A Collaborative Study Abroad Model: Inspiring Fiscally Underrepresented Students

Author(s):  
Hellen Gerolymatos McDonald ◽  
Michelle Asbill ◽  
Tara L. Powell ◽  
Stacy Billman ◽  
Sebnem Ozkan ◽  
...  
2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-147
Author(s):  
Lee Stoner ◽  
Michael A. Tarrant ◽  
Lane Perry ◽  
Mikell Gleason ◽  
Daniel Wadsworth ◽  
...  

A collaborative study abroad program (between one New Zealand and one U.S. university) on the theme of global health has been offered three times in Australia with 59 students registered to date. The course was developed because it is believed that higher education can play a role in improving global health through the fostering of global citizenship A global citizen is one who is aware of global issues, socially responsible, and civica lly engaged. From this perspective, personal health is not solely an individual , self serving act; rather, the consequences of an individual’s lifestyle behaviors have deep and wide consequences extending to the community, national, and global contexts. Our paper provides a narrative on the framework used to develop the aforementioned global health study abroad course, including 1 ) an initial discussion on the intricate relationship between global citizenship and global health; 2 ) previous evidence demonstrating that short term study abroad has the potential to foster global citizenship; and 3 ) the specific process used to develop the current short term, faculty led, interdisciplinary, experiential study abroad course.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paige E. Butler ◽  
Meggan Madden ◽  
Nickie Smith

This research explores institutional practices supporting undocumented student participation in U.S. education abroad at a California public research university. This institution successfully enrolled more than 40 undocumented students studying abroad between 2013 and 2016. Four university staff members, an immigration attorney, and eight undocumented students who successfully studied abroad were interviewed. During this time, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was in effect through federal Executive Order, providing some protections for certain eligible youth immigrants living without current legal status in the U.S.  DACA-approved students were eligible to formally access education abroad through a federal U.S. program known as Advance Parole from late 2012 through fall 2017, when the order was rescinded. All student participants studied abroad and interviews were conducted prior to the Fall 2017 Presidential Rescission of DACA and cessation of Advance Parole study abroad opportunities for DACA students. Findings demonstrate that undocumented students navigate study abroad with specific considerations for federal, state, and institutional policies, which may contradict or misalign with institutional practices and methods traditionally utilized to support study abroad students, thus further marginalizing this underrepresented population of students.  This research highlights promising practices supporting undocumented students in education abroad and the findings from these interviews inform international educators and allies how to better support underrepresented students on and off-campus, and suggests considerations for other marginalized student populations interested in education abroad.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Mason ◽  
Rebecca M. Brunner ◽  
Cissy J. Ballen ◽  
Irby J. Lovette

Student attrition is a persistent challenge in the life sciences, particularly among underrepresented minorities, first-generation students, and women. Experiential learning through short-term study abroad opportunities diversify curricula by immersing students into non-traditional academic environments. However, most experiential learning and study abroad opportunities are primarily available to upper-division undergraduates. Here, we present a qualitative analysis of an experiential learning opportunity offered exclusively to first-year U.S. undergraduate students from underrepresented demographics. We performed ethnographic observations of a 10-day field component in the Galápagos Islands, and analyzed self-reported survey results and field journals. Students consistently reported strong cognitive gains in their understanding of basic evolutionary concepts. Most students also benefited socially, although we observed higher variation in self-reported social gains. Our findings suggest that immersive field courses may increase scientific literacy and retention of underrepresented students by engaging them in experience-driven learning.


Author(s):  
Lydia Kyei-Blankson ◽  
Mohamed Nur-Awaleh

Preservice teacher study abroad experiences and its influence on cultural awareness and teaching is explored in this paper. Participants in this study include preservice teachers from a large teacher education program. Teacher reflections and one-on-one semi-structured interview data were gathered, transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes. The preservice teacher responses show generally an overall positive study abroad experience. Through their study abroad experiences, the preservice teachers learned about a different culture, different customs and a different language. They also learned about how a different country’s school system works.   One of the implications of this study is that we recommend that colleges’ of education as well as other colleges to develop a robust funding mechanism that include scholarships that will defray the cost of studying abroad, especially for underrepresented students. The finding and results from this study can be used as way to internationalize campuses. Indeed, preservice students in our data noted that they enjoyed their experience and gained cultural competence skills that will enhance their preservice teaching experiences.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1231-1242
Author(s):  
Celeste Domsch ◽  
Lori Stiritz ◽  
Jay Huff

Purpose This study used a mixed-methods design to assess changes in students' cultural awareness during and following a short-term study abroad. Method Thirty-six undergraduate and graduate students participated in a 2-week study abroad to England during the summers of 2016 and 2017. Quantitative data were collected using standardized self-report measures administered prior to departure and after returning to the United States and were analyzed using paired-samples t tests. Qualitative data were collected in the form of daily journal reflections during the trip and interviews after returning to the United States and analyzed using phenomenological methods. Results No statistically significant changes were evident on any standardized self-report measures once corrections for multiple t tests were applied. In addition, a ceiling effect was found on one measure. On the qualitative measures, themes from student transcripts included increased global awareness and a sense of personal growth. Conclusions Measuring cultural awareness poses many challenges. One is that social desirability bias may influence responses. A second is that current measures of cultural competence may exhibit ceiling or floor effects. Analysis of qualitative data may be more useful in examining effects of participation in a short-term study abroad, which appears to result in decreased ethnocentrism and increased global awareness in communication sciences and disorders students. Future work may wish to consider the long-term effects of participation in a study abroad for emerging professionals in the field.


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