Intercultural Awareness and Short-Term Study Abroad Programs

Author(s):  
David Starr-Glass

One of the desired and anticipated outcomes of study abroad is that participants, who are exposed to difference, will develop a deeper appreciation of intercultural awareness. For students about to graduate and function in an increasingly globalized world, intercultural awareness is a fundamental requirement and a valued asset. Although greater intercultural awareness is associated with longer study abroad experiences, the historical and current reality is that students predominantly chose shorter stays. To optimize intercultural awareness gains for students and their faculty, and to provide greater benefits for the internationalization of their colleges and universities, it is suggested that short-term study abroad programs focus on the inherent liminality of the experience. This chapter explores liminality and the opportunities and challenges associated with the liminally-centered study abroad program.

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-274
Author(s):  
Ellen K. Payne ◽  
Heather Chapman ◽  
April Daly ◽  
Samantha Darby ◽  
Margaret Heft

Context Many study abroad experiences are difficult for athletic training students to attend because of the prescriptive nature of the athletic training curriculum. Short-term study abroad programs allow students to participate in an international educational experience without the time commitment of semester-long or yearlong programs. Objective To report the students' perspective of a short-term study abroad experience. Background In January 2019 a short-term study abroad program was offered for athletic training students. The program included attendance at a sports medicine conference, networking opportunities, and cultural activities. Synthesis Through a group debriefing session and guided reflection questions, four athletic training students who attended the short-term study abroad program in London reflected on their preparations for the international travel and their experiences while abroad. Recommendation(s) Continued research should be conducted to objectively assess how short-term study abroad programs influence students' cultural awareness and cultural competency upon return. Conclusion(s) Short-term study abroad programs are one way for students to increase cultural awareness while staying on track with their athletic training curriculum. From the students' perspective, once they overcame the perceived barriers to international travel, the experience was positive, and they would recommend it to other athletic training students.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 96-106
Author(s):  
Enilda Romero-Hall

In this paper, I share my experience conceptualizing, designing, and implementing a short-term faculty-led study abroad program for undergraduate and graduate students. The primary theme of the program was on innovation in Swiss teaching and training practices. The location of the 10-day study abroad program was Lucerne, Switzerland; however, as part of the cultural aspect of the program, other cities in Switzerland and countries were also visited. The design of the study abroad program took approximately two-years. This paper serves to divulge the process followed for the creation of the faculty-led short-term study abroad program,which can aid the design of future study abroad programs with similar themes to other countries or regions of the world. Additionally, the design of this specific study abroad program provides insights into the logistical and creative process that others should consider in the creation of study abroad experiences that provide a balance between cultural and intellectual goals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 85-88
Author(s):  
Sara Bano ◽  
Qing Xia

In the past few years, the number of Chinese undergraduate students in short term study abroad programs have substantially increased, especially in the field of public health. However, little is known about the experiences of Chinese undergraduate students' in short-term study abroad programs in the field of healthcare. In this qualitative study, by using Transformative Learning Theory lens we tried to understand the meaning making process of Chinese undergraduate students who participated in a short-term study abroad program in the field of Public Health at an American university. The students considered their participation in short-term study abroad program as an opportunity to develop their careers and global professional identity by learning English and cultural aspects of health profession in the USA.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd M. Vanden Berg ◽  
Lissa Schwander

This paper explores the long-term impact of a short-term study abroad program on alumni of the program years after having taken the course. Through using a mixed measure survey, the data reveals that short-term study abroad programs can have a significant and direct impact on the lives of alumni. The specific program considered has impacted alumni choices of international tourist destinations, activities alumni participate in while traveling abroad, as well as the choices alumni make concerning lodging while traveling abroad. In short, after participating in a short-term study abroad program, alumni have developed a global citizenship identity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Rourke ◽  
Heather Kanuka

In this study the authors assessed student engagement during a short-term study-abroad program using the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Data were collected from a group of Canadian undergraduates spending six weeks in Mexico. Their program included a 10-day bus tour, three half-credit courses, and accommodations with local families. The authors administered the NSSE twice: once at the conclusion of the students’ current school year and six weeks later at the end of their study-abroad program. A comparison of responses from the two administrations of the NSSE indicates an advantage, though modest, for the study-abroad setting. Study abroad’s stature in higher education as a high-impact learning activity received moderate support from the data. The authors encourage administrators and researchers to use student engagement and the NSSE to refine study-abroad programs.


