Study Abroad in Graduate Adult Learning Curriculum

This chapter illustrates how study abroad experiences can become a key component of an adult learning program. Adult learning educators may face many challenges in the ever changing demographics of the workforce today. Whether a corporate trainer, healthcare professional, literacy and/or English as a Second Language instructor, most adult educators find the need to have a greater understanding of the global environment. Graduate students benefit from international experiences which transform learning by expanding students global perspectives. This chapter explores an inaugural study abroad program in the Adult Learning Graduate Program in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Virginia Commonwealth University. The chapter describes both the challenges and reflections of students and faculty while abroad. Malcolm Knowles' Andragogical framework is the foundation of this study abroad experience. Experiential Learning (Kolbe 1984) and Transformative Learning (Mezirow, 1999) are also explored through students' reflections on the study abroad experience.

Meaningful Language and Cultural Experiences for Future Teachers in Puerto Rico

The authors describe a faculty led study abroad program implemented in Puerto Rico. The short-term study abroad model highlights both design and implementation strategies for travel abroad. This chapter also focuses on the unique cultural and linguistic experiences in Puerto Rico which were planned for college students in an early childhood education teacher preparation program. The chapter addresses the strategies used to facilitate learning about Puerto Rican culture and languages, methods to support students learning dual languages and strategies for working with families, communities, and other professionals. The chapter concludes with lessons learned from this experience and emphasizes both issues and recommendations for faculty who are developing future short-term travel experiences.

Engaging Heads, Hands, and Hearts to Optimize Study Abroad Outcomes

This chapter poses an innovative framework that can be utilized as a model for study abroad experiences, particularly those situated in developing countries. The model enhances a service learning structure by grounding both classroom study and related field work in the theoretical foundations of critical pedagogy, transformational learning theory, ecological systems theory and critical theory in a manner that sets the stage for success for study abroad students and in-country community members alike. The chapter concludes with a recommended plan for implementation of the framework as well as suggestions for optimizing sustainable outcomes for teachers as they begin work in classrooms of their own.

Thoughtfully Preparing Business Students and Faculty for Study Abroad

In the last twenty years study abroad program have grown in popularity. Study abroad experiences provide learning opportunities for participants, but these opportunities are only optimized if students are appropriately and thoughtfully prepared. Study abroad provides formal learning experiences, associated with coursework undertaken, and informal learning, related to new cultures and countries encountered. Students and the faculty who accompany them need to be sensitized to both of these opportunities. This chapter presents a context for study abroad experiences and suggests how they can provide students with a deeper appreciation of issues that are often overly abstracted in the college, particularly issues such as internationalization and globalization. It explores ways in which study abroad participants can be assisted to engage more fully with the experiences that they encounter abroad. In presenting learning and institutional strategies to help optimize study abroad, it is hoped that the chapter will be of value to business undergraduates, their faculty, and business educators.

International Students' Learning Experience and Learning Outcomes in China through Summer Programs

Higher education institutions are facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges due to the rapid development of global contexts. With the momentum of higher education internationalization, leading universities in China began to launch international summer programs. These summer programs offer multiple benefits to university stakeholders, especially students. This chapter reviews the context and characteristics for international programs in leading Chinese universities. The significant role these programs play in designing an innovative learning platform were argued by reviewing and analyzing the trends among sample programs on aspects of curriculum design and implementation. The authors provide an in-depth understanding of students' learning outcomes during these programs by conducting a qualitative study utilizing sample summer programs. Last but not least, the opportunities and challenges concerning the organization and implementation of programs were analyzed and possible recommendations were proposed for future study abroad improvements.

Integrating Study Abroad Curriculum in Teacher Education

This chapter describes the design of an innovative study abroad curriculum to be integrated into teacher education departments. The curriculum is based upon the results of in-depth interviews administered to teacher candidates and/or practicing teachers of English following their return from a study abroad program. The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of prospective study abroad student teachers of English and to address possible challenges that might result from their participation in such programs. The most innovative aspect of the curriculum is that it incorporates problem scenarios and provides experiential hands-on practice. The curriculum comprises ten modules, each focusing on a different topic. It is expected that the curriculum will enhance teacher educators' awareness of the contribution(s) study abroad makes to create global citizens and increase teacher educators' knowledge about the learning needs of prospective study abroad student teachers.

Preparing Culturally Competent Teachers through Faculty-Led Study Abroad

A review of national trends and best practices informs this analysis of key factors for high-impact teacher education programs abroad, particularly short-term faculty-led programs. Challenges faced by such programs, as well as criticisms of short-term study abroad are addressed and strategies proposed for fostering successful faculty-led programs including discussion of concerns regarding sustainability, curriculum integration, partnerships, student engagement, career integration, and safety and security.

Post Study Abroad

Putative in the fields of psychology, sociology, education, and neuroscience is that some degree of learning takes place in significantly new situations. Ideally, study abroad will provide a multitude of new experiences for teacher candidates to relish, revel in, relate to, and recount. Thus during the study abroad experience, emotional, psychological, and cognitive intelligences of teacher candidates will transform. Prior to departure, a teacher candidate will have intentionally or unintentionally created a version of reality in their lives. Trudging uphill through the mucky streets of a small Ugandan village between tiny homes made of thatch and mire, past this morning's decapitated steer head, and amongst friendly, dirty, children playing with machetes can quickly change a person's version of reality. Practical examples of response and succor for balancing “versions of reality” will be bestowed. Finally, lessons learned to best attempt to prime teacher candidates for potentially perplexing circumstances will be imparted.

Preservice Teacher Reflections about Short-Term Summer Study Abroad Experiences in Italy

This chapter studies 21 preservice teachers' blog reflections about working in an Italian classroom and living with a host family during a four-week study abroad program in Northern Italy. During the program, preservice teachers were required to blog about their experiences living and studying abroad using personal blog sites. To encourage more candid reflection about the program, the blog posts could be related to any aspect of the program preservice teachers chose to reflect on. After setting the context of the study through description of the study abroad program and its requirements, the authors present qualitative findings regarding preservice teachers' (a) thoughts related to their observations of Italian classrooms, (b) thoughts related to becoming an Italian language learner, and (c) lessons learned from the study abroad experience. Findings discuss preservice teachers' reflections on making sense of educational and cultural differences, experiences as Italian language learners, and opportunities for professional and personal growth.

Dealing with Reverse Culture Shock for Students Returning from Study Abroad Programs

When students return from their study abroad programs, they can often feel distress, anxiety, and cultural identity confusion. Many university campuses within the developed world are providing resources to help students deal with these feelings. However, this is not always the case with the universities of developing world. An increasing number of students from developing countries are going abroad for their studies and many of them are part of study exchange programs. It is important for universities in the students' home countries to become abreast of these difficulties and prepare students to deal with them on the university campus. This study uses a large public university in Sindh, Pakistan to determine what kinds of resources are available to study abroad students and the role these resources play in helping students with feelings of reentry shock. The study also provides suggestions to assist in culturally ambiguous situations experienced once students return home.