When developing your program, consider the learning opportunities available in and outside the formal classroom or laboratory space. You can maximize learning on location, leverage your expertise and engagement with the students, and ensure a rich, safe learning experience by considering some of the following aspects of high-impact, place-based learning. This section leads you to explore the possibilities in your chosen international location or may suggest an international location that better serves your learning objectives. 

Subject to academic content, STFL programs should remain in one country.  Crossing international borders during a program should be avoided due to potential contingencies. Likewise, programs should operate from a core location when possible, weighing between day trips or relocating places to add depth and dimension to the experience. 

1.1 Purpose and Considerations of Place 

Clearly define the program objectives and reason you selected the international location. You should have strong reasons for traveling to a specific international location for learning. If the connection between the learning and the international location are weak, it suggests a need to consider a different location or different learning objectives. If the course could be taught the same way on the home campus, there is not an academic justification for travel.  

1. What are the learning outcomes for a course taught in this location instead of another location?  

2. How does the international location affect the learning? 

3. How do the subject matter and academic field relate to the international location? 

4. Do you have deep knowledge of the international location yourself and, if not, is there someone who can work with you who does? 

5. How can the location, travel, and proximity to unique local resources enhance your teaching and student learning? 

1.2 Place-based Features 

Being in an international location provides opportunities for learning about the local context through personal experience. What about the international location is the same or different from other places your students may know? Are there features of the international location that influenced or shaped the topic you are studying? Some features that are place-based are listed below. Could your students explore these first-hand to better understand your course topic?  

1. Social structures and power dynamics:  

• What are the formal and organized ways of interactions among people? 

• E.g. economy and education, labor, healthcare, technology, financial systems, government, religion, gender, law and policy, political movements, and minority groups. 

2. Individual:  

• What are the ways individuals express themselves and their values? 

• E.g. individual expression and group affiliations, normalized values, modern forces, common behavior/norms, and interpersonal relations. 

3. Group identities:  

• What are the ways people act because they are members of a group with a shared identity? 

• E.g. food; language; shared group expression and experience (especially any embedded values); belief systems; national, racial, and ethnic identities; and gender relations and expressions.  

4. Ways of knowing in your subject area 

• What are the epistemological traditions and cultures of knowledge production relevant to your host destination and country and how might they be relevant to your program? 

• E.g. folklore, scientific method, intuition, literature, storytelling, experiment, evidence, and expert wisdom. 

5. Built and natural environment  

• What are the physical attributes of the international location? 

• E.g. infrastructure, architecture, urban/rural relationship, transportation, green spaces, climate, flora and fauna, and land tenure. 

6. History and change over time:  

• Everything considered so far in this section changes over time. What was before and what might come next? How did these changes take place?  

• E.g. the dynamic underlying forces of a location; social groups and categories of difference (ethnicity, race, gender, etc.); migration; political and demographic transitions; and colonialism.  

1.3 Place-based Resources 

You can create a rich learning experience by using the resources specific to an international location. This section provides a list of place-based resources that may be available and useful for your course in your international location including examples of ways resources in your international location could be used for learning activities in your course.  

1. Subject matter experts:  

• Who is working in the subject area at the international location that might be a resource for your course?  

• E.g. Scholars, notable figures, stars, politicians, or leaders of institutions. 

• Students could visit their workplace or they could be invited to give a lecture or class session 

2. Institutions related to your subject matter:  

• Are there official bodies at the international location that might be a resource for your course?  

• E.g. local academic societies, government offices, companies, clinics, or NGOs.  

• Students could visit these institutions and observe how they operate and/or meet with people who hold responsible positions in the institution.  

3. Physical features: 

• Are there physical features that students could visit to learn something in the subject area?  

• E.g. Public works, buildings, or natural phenomena. 

• Students could study these features and be asked to consider specific questions related to them. 

4. Cultural events: 

• Are there special events or rituals at the international location that students could join or observe? 

• E.g. Rituals, holidays, cultural practices, family traditions, or religious rites. 

• Students could be assigned to participate in, observe, or interview a practitioner. 

1.4 Health & Safety

As part of Illinois International Safety & Security's ongoing risk assessment of new and existing programs, local and regional risks will be assessed. Destinations that are deemed high-risk by the U.S. State Department and/or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be subject to an escalated review process. 

