Study Abroad: Planning and Development,
Successes and Challenges
1) Multidisciplinary Study Abroad in Ireland
(University of Pittsburgh)
2) Models, challenges, lessons and future developments
Janice E. Vance, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Director of Undergraduate Education
Dept. of Communication Science
and Disorders
University of Pittsburgh
Overview of today’s talk
 Brief introduction to SHRS Study Abroad in Ireland:
o History, objectives, structure, academics and more
 Putting our faculty-led programs in perspective –
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Models and options for study abroad
 The… what, where, who, how, when …….
 The hard stuff
• planning, funding, implementing
 The scary stuff
• health and safety, insurance, liability
 And after all that – why?
 The benefits – to students, faculty, the university, study abroad
sites….
 Globalization and cultural competency – what are these and how
do we promote them?
 What next…..?
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Tanzania and beyond……..
A brief history of the SHRS program
• How – originally sponsored by European
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Studies Center, UCIS. Now self-sustaining…
When – started in 2006
What – originally an Integrated Field Trip
Abroad (IFTA) linked with a course: CSD 1011
Why – to provide a study abroad opportunity
specifically for students in Communication
Science (planning careers in Language
Pathology and Audiology)
Who – rising CSD seniors (12 students)
Since then…….
• Developed into a multi-disciplinary program:
• 2007:
o opened to Rehabilitation Sciences students (future careers in
PT, OT, PA, pre-med)
o (14 students)
• 2008 – present:
o Extended from 2 to 3 weeks
o CSD, RS, Clinical Dietetics and Nutrition and Athletic Training
o (18 – 25 students each year)
129 SHRS students have participated over the
past 7 years
Ireland – one island, two countries
• BELFAST (UK) - Capital of Northern Ireland
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Population of NI: 1.5 million
Stable population, but increasing number
of immigrant from eastern Europe
Health and Education structure same as UK
• DUBLIN – Capital of Southern Ireland
(Eire, Republic of Ireland)
• Independent country from the UK
• Population of Ireland: 5 ½ million and growing
• Multicultural city due to large immigration from
Eastern Europe and asylum seekers from Africa
• Health and Education systems different from UK
Program Objectives
 To provide students in the rehabilitation sciences
with an opportunity to study abroad in a program
related to their specific interests
 To expose the students to different models of
health care and education across three countries
(USA, UK and Ireland)
 To expose the students to clinical practice across a
range of disciplines – developing interdisciplinary
understanding and exposure to multidisciplinary
teamwork – health and education
 To develop cultural competence…..
Topics addressed
• Health care structure, delivery systems, referral and
reimbursement (history, current issues)
• Educational structure, services for individuals with
disability
• Attitudes to disability
• Scope of practice of each profession
• Role of the interdisciplinary team in assessment and
management
• Public policy, economic, social and cultural issues
affecting services and professional practice
• Research for clinical practice and evidence-based
care
• Resources and services for specific
conditions and disabilities
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Autism
Physical disability in children
Cognitive (learning) disability in children
Speech and language disorders in children
Hearing and visual impairments in children
Swallowing deficits – children and adults
Nutritional deficits and diabetes
Stroke and head injury in adults
Acquired hearing deficits
Cochlear implants
• Belfast sites
o University of Ulster
• Clinical Dietetics – research and practice
o University of Ulster
• Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Rehabilitation Institute
o Fleming Fulton School for children with physical
disability
o Harberton School for children with moderate learning
deficits
o Oakwood Special Unit for early autism intervention
o Thornfield School – Language Learning Project
o Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast
• Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit
o Jordanstown School for Children with Auditory or
Visual Impairments
• Dublin sites
o Deafhear
• (National Association for Deaf People) –
hearing help program for adults with
acquired hearing loss
o St. James’s Teaching Hospital –
• SLP, PT, OT and CDN departments
o Beacon Hospital – UPMC private hospital
• all disciplines including nursing and social
work.
Course Work
 Prior to trip (Course CSD 1903 – 1 credit)
 discussions, papers and quizzes on history, health and
education systems– US, UK and Ireland
 Multidisciplinary team presentations on
conditions/disorders and services in US
 During and after trip (Course 1904 – 3 credits)
 Journal writing (ROLs) –academic, clinical and cultural
insights
 Group discussions lead by multi-disciplinary teams
 Multidisciplinary team presentations on UK and Irish
services for specific conditions/disorders
 Final academic paper on chosen topic – in multidisciplinary teams
Future plans
• Depending on resources at home and in Ireland
• Extend to 4 weeks
• Open to pre-med, nursing, education, psychology,
social work …..
• Change structure to accommodate more and
wider range of students
o Core coursework for all – history, culture, structure and
services in education, healthcare and social services
o Specialized coursework
o Core site visits for all
o Specialized site visits
Models of study abroad
1) Exchange programs
2) Off-the-shelf programs – run by 3rd
party providers or other universities
3) University sponsored programs
o Built and led by instructor
4) Service-learning programs/research
projects
1) Exchange programs
• Reciprocity arrangements between universities
o Student takes classes offered from regular curriculum
of host university
o Credit for credit .. or …body for body
o 15 credits – spread over 5 students (summer)
o 1 student taking 15 credits (full semester)
o Tend to develop through university/faculty contacts
o Pros and cons
• Study with local students
• Useful for less popular countries
• Separate contracts required for each exchange
2) Off-the-shelf programs
• Designed and administered by 3rd party
providers (for-profit businesses)
o Several hundred providers (several thousand
programs!)
o Local university affiliation (university of record)
o Develop curricula, hire instructors, provide
infrastructure - classrooms, housing, staff, orientation,
meals, health and safety, insurance,
internship/clinical sites
o Some have close relationship with specific US
universities
o US faculty may teach one or more courses in a
program
• Pros and cons
o Opportunities for students (and faculty) at
small colleges/study abroad offices
o Direct enroll oppportunities
o Expense
o Quality
o Pitt evaluations
3) Faculty developed and led
• Pitt Panther programs (40-50 by end 2015)
• Discipline-specific or multidisciplinary
• Supported (and funded) by university
o Legal support
o Insurance and liability
• Study Abroad Office support and ‘back-up’
o Logistics – flights, accommodation…..
o Financial safety net
o Emergency – health and other
Not for the faint-hearted!
• Setting up a program – you will need:
o Good local contacts
o First-hand knowledge of location – physical and
cultural
o Safe housing, transport, food, water
o Classroom facilities for meeting/teaching
o Knowledge of local health and emergency
services
o Language competence
o Strong home university support system
o Good communication systems
• Setting up a program – continued
o Flexible and hard-working colleagues
o Time to plan and develop
o Time and resources for recruiting
o Leave or buy-out time to run program
o Initial funding – buy-out, funds to travel for
program development
o Good budgeting skills
And…..
• Pros and cons
o Discipline-specific
o Focused
o Flexible
o Creative
o Time-consuming and labor-intensive
o Challenging on multiple levels
o Risky
4) Service learning/research
projects
• Purpose
o Site selection
o Activities or projects….determined by whom?
o Required skills and qualification
o HIPAA and IRB
o Materials and equipment
o Supervision
o Transport and safety
o Liability issues
o Health and other safety issues
Why do students study abroad?
• A student’s perspective and motivation:
o Travel abroad - organized
o Learn about another culture
o Develop world view
o Learn another language
o Learn about myself – be more independent
o Build resume
o Program/career specific
• ‘See how things are done in another country’
• Enhance possibilities of working abroad in
professional field
The educator’s perspective
• The ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’…….
• Academic goals
• Global competence
• Cultural competence
• How to evaluate
o Programs
o Students’ learning