ABSTRACT: 2014 ELATE Institutional Action Project Poster Symposium
Project Title: SAPFIRE: Study Abroad Programs for Fostering International Research and Education
Name and Institution: Elena N. Naumova, Tufts University
Collaborators: Linda Abriola, Dean of School of Engineering at Tufts University; Kim Knox, Associate
Dean for Undergraduate Education; Diane Souvaine, Vice Provost for Research
Background: To succeed and prosper in the interconnected world of global economy, U.S. students need
international knowledge, intercultural communications skills, and a wide range of global perspectives.
With a growing enrollment in STEM disciplines, there remains a unmet need to expand American
students’ international experience, and a great challenge to ensure that access to study abroad
programs are available to all students; including students of diverse backgrounds, low incomes, and
underrepresented groups. Tufts has long been a leader in global studies, but we must do more to
coordinate our efforts, to challenge all students to think globally, and do better engage those who
support global research, education, and outreach.
Purpose/Objectives: The long-term overarching goal of this project is to increase Tufts’ standing in
internationalization of engineering education. As the first step in achieving this goal, I explored
opportunities for expanding the existing and developing new Study Abroad Programs (SAP) for Tufts
School of Engineering (SOE). I also identified barriers, challenges, and potential solutions for SOE
undergraduate and graduate programs, focusing on the interdisciplinary Environmental Health program
which resides at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Methods/Approach: To better understand educational and business models of international programs
at Tufts, I reviewed reports, institutional policies, student surveys, the Tufts Strategic Plan and the
strategic directions of SOE. I interviewed Tufts key partners and stakeholders, including students,
faculty, staff, and senior leadership, management at various levels, as well as, potential employers and
external experts in international training. I prepared and conducted SWOT analysis to provide guidance
in strengthening the combined BSE/MS program by expanding suitable SAP.
Outcomes and Evaluation: This project provided ample background information on the current state of
study abroad experiences in SOE and the first collection of examples of the best SAP practices in Tufts.
Although, the recent internal review and 2012 survey indicated that only 7.8% of SOE students were
planning to study abroad as compared to 58.1 % of undergraduate population at Tufts, among students
who participated in team-based project-based activities abroad expressed a high degree of satisfaction
with experiential learning. The first draft of recommendations (with options for expanding for SAP at
SOE tailored to a specific target population, degree of complexity, and expected return, in addition to
the metrics of progress evaluation) requires further clarification and detailed discussion. The SWOT
analysis and preliminary exploration revealed a strong buy-in of EH faculty and a student commitment
to expand SAP. Existing relationships with programs in Africa, Asia and Central/Latin America, including
active Chapter of Engineers Without Borders and ongoing collaboration with the World Health
Organization, were identified as strengths. Unfortunately, engineering students’ schedules are often
constrained by ABET requirements, thus the existing curriculum has to be revisited to allow for enough
sufficient flexibility. The next step is to develop an implementation plan for establishing the first New
England’s BS degree in Environmental Health, featuring extensive international transformative
experience to enable the development of essential ‘21st century skills’: think critically, communicate
effectively, work collaboratively, and adapt rapidly.
PROJECT SAPFIRE
STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS:
FOSTERING INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
Presented at the 2014
ELATE® Leaders Forum
Objectives
Long-term overarching goal:
Background
 to increase Tufts’ standing in internationalization of engineering education.
Short-term goals:
Worldview:
 2,000,000 students study outside their home countries each year.
 500,000 international students study in the U.S annually.
 1 in 5 European students will spend at least 3 months working or studying in another
country by 2020
National perspectives:
 90 percent of the U.S. public agreed that knowledge about international issues is important
to careers of younger generations
 205,000 American students (<1% of 14 million students enrolled in U.S. higher education)
are receiving credit for study abroad annually
Tufts perspective:
 The importance of internalization in educational experience is highlighted in the Tufts
Strategic Plan (T10) under Theme 3.3: Strengthen and coordinate global programs: “Tufts
has long been a leader in global studies, but we must do more to coordinate our efforts, to
challenge all students to think globally, and to better engage those who support global
research, education, and outreach.”
 to explore opportunities for expanding the existing and developing new
Study Abroad Programs (SAP) for Tufts School of Engineering (SOE);
 to identify barriers, challenges, and potential solutions for SOE
undergraduate and graduate programs
 to focus on the interdisciplinary Environmental Health program which
resides at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
School of Engineering Focus:
to think critically in
solving complex
problems
21st Century Skills
Approach
to communicate
effectively across
perspectives
 Review reports, institutional policies, student surveys, the
Tufts Strategic Plan and the strategic directions of SOE.
 Identify and interview Tufts key partners and
stakeholders: students, faculty, staff, and senior
leadership, management at various levels, potential
employers and external experts in international training.
 Prepare and conduct SWOT analysis
 Prepare recommendations (with a metric and timeline)
 Identify a pilot project
Projects Worked On
Achieve
Mastery
Capitalize on
Experience
Get Familiar
by focusing on
Environmental
Health BSE and
combined
BSE/MS
Program
and learn from the best practices
at Tufts, both graduate and
undergraduate education
with research, educational and business models of
international programs in engineering schools and
national educational targets in US and worldwide
to adapt rapidly to
changing environments
and conditions
Tufts Senior Survey, 2013
Mission
Perspective
What are our most
important tangible
outcomes?
Engineering
Did you study abroad at any time while attending Tufts ?*
55.2% (560/1014)
8.4% (13/154)
Did you have experience with: opportunities to study abroad?
56.4% (576/1021)
11.5% (18/157)
How satisfied were you with: opportunities to study abroad?
93.0%** of 575
83.3% of 18
* percent positive responses; ** satisfied students rating this question

Stakeholder
Perspective
How should we appear to
stakeholders?
International
Educational Projects
At what do we need
to excel to fulfill
stakeholders
expectations?
How will we sustain our
ability to improve?

