Academic Integration of Study Abroad
Margaret Storm McCullers, Curriculum Integration Coordinator, Study Abroad
Dr. Michael Anderson, Director, International Relations & Global Studies
Melissa Sassi, Program Coordinator, Study Abroad
Nathan Vickers, Senior Academic Advisor, Department of Government
Agenda





Academic Access to Study Abroad at UT Austin
Influencing the Faculty-led Portfolio
Curriculum Integration
UT Austin Semester Plus Model
Question and Answer
Academic Access to Study Abroad
at UT Austin

56% of entering first-time-in-college students planned to study
abroad; 21% of seniors actually studied abroad
UT 2010 results, National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

34.2% of UT students thought it was very important that their major
complement their desire to study abroad
Barriers to Participation

Academic concerns: 35% of students who withdraw from study
abroad cite academic reasons

Financial concerns: 22% of students who withdraw from study
abroad cite financial reasons
Influencing the Faculty-led Portfolio
Why Faculty-led Programs?

Student perspective
Comfort of faculty presence; popularity of faculty
 UT student cohort
 Pre-determined course credit
 Logistical ease – pre-arranged housing, activities,
etc..


International Office perspective
Increasing access for underrepresented majors in
study abroad
 Increasing access for underrepresented student
groups (first-generation-in college, race/ethnicity,
males)

Faculty-led Program Portfolio at
UT

25-30 programs/year
 Maymester
(4-weeks spring) and summer (6-10
weeks)
 Competitive
proposal process for Study Abroad
program coordinator support – program design
elements, logistics, contracts/payments, student
recruiting and advising
 Cross-college faculty review committee
 Three-year acceptance cycle
 E.g.


Jan 25, 2014 for
2015, 2016, 2017 OR
2015 and 2017
Influencing a Faculty-led
Portfolio

2008: Faculty-driven portfolio
 Strong
and well-subscribed programs
 Academic quality; unique experience
 Offerings regularly included variable or elective
credit
(Campus dialogue not yet about credit)
Competitive Priorities


2009 Can the International Office influence the
kind of proposals we receive?
Call for Proposals
 Geographic
Critical Priority (for 2010)
 Programs in Africa, Asia and the Middle East
Key
Longstanding
Programming
Increased
Programming
New
Programming
Countries Meeting Geographic Critical Priority 2010-2014
Botswana (Geography)
Guatemala (Education)
Costa Rica (Plan II, Nursing)
South Africa (Nutrition, DDCE)
India (Engineering)
Turkey (Middle Eastern Studies)
Israel (Jewish Studies)
Thailand (Nutrition)
relocated to Singapore and Vietnam
Japan (Architecture)
Academic Competitive Priority
The course(s) fulfill(s) a major degree requirement, core course, or course
flag.

25 Faculty-led Programs (2014)
 24
meet major requirement(s)
 2 meet a core curriculum
requirement
 7 carry flags
 Cultural
Diversity in the US
 Global Cultures
 Writing
Lessons Learned



International Office can influence the facultyled portfolio to align to University goals
Comfort levels of underrepresented students
may lead them towards faculty-led programs in
traditional locations (Engineering in Germany,
Austria)
Faculty can influence students to go to nontraditional locations such as China and Ghana
Pilot Programs

Social Entrepreneurship in China Maymester
 Competitive
application, Coca-Cola Foundation
funding for first-generation college students

Urban Economic Development Maymester
 Academic
Support program in partnership with
Division of Diversity & Community Engagement

UT Semester Plus Model
 Three-week
exchange
faculty-led followed by semester of
Curriculum Integration
the pathway to semester-long,
academically-relevant programs
Curriculum Integration – AKA
Study Abroad by Major
Curriculum Integration is a collaborative process between
Study Abroad and UT Austin departments and centers to
identify programs abroad that best serve students needs
and complement the academic goals of each unit.
Producing and publishing departmental curriculum
integration brochures educates students on
how/when/where to plan for study abroad as part of their
degree plan.
Curriculum Integration Project
Outcomes




Strengthen or build ties, partnerships, and knowledge
between the education abroad office and academic
colleges, faculties, campus offices, and administration
Create a targeted suite of specific programs by major
Increase access to study abroad by mitigating academic
risks of participation
More students now ask about academics than ever
before when inquiring about study abroad
The UT Austin Model
3.
Brochure
with degree map and program list
2. Required major and core
classes pre-approved to match
degree requirements
Collaborative
partnership with academic
units
1.
Study Abroad – Academic Unit
PARTNERSHIP



First meeting – set goals and expectations

Course evaluator department head and academic advisors are
present

Study Abroad departmental liaison

Delineate roles and responsibilities

Learn degree plan – what courses fulfill which requirements,
which courses must be taken on campus, which courses are
ideal for study abroad. This will drive program selection.
Study abroad by major information sessions
CI partnerships reveal the unique needs of academic
departments and challenge us to adapt accordingly
What’s in it for the Academic
Unit?






