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Addressing Challenges in Study Abroad Participation: Mapping Undergraduate Programs

This article explores the institutional challenges in increasing study abroad participation and provides insights from interviews with administrators from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The challenges discussed include lack of institutional study abroad culture, academic credit concerns, lack of awareness, and cost.

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Addressing Challenges in Study Abroad Participation: Mapping Undergraduate Programs

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  1. Institutional challenges in increasing study abroad participation Mapping an understanding of undergraduate study abroad programs from the inside-out Juliet Aylmer 1038072 Juliet Aylmer, University of Southern Queensland BUTEX Conference Bath Spa University, 7July 2016

  2. Definition of study abroad Full degree-seeking students are diploma mobility students Academic credit seeking students are credit mobilitystudents (King, Findlay & Ahrens, 2010)

  3. Recent initiatives or rationales Australia – New Colombo Plan “aims to lift knowledge of the Indo Pacific [region] … through study and internships (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2014) United Kingdom - Outward Bound Mobility Strategy Students need a “global outlook that makes them more attractive to potential employers and benefits the wider economy” (Higher Education Funding Council for England, 2013) United States – Generation Study Abroad (2014) Aims to double “the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade” (www.iie.org/en/Programs/Generation-Study-Abroad)

  4. Recent discussions - Australia “Competing priorities, lip service and a perceived lack of commitment to internationalisation are just some of the obstacles … ” International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) and the European Association for International Education (EAIE) study released January 2014

  5. Recent Discussions - United Kingdom “Why is it important for institutions to encourage outward mobility of students - and what can be done to change this situation?” Going Global conference session 2014: Broadening Horizons 2014: Embedding a culture of overseas study www.britishcouncil.org/going-global/ programme/sessions/outward-mobility-student-institution

  6. Recent Discussions - United States What will it take to Double Study Abroad? 2014 Blog and online Green paper www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Publications-and-Reports/IIE-Bookstore/What-Will-It-Take-To-Double-Study-Abroad

  7. The percentage of undergraduate students from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States that study abroad is low

  8. Four key challenges (in theory) Lack of institutional study abroad culture (Davis, Milne & Olsen, 1999) Lack of awareness of study abroad programs (Daly, 2007) Academic credit concerns (Altbach & Knight, 2007) Cost (Teichler, 2003)

  9. Challenge 1 Lack of institutional study abroad culture (Davis, Milne & Olsen, 1999) “university senior management don’t really value study abroad … they are really interested in international recruitment because that brings in money.” UK 2, Participant 1

  10. How is study abroad managedat your institution? As part of an internationalisation strategy or policy? By which department/division?

  11. Lack of institutional study abroad cultureSummary of interview responses PseudonymInternationalisation PolicyManaging division AUS 1 Yes UG Education AUS 2 Yes International Office UK 2 No International Office USA 1 In Progress Academic Affairs USA 2 No Student Affairs * At the time of interview, new management anticipated

  12. Challenge 2 Academic credit concerns (Altbach & Knight, 2007) Aus 2 Participant 1 “… some students actually have quite flexible degrees where they can take a whole semester of electives ... but other students will have very strict degrees.” UK 1 Participant 2 “These days, here at UK1, all the students go for pass/fail.”

  13. Challenge 3 Lack of awareness (Daly, 2007) “Faculty support and curricular/academic integration [are] key factors that lead to student participation in study abroad.” Loberg & Rust, 2014, p.306

  14. Challenge 3 Aus 1 Participant 1 “Classroom visits are tricky because students only have 50 minutes … so lecturers are not keen on that.” Aus 2 Participant 1 “We have an academic from each faculty who specialises in exchange …”

  15. Challenge 3 (Continued) UK 1 Participant 1 “We don’t do any Social Media … we have talked about it and I think our main concern is time.” Aus 2 Participant 1 “our Student Assistants monitor [the Facebook page]. US 1 Participant 1 “Don’t look at my website because it is severely out of date.”

  16. Challenge 4Cost (Teichler, 2003) UK 1 Participant 2 “if students go for the full year, they pay a reduced fee to the university.” US 1 Participant 2“[a student in Thailand] renewed because she said that the cost of living over there is so much less.” Aus 1 Participant 1 “we are getting lots of funding from the government to send students to Asia. That is not where the students want to go. So that’s where there is a disconnect.”

  17. Challenge 4Cost (continued) UK 1 Participant 1 “We give every student a £300 bursary.” Aus 2 Participant 1 “every student going out at the moment currently gets one. So it varies between $AUD2,000 - $AUD4,000 depending on region.” US 1 Participant 2 “we are proposing that a certain percentage of our non-resident tuition [will be applied to] study abroad scholarships.

  18. Challenge 4Cost (continued) PseudonymStudy Abroad office - funding source AUS 1 General funds AUS 2 International students UK 1 General funds UK 2 General funds USA 1 International students (self-supporting) USA 2 General university funds

  19. Summary of research findings Degree structure needs to incorporate study abroad. Allow students to take General Education or elective classes. Overall need to gain wider academic support. Offer study abroad from second year onwards. Offer programmes ranging from a few weeks to an academic year. Review application and selection procedures. Review study abroad/exchange agreements.

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