to meetings.
How to Start a Consortium
Starting a consortium:
• Organize! Contact counterparts at nearby CCs
• Draft an MOUo Administrative structure (officers, membership, etc.)
o Cross-institutional enrollment process (tuition, credits, steps)
o Dues (for website fee, forums, student scholarships, faculty awards, etc.)
• MOU approval from vice presidents or other top administrators state-/region-wide
• Choose officers, meeting logistics, goals
Sample Open Programs Page on Website
Sample Consortium Joint Student Program
Annual program in residence with ISA
• Pulls from all state CCs for strong enrollment
• Eligible for more discounts as consortium
• Provides resident faculty opportunity
• Combines resident faculty course and local course through ISA
Sample Consortium Joint Faculty Program
Forum over spring break for state faculty interested in study abroad (e.g., 2016 forum in Havana, Cuba)
o Hone faculty skills
o Generate enthusiasm/buy-in
o Provide opportunity for faculty to present and to network
Strategies for Inter-Institutional Collaboration: Money
• Problems: o Differing tuition
o Where to collect/house payments
• Solutions:o Have students pay vendor directly
o Increase student fee to cover faculty salary, airfare, etc.
o Vendor pays faculty member extra funds on site.
Strategies for Inter-Institutional Collaboration: Credit
• Problems: o Differing course codeso Course(s) offered at local institution on site (using local
credits)
• Solutions:o Near-universal general education courses when possible
(Spanish 101, Sociology 101, etc.)o One or both courses taught by US CC faculty member on
site administered by his/her home institutiono Transferring back local course(s) to the most agreeable/
flexible institution in your consortium and then to other CCs
CC Challenges & Provider Solutions
Challenge #1: Development• Situation:
• Study abroad culture was minimal.
• Few faculty had interest in developing programs.
• Those interested lacked time to plan.
• Solution: • Developed four different programs.
• Easily adaptable for a variety of courses/disciplines at a variety of sites around the world.
• ISA strategically chose sites and program components to provide an engaging, academically rich experience at an attainable price point.
• Outcome:• Faculty recruited, and student interest high on campus.
• Program ran in Jan. 2016.
Challenge #2: Recruitment• Situation:
• Consortium of CCs wants to develop a sustainable summer program for students
• Each campus has limited students and few interested professors to draw from.
• Solution: • Develop a program that lets students from all campuses participate
and receive credit from their college.
• Each year, a different college will send the faculty. A sustainable program will create buzz and grow each year.
• Outcome: • Currently working to finalize location and details.
• Plan to use a site where students can plug into ISA program components without enrolling at the host university to reduce costs.
Challenge #3: Pricing
• Situation: A college’s non-traditional student population faces challenges with program affordability.
• Solution – Step 1: A special supportive program is developed for first generation college students in London. 2 ½ week program with 15 students plus 2 faculty members in apartments with a full schedule: $4,975
• Outcome – Step 2: Changed location to Dublin and housing to hostels. All else remained the same: reduced student cost more than $1,500 to $3,400
Case Studies
Case Study #1
Your student population is very challenged economically.
What are strategies that might enable you to make a study abroad (more) affordable for these students?
Case Study #2
You are facing some resistance to study abroad from top administrators.
How will you make your case?
Case Study #3
Your budget for study abroad is nil.
What are key considerations in designing a faculty-led study abroad program to make it feasible at your college?
Case Study #4
Your college’s administrators are very supportive of study abroad but do not provide you with funds.
How do you harness this enthusiasm to help make study abroad viable, even without other resources?
Questions?
Contact Us
Laura Pierce Weldon
Associate Vice President, Custom Programs
ISA (International Studies Abroad)[email protected]
Rebekah de Wit, Ph.D.
Director of Global Education
The Community College of Baltimore County
Gregory Malveaux, Ph.D.
Coordinator of Study Abroad and Professor of English
Montgomery College