Determine, maybe for the first time ever, which
programs are best suited for your major
Feel comfortable recommending a suite of
academically-relevant programs that enable students to
stay on track to four-year graduation
Influence where your students are going
Influence what they’re taking abroad and emphasize
what they should not take abroad
Cohesive message: from both the Academic Department
and Study Abroad
Invest in what works: students who study abroad are
more likely to graduate
Study Abroad Map
Government

Four-year degree plan
indicates which term to
study abroad and which
courses to take

Degree map determined
by department

Courses are preapproved at programs
listed in brochure

Course fit drives program
selection
Academic Access Through The
My Credit Abroad Database

Transparency of approved
course equivalents
facilitates academic
planning

Increasing emphasis on
pre-approval of courses
versus approval just prior
to or after departure

Advisors can engage in the
planning process
Curriculum Integration – A
National Movement
Based on interviews, literature, survey data and case studies, it is clear that
successful curriculum integration of education abroad is neither simply a list of
course equivalencies nor the education abroad staff acting in isolation.
Instead, it includes:
 Collaborative partnerships between international offices and academic units
 Embedding of study abroad into the academic program of students as a
key outcome.
 Understanding the key distinction of CI as a process, one that will
potentially change the culture of an institution, rather than the view that CI
is merely the mechanism by which students receive academic credits for a
study abroad experience.
 Making “integral” a key operative word, in that study abroad is integral to a
student’s academic degree program and is based on measurable learning
outcomes.
From “Curriculum Integration of Education Abroad,” an e-publication of
NAFSA, 2012), Authors A. Henry, G. Woodruff
Semester-plus Model
A faculty-led/semester hybrid
Semester-plus Model AKA “UT
in”

UT in Paris at Sciences Po
 International

Relations and Global Studies
UT in Sydney at the University of Technology,
Sydney
 Dept.
of Kinesiology, College of Education
First 3 weeks
3 credit hours
Semester
12-16 credit hours
First 3 weeks + fall
semester
1 credit hour
UT course that fulfills
core or majorrequirement
Exchange courses
Applied Cultural Analysis
(Global Cultures flag)
Taught on-site
by UT faculty
Taught by local
faculty
Taught on-line by Study
Abroad staff
UT in Sydney


Collaboration between Dept. of Kinesiology
and Study Abroad
Semester-length Kinesiology Mobility (all
programs)
Fall
Spring
2010 (1)
2011 (1)
2011 (2)
2012 (1)
2012 (2)
2013 (4) 3 at University of
Technology, Sydney
2013 (10) 8 “UT in Sydney”

Fall 2014 Expand to College of Education
Majors
UT in Paris
UT in Paris



Collaboration between International Relations
and Global Studies and Study Abroad
14 students
Benefits:

Major course requirement offered in first three weeks
of program by UT professor

IRG 320F: Foundations in International Relations and Global
Studies
Comfort of faculty presence and cohort of UT students
 Semester courses pre-approved at Sciences Po that
meet degree requirements

New Collaborations Support our
Mission

Academic integration is central to the mission and vision
of our office. Curriculum integration and course priorities
of faculty-led programming are outlined in our five-year
strategic plan.

Collaboration is crucial. We cannot operate in isolation
and achieve our mission.

Facilitating academic access to study abroad is critical
to increasing access for traditionally underrepresented
students.
Supporting the Mission of UT
Austin

Supporting four-year graduation rates


UT study abroad participants are more likely to graduate and
experience a shorter than average time-to-degree than nonparticipants (Barclay Hamir, 2011)
Influencing Retention

Empirical research on the UT Austin student population
demonstrates academically at-risk students stand to benefit the
most from study abroad

Study abroad representative on campus-wide retention
committee
Questions
Contact information
Dr. Michael Anderson mra@austin.utexas.edu
Margaret Storm McCullers mccullersm@austin.utexas.edu
Melissa Sassi msassi@austin.utexas.edu
Nathan Vickers nvickers@austin.utexas.edu