International
Research Projects
Fundraising

Increased
graduates’
experience and
employability
Improved
professional
and academic
advising
Theme 1: Recruitment
Process
Perspective

Sustainability
of SAP
Engineers with 21st
Century Skills
Increased diversity of
SOE community across
many dimensions
Experienced faculty and
staff; existing courses
and academic programs
Increased
international
visibility
Theme 2: Education & Research
Matching student
interests with
SAP
Effective
Recruitment
96% of students studied abroad had
reported increased selfconfidence
95% - had a lasting impact on their
view of the world
94% - influenced their interactions
with people from different
cultures
90% - helped to seek out a greater
diversity of friends
87% - influenced subsequent
educational experience
76% - acquired skill sets that
influenced their career path
Liberal Arts
SAPFIRE Strategy Map
Organizational
Capabilities
Time Spent
to work collaboratively
in interdisciplinary
teams
Benefits of study abroad:
Tailoring
curriculum to
include SAP
Establishing
placement and
credit transfer
Developing
internship
programs
Developing new
courses
Key Partners: Office of Programs Abroad, Tufts
European Center, International Student Offices,
Institute for Global Leadership, International
Relations Program, Global Health Council, etc.
Expanded
involvement
of alumni
Theme 3: Outreach
Involving alumni
and professional
networks
SAP-relevant
mentoring and
training
Institutional policies
for study abroad and
international travels








Challenges of study abroad:
Rigid curriculum due to ABET
requirements
High desirability for a potentially more
expensive training in research labs
Potential complexity of an assessment of
short- and long-term effectiveness,
productivity, cost and benefits
Credit transfer and equivalency
measures to calibrate transferable skills
and knowledge
Tufts Key Partners:
Office of Programs Abroad
Institute for Global Leadership
International Relations Program
Global Health Council
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Tufts European Center
International Student Offices
Tufts Career Center
Elena N. Naumova, Tufts University ELATE Fellow
Mentors: Linda Abriola, Dean of School of Engineering
Diane Souvaine, Vice Provost for Research
Kim Knox, Dean for Undergraduate Education
Recommendations
Strategies aiming to use strengths to
take advantage of opportunities:
 Invest in programs with high visibility
and best practices, including
Engineers Without Borders, Tufts-inTalloires Programs
 Expand existing Tufts SAP in UK, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong
 Capitalize on growing collaborations with World Health Organization and ongoing
research in India, Africa, and Latin America
Strategies aiming to overcome weaknesses to take advantage of opportunities:
 Revisit engineering students schedules, often constrained by ABET requirements,
to allow for sufficient flexibility
 Review incentives for faculty involved in SAP
Strategies aiming to use strengths to avoid threats:
 Focus on Programs with the strong buy-in of faculty and student commitment to
expand SAP, e.g. in Environmental Health
 Partner with faculty with interdisciplinary visions
 Work with Tufts key partners in developing @1st Century skills, including
community engagement, communication, and leadership programs
Strategies aiming to minimize weaknesses and avoid threats:
 Tailor BSE in EH to attract strong students by offering transformational experience
Discussion
Investment in SAP should bring as a return:
 an increase the quality and diversity of the SOE community: student, faculty, and
staff across all dimensions – gender, socio-economic, ethnic, cultural backgrounds;
 an increase international research collaboration and partnership;
 an improved academic and professional advising;
 an expanded involvement of alumni in professional and peer-to-peer mentoring.
To measure the progress we have establish benchmarks and metrics for
monitoring
NEXT STEP: To establish the first New England’s BSE
degree in Environmental Health, featuring extensive
international transformative experience with internship
at WHO and summer research projects
Acknowledgments
Complicated dance butterfly tilts weary wings
to capture sunrays
Mentors: Linda Abriola, Diane Souvaine, Kim Knox
Tufts administration, faculty, students and staff: Jennifer Allen, John Barker, Sheila Bayne, Peter Boyajian, Particia
Campbell, AnneMarie Desmarais, Andrey Egorov, Shana Freeman, David Gute, David Harris, Robin Kahan, Julia
Keller, Daniele Lantagne, Peter Levine, Anthony Monaco, Sarah Richmond, Dawn Terkla, Sherman Tiechman, Alice
Tin, Scott Sahagian, Chris Swan, Simon Steel, Peter Walker, Darryl Williams, Nancy Wilson, Mark Woodin, iGEM
students, Tisch Fellows
ELATE coaches: Diane Magrane, Tara Stasik, Sue McNeil, Judith Katz, ELATE’s invited coaches and presenters
ELATE learning community: Janice Naegele, Hong Tan, Margaret Kupferle, Anne Robertson, Diana Marculescu