FACULTY/STAFF INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS 2016
Introduction
International education is a comprehensive approach to the students’ academic plan that intentionally prepares them
to be active and engaged participants in a multicultural, interconnected world through internationalization of the
curriculum. It transcends borders and connects our students to countries, people, customs, cultures, values,
languages, political and economic systems, religions, geography, history, and current events of the world; and it
engages students in a variety of ways to achieve a deeper understanding through examination and inquiry.
Internationalizing the curriculum is a key component to prepare our students to be global citizens of the 21st century,
and it involves integrating global concepts for cross-cultural understanding across all disciplines and creating
international curricular and co-curricular activities for our students.
The purpose of participating in an international exchange program is to gain a greater understanding and
appreciation for another country and culture, to inspire faculty to internationalize a course, or to allow staff to obtain
an international perspective to enhance ones work at the College. This can be in the form of observations, job
shadows, and guest lectures, as it relates to methodology, curriculum design, technology, or best practices at the
overseas institution. At the end of the program, the participant should take the overseas experience and “repackage
it” so that other faculty and/or staff can benefit from this international experience.
International Exchange Program
Valencia College is a sponsor of the Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program. This is an academic program
that fosters mutual educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and other countries around the
globe. The program is intended for foreign students, scholars, or professors who are already studying or working at
an overseas educational institution and wish to study and/or work in the United States to complement their academic
studies or professional career. Valencia has been designated by the U.S. Department of State as a program sponsor
in the following categories: student, student intern, short-term scholar, specialist, and professor. Program options
include:

Valencia faculty or staff visit an overseas educational partner (one-way exchange - outbound)

A faculty or staff of the overseas institution comes to Valencia (one-way exchange - inbound)

Both of the above occur as a reciprocal exchange
A written Memorandum of Understanding is required between Valencia College and any overseas institution that will
involve an exchange program. The SAGE office will help facilitate that process.
Eligibility:





You must be a full-time College employee in order to apply (minimum 8-month contract).
Applicants can only receive ONE award (exchange or Study Abroad Program Leader-in-Training) within a
3-year period.
Preference will go to individuals who have never been funded by the SAGE office for any reason.
You must enroll in and complete the Internationalizing the Curriculum workshop in the fall or the spring.
You must develop a course internationalization toolkit in order to be funded. This is done in the abovementioned workshop. Failure to complete the workshop and the toolkit will result in a revocation of funding.
How to Apply:
1. Identify an overseas educational institution, company, or organization that you will be working at for the
exchange program. You can find a complete list of potential partners on the INZ SharePoint, but you are not
limited to those partners.
1
Updated: 08/21/2015
FACULTY/STAFF INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS 2016
2. Complete the Faculty/Staff International Exchange Program Proposal Form and Hosting Department SignOff Form (for reciprocal exchanges only) and submit to the SAGE office with all signatures by October 1.
3. The Internationalizing the Curriculum Committee will vote and select the participants if there are more than
four applicants.
4. Follow the instructions on the International Travel page of the SAGE website for travel forms and
instructions. You must register your trip at least 15 days prior to departure.
5. Follow the instructions on the Global Distinction page of the SAGE website to submit for your course to be
added to the Global Distinction program.
Duration:
The exchange program can be up to a maximum of 14 days. You will be considered working while you are in the
host country, and it is expected that all your program activities will be related to the development of your project. You
are allowed two free days for every five working days.

Example activities considered “working days” include: meetings at the overseas institution with staff and/or
faculty, job shadow, lecture attendance, lecture facilitation, facility tours, homestay/accommodation tours,
curriculum review, curriculum development, and attendance to cultural events related to the internationalized
curriculum project.
Vacation Time:
If you will be arriving early or staying longer, be sure to note the days that will be considered vacation time and
should be reflected as such on your International Authorization to Travel form. Participants would need to submit and
be approved for “Personal/Vacation” leave time. If you plan multiple countries as part of the exchange, you must
incorporate that experience into your final project; otherwise, those days must be considered vacation time.
Project Guidelines:
Participation in this program requires the submission of a final project that will contribute to the goals of the Strategic
Plan for International Education at Valencia. All program participants are required to: (1) link the exchange program
to the development of an internationalized curriculum or workplace project; and (2) share the results with
colleagues. The project must be comprehensive in nature and include an infusion of the country, people, and culture
of the approved country or countries visited. If you are traveling to multiple countries as part of the exchange
program, the international curriculum project must include components from each country.

Faculty Project Options:
o Create or add to an internationalized course toolkit (if one does not exist) linked to the program
destination with artifacts (minimum 3 original entries with supporting documents – PowerPoint,
student handouts, assessment methods, list of references, etc.).
o Use an existing toolkit to internationalize your course section. Your final project should include
internationalized student learning outcomes, teaching strategies, learning activities, assessment
methods and accompanying artifacts (instructional tools such as handouts, PowerPoint, rubrics, etc.)
that can be made available to other faculty in your discipline. You will need to submit an updated
course syllabus reflecting all the changes.

Project Due Date: You must complete your project before you are awarded funds. This can be done before
you depart or as a reimbursement when you return. ALL FUNDS MUST BE EXPENSED BY JUNE 30 IN
ORDER TO BE PAID BY SAGE. SAGE will not pay out on expenses that go into the new fiscal year.
2
Updated: 08/21/2015
FACULTY/STAFF INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS 2016

Resources: Visit the Internationalizing the Curriculum webpage for resources or contact the SAGE office.
You will be required to present your experience and project to the larger Valencia audience upon your return.
Funding:

You may be fully or partially funded for this program depending upon what the committee decides.

Once the proposal is submitted to the SAGE office, there cannot be ANY changes to the budget. The
authorization form and per diem form should reflect the same amount of the original budget submitted.

Costs that can be included in the program budget: airline tickets, luggage fees (one bag), hotel
accommodations (up to 7 nights max), airport/hotel transfers, in-country ground transportation, program
registration fees, entrance fees to cultural activities, medical/trip insurance, and Florida meals per diem rates.

Costs that are not covered by SAGE funds: airport parking, airline upgrades, entrance fees to cultural or
social activities that are not directly related to the program objectives, and expenses for incoming participants
from the overseas institution.

If the participant has been funded for an Endowed Chair, he/she cannot use these funds for the same
international travel project.

These funds cannot be used to do site visits to develop a study abroad program. You must apply for an
Endowed Chair for funding.

You may apply to do an exchange program while you are on sabbatical. You will need to follow the same
process as outlined below.

If the participant does not complete his/her internationalized curriculum project within the established
guidelines and timeframe, he/she will be required to reimburse the College for all travel related to the
program.
Valencia’s Global Distinction Program: Upon completion of the toolkit, you can submit your course sections to be
considered to be added to the course list for students if they are not already one of the master courses listed on the
website:

Instructions for faculty: http://valenciacollege.edu/international/studyabroad/facultystaff/curriculum/globaldistinction.cfm

Course list: http://valenciacollege.edu/international/studyabroad/students/globaldistinction/courselist.cfm
3
Updated: 08/21/2015