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 59-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell McKenzie ◽  
Tará Lopez ◽  
David Bowes

In recent years the perceived value and interest in participating in study abroad programs among college students has been increasing.  Faculty who endeavor to develop study abroad programs face many challenges, particularly at smaller universities where resources may be very limited.  This article offers recommendations to help faculty of regional and small universities who are considering developing a new direct-enrollment short-term program. The article addresses several pertinent issues including: the suitability of faculty, selecting a location, designing the course content, and post-trip evaluation.


Author(s):  
Jacob G. Hunter ◽  
Christopher A. Mattson ◽  
Spencer P. Magleby

Abstract Since 2004, Brigham Young University has offered a graduate study abroad course in mechanical engineering to help prepare students to be leaders in globally-influenced product development organizations. The course is offered as a study abroad program where faculty lead a group of students across several countries to learn about global product development. This is accomplished in a 2–3 week time period consisting of visits to companies and universities as well as participation in cultural activities. While much research has been done on the benefits of study abroad, it remains unclear how effective study abroad programs are at helping engineering students, especially short-term study abroad programs. The purpose of this paper is to present and examine the benefits of a short-term, study abroad program to engineering students. Data was collected from students who have taken the Global Product Development Course over the past 15 years in a mixed methods survey. Trends show that technical and cultural visits positively effect engineering students in their perception of global product development. It is also shown that a short, 2–3 week, engineering study abroad program can be as or more effective than traditional study abroad programs in certain areas.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-428
Author(s):  
Maki Kato ◽  
Ken Suzuki

Much attention has been paid to the effects of study abroad, especially because of recent increases in participation in such programs. One problem, however, is the selection bias of participants inherent in study abroad programs. The present study examines whether participation in a short-term study abroad program leads to participation in further long-term study abroad programs. Data were obtained from 705 applicants in the 2013-2015 academic year at a Japanese university, 300 of whom were assigned randomly to participate in a short-term study abroad program. The study results showed a significantly higher participation rate among previous participants than among nonparticipants. The results of a questionnaire completed by the former participants of the short-term program showed that they were more likely to translate plans for participating in the long-term study abroad program into action based on their prior overseas experiences.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1152-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeongyi Lee ◽  
Kathryn Negrelli

The number of students expanding their academic programs to include learning experiences abroad has been steadily increasing over the past two decades. This study investigates the cultural identification of short-term study abroad participants and its influence on their acculturation process. By means of a widely used acculturation scale, it was found that there were statistically significant effects of cultural experiences on cultural identification, specifically decreases in cultural identification scores. Implications from this study suggest a deeper understanding of students’ ethnic identifications can be helpful in developing study abroad programs that promote the goals of student awareness, cultural sensitivity, and global competence.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-179
Author(s):  
Zafar Iqbal

This study compares two marketing focused short term study programs in Asia (Indi a and Japan) and highlights reasons as to why students perceive that they learn more in one country than the other . Research to date has sparsely assessed the impact of study abroad programs on students’ perceived growth . The existing literature has rarely focused on short term study abroad programs while focusing mainly on undergraduate non business students studying in Europe in long term study abroad program s Short term study abroad programs (lasting less than eight weeks) are not considere d rigorous enough and several doubts exist as to their effectiveness as a pedagogical technique. This paper uses survey methodology and a sample of 92 undergraduate and graduate business students who have completed a short term study abroad program. The results show that students in these particular short term study abroad programs perceive greater personal, professional, and inter cultural growth than in a 10 week quarter long course. Students’ backgrounds could be a differential impact facto r, but more research needs to be done. Marketing educators, when designing short term study abroad programs, are encouraged to balance freedom and structure, and account for students’ backgrounds.


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