Many faculty-led courses run under existing course rubrics in the home unit such as GLBL 298 or a unit's special topics course. If an instructor wishes to propose an entirely new course, the course must go through the standard LAS course approval process outlined here.

All LAS faculty-led study abroad programs must provide students with clear academic goals and learning objectives that are tied to the study abroad location.

Course Requirements

LAS faculty-led courses must be housed in an LAS unit and must grant a minimum of three (3) credits. Exceptions are considered for advanced-level courses that grant less than three credits.

The LAS International Programs office invites LAS faculty members to work with their departments to develop short-term study abroad courses that will be listed under their department’s rubric. These courses should have a specific disciplinary focus and must be approved by the department head.

Furthermore, LAS Global Studies invites proposals to offer a GLBL 298: Global Studies Seminar Abroad. These seminars abroad are special topics courses designed by faculty to enhance undergraduate students’ understanding of a topic or problem of global import through an on-campus course that extends into a field experience abroad with a research focus. The seminars should foster skills to identify and analyze issues from multiple disciplinary and cultural perspectives, promoting a global mindset and respect for diverse ways of living, thinking and being as a result of cross-cultural exchange.

See previous GSSA offerings. For more information, contact Tim Wedig in LAS Global Studies.

A note on cultural competencies: While many humanities and social science courses inherently provide students with local and global cultural perspectives and linguistic context, it is equally important for science and other STEM disciplines to incorporate these into any study abroad course, ideally through their own contexts. Course instructors should ensure that in addition to field or lab work, STEM courses include instruction, excursions and cultural activities both on campus and abroad that will allow students to contextualize their studies and increase their global competencies.

2. 1 Structuring Your Course 

Most faculty-led courses are set up as a first or second (POT A or B) eight-week fall or spring course, depending on the travel dates and academic goals of the course. For example, most courses that travel over winter break are set up as second eight-week fall semester courses so that the class can meet on campus throughout the second half of the semester leading up to the time abroad. LAS International Programs staff will work with each faculty member to determine how best to set up the course, depending on whether the bulk of the on-campus work should be completed before or after the time abroad.

On-campus learning is often structured around in-class instruction and complemented by out-of-class activities that students manage on their own. In contrast, teaching abroad changes this balance by opening-up new opportunities to facilitate learning while on location. These may be done as a group or students may be assigned independent or team activities. Providing ways for students to engage first-hand with some of the features discussed previously ensures they can take full advantage of an international location for their learning.  

How can you leverage local materials, resources, people, environment, etc. for student learning? What are the exercises and experiences in-country that provide learning opportunities? It is useful to provide students with a variety of learning activities chosen for specific learning objectives. Some activities require specific set-ups like transportation, equipment or facilities. You can also leave blocks of unstructured time for student to engage in learning activities independently. 

2.2 Pre-departure Work in POT A or B 

Before travel students can prepare for what they will experience through a variety of activities offered in-person, on-line or for independent learning.  

1. Introductory lectures, videos and readings. 

2. Zoom meetings with students at the destination who they will meet in person when they travel. 

On the first day of a on-campus class, you go over the syllabus and explain your expectations. Orientation for a course in an international location is similar but covers living and social conditions in addition to classroom norms. What do students need to know before they travel and upon arrival? Some ways to prepare them before they travel are offered here.  

1. The instructor can assign books, articles, videos about the international location. 

2. Students can use resources available on campus before they travel.  

3. Students could attend class lectures that provide information and perspectives that will prepare them for their in-person experience. 

4. Provide a preliminary outline or sketch for an independent research project. 

5. Provide on-site risk orientation to complement those required and available from the LAS International Programs. 

2.3 Traditional Classroom/Lecture Sessions  

While abroad, the formal classroom setting is ideal for conveying factual information that is needed for background or to explain theoretical perspectives. Ways to use resources at the international location include: 

3. Local professors provide lectures. 

4. Local corporate or NGO specialists share insights. 

5. Guided site visits. 

2.4 Research Assignments & Independent Study

Research at an international location can refer to novel work that leads to new knowledge or insights or assignments that lead students to discover for themselves things that may be new to them. Research may be conducted individually or in a group. Some forms of research you might consider for your course:
 

1. Locally available material sources that students can access or discover such as plant species, library materials, artifacts in museums, artifacts in homes, etc. 

