Does Size Really Matter?

1. Does Size Really Matter? Approaches to Institutional Curriculum Integration of Study Abroad Dr. Eric Singer, Goucher College Dr. Michael Ulrich, University of Maryland Adrian Doyle, Brown University Angie Shaeffer, Goucher College

2. Overview • Each institution will present on the following: • Introduction to institution • Approach to curriculum integration of study abroad • Goals of initiative(s) • Limitations and realities of study abroad • Future of curriculum integration of study abroad • Panel Discussion of Approaches to Curriculum Integration • Group Exercises

3. Study Abroad as a General Education Requirement • Goucher College: • Private liberal-arts college of ~1,400 undergraduates • By 2010, 100% of undergraduates will have studied abroad • All undergraduates are required to have a minimum of three study abroad credits in order to graduate. • Each student receives a one-time $1,200 voucher after finalizing study abroad plans. • President Ungar developed requirement for the incoming classes of 2006 and after. • International Scholars Program, for which participants must study abroad for at least a semester and receive a $3,000 voucher, open to all incoming Freshman. 40 slots per year. • Goals

4. “How’s the requirement going?” • Limitations & Realities of Study Abroad Requirement • Voucher: how will we continue to fund? • Students with lower GPAs • Students with disabilities • Faculty support • Is the requirement changing the Goucher student body? • Is the requirement taking away from emphasis on domestic curriculum integration? • Volunteering, Interning, Service Learning partnerships • Progress: • Few student have asked to be exempted • Many students study abroad more than once • More academic departments encouraging study abroad or requiring a semester abroad as part of major curriculum • More faculty developing short-term programs and partnerships • Increase in exchange partnerships

5. Global Independent Study Initiative: Capitalizing on Faculty Strengths • Brown University • Private University of 6,000 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students • Roughly 40% of undergraduates study abroad for semester or year-long programs • Over 400 courses at Brown with international content; extensive faculty research on international scale • Global Independent Study: Links with Faculty • Students design proposal which identifies goals, syllabi, bibliography, timeline, and communication plans • Students and faculty collaborate to utilize onsite resources: faculty contacts, archives, museums, etc. • Assessment instruments and expectations clearly defined prior to departure • Students receive official Brown credit, regardless of their host program

6. Impact of Int’l Independent Study Initiative • Goals • Integrate on and off-campus international learning to maximize internationalization impact at Brown • Foster student/faculty interaction to promote meaningful and collaborative learning • Build archive of international research projects and expertise • Challenges • Requires collaboration with third-party providers when host program is not run by Brown • Requires motivated, mature, and independent students AND strong faculty support • Extra paperwork; communication with registrar

7. University of MarylandOverview of Programs • Total Students Abroad UM and Non-UM Programs • Ranked 29th Doctorate Institutions 2008 • Undergraduate enrollment ~25,500, Graduate enrollment ~10,000 • Attended programs in 50 different countries (Europe 56%) • 1,669 UM students studied abroad in 07/08 (an increase of ~23%, record growth) • Growth of 67 students w/o Summer 2009 (an increase of ~4%, lowest growth) • Overview of UM Programs • 5 UM-administered semester programs • 5 UM-affiliated semester programs • 45 Exchange programs • 25 Winter Term 2009 programs • 47 Summer Term 2009 programs planned • Variable non-UM programs (need approval)

8. Curriculum Integration: Past and Present • Resident credit semester programs • Resident/transfer credit semester programs • Transfer credit semester programs • Short term Living/Learning linked programs • Short term departmental linked programs • Other program models • Curriculum Integration: Future • Strategic Plan • Planned program growth • CORE general education requirements • Departmental and College initiatives

9. The Pedagogy of Integration • Short-term programs • Resident credit • Faculty-led/designed • Semester programs: Four models • Home school only (designed by dept.) • Hybrid (Home school & host inst.) • Host school (exchanges) • Liberal arts experience (study abroad FOR study abroad)

10. Does Size Matter?Panel Dialogue • Is each approach specific to the institution’s size? • If an institution different in size applied each approach: • Strengths • Weaknesses • Importance of Institutional Culture • How would faculty, staff, senior administrators react to: • policy changes • New strategies and practices for curriculum integration of s.a.? • WHEN are students encouraged to go abroad? • Contrasts between institutions of diff. sizes • Significance of academic infrastructures (pre-med, etc.) • Size doesn’t necessarily matter • Transfer study abroad credits—will work ‘fit’ into institutional curriculum? • Departmental biases (language departments, sciences, etc.) • Successful Integration: What does it look like?

11. Participant Exercise • Round One: Strategy-based working groups • Which strategy is most attractive to you? • How could you implement this strategy at your institution? • Strengths • Weaknesses • Round Two: Size-based working groups • Large (15,000+), medium (5,000-15,000), small (<5,000) • How would each strategy play out at your institution? • What would be the most successful, in your mind? The least successful? • Discussion • Are there learning pedagogies that are more successful for your institution? Less successful? • Does SIZE matter when it comes to learning abroad pedagogy?

12. Contact Information • Dr. Eric Singer, Goucher College • esinger@goucher.edu • Dr. Michael Ulrich, University of Maryland • mjulrich@umd.edu • Adrian Doyle, Brown University • Adrian_doyle@brown.edu • Angie Shaeffer • Angela.shaeffer@goucher.edu • 410.337.6444