2. Questions that students can explore actively through interviews or interactions with local people or groups. 

3. Resources in local libraries, archives, museums, records offices, or data bases. 

4. Interviews with local specialists or average folk. 

5. Scavenger hunts (e.g. imported products from the home country, neighborhoods with certain characteristics like demographics or socioeconomic conditions, etc.). 

6. Research projects conducted by local agencies that students can join. 

2.5 Experiential Learning & Cultural Activities 

Students can actively engage with features of the international location to gain new insights, make personal discoveries, experience events or relationships for themselves, compare observations with their classmates.  

1. Are there local groups or individuals with whom students could interact to enhance their learning and understanding of the course topic? 

2. Are there any skills or methodologies that students can develop while onsite through interactions with the local environment or people (e.g. learn a folk dance, how to navigate the subway system, or join an archeological dig)? 

3. Could students be asked to apply a skill in a way that is appropriate to the international location 
   (e.g. recommend a health intervention appropriate to local conditions, design a product local families will find useful, or create a marketing plan to sell something locally)? 

4. What evening and weekend events and excursions can be planned into the itinerary to supplement classroom and daytime activities. Incorporating tickets to a theatre, opera, or musical performance can enrich a short-term faculty-led program, as much as a visit to a musuem or gallery.
    

2.6 Reflection and Self-assessment 

Through reflection and self-assessment, students gain a deeper understanding of course content and the way they perceive themselves in the international location as well as at home. Some ideas for this are: 

1. Reflection assignments can be incorporated into the syllabus and woven into the trajectory of learning of the course, tying the place into the course readings, lectures, and assignments.  

2. Reflection assignments may be guided, critical and ongoing (not one paper at the end of the course). They can be graded and academic in nature or be an exercise in self-reflection.  

3. Beyond grading, what assessment tools or surveys can you use to measure or document the learning that has taken place on your program? 

4. Students can be encouraged to consider their personal growth and intercultural competence in areas such as resilience, comfort with ambiguity, resourcefulness, communication skills, observation, etc.  

2.7 Assessment Activities & Grading 

Traditional and more hands-on forms of assessment can be used to determine a student’s grade in faculty-led courses. Some options are explored here: 

1. Written exams and quizzes. 

2. Creative products like performances, scripts, and costumes. 

3. Applied assignments like designing a clinic, creating an advertisement, or writing a lesson plan. 

4. Students will have many diversions on their study abroad program. It is advisable to tie course grades with class attendance, especially for short programs where instruction is concentrated. 

2.8 Free-time vs Independent Learning Time

In a short-term faculty-led program, "free time" refers to periods within the structured itinerary where students are able to explore a location independently, pursue personal interests, socialize with peers, or simply relax, usually with some guidance from the faculty leader on local recommendations and safety considerations; essentially, it's dedicated time outside of scheduled academic activities to experience the host culture on their own terms. 

Even during free time, students can still be learning by observing local customs, navigating unfamiliar environments, and engaging in cultural interactions. 

• • Safety: Faculty leaders usually provide safety briefings and guidelines for navigating unfamiliar areas during free time.

  • Group dynamics: Balancing individual exploration with group activities can be important to ensure everyone feels included.

  • Cultural awareness: Encouraging students to be respectful of local customs and traditions during free time is crucial. 

Program leaders are responsibilty for supporting student health, safety, and well-being even during so-called "free time", so being intentional about when and how much free time is allocated will help ensure participants have clear expectations about comportment and support while abroad.  

Each STFL program proposal should have a course syllabus and a tentative travel itinerary.   

Courses taught in international locations need to be developed with a thoughtful sequence since most will be offered in an intensive format using most hours of the day for learning activities. Similar to preparing your syllabus for a class on campus, consider the sequence of learning and amount of time needed for various activities (what you do in the first week, in the lecture, in the lab, etc.).

As you build your daily program schedule, make sure to include information on housing, local transportation, and meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for each day of the program. This ensures transparency to students, while also accounting for activities and meals that are covered by program fees and those that are not. It is fine to be ambitious in the first iterations of your course scheduling, recognizing that there may be a neeed to eliminate some activties due to scheduling issues.  

3.1 Program Term and Dates: 

Faculty-led short-term courses travel abroad for anywhere from one week to one month over winter, spring, or summer breaks. Consider the time of year that will be optimal for your programming. January or March may be more hospitable for a program in Buenos Aires, Mumbai, or Belize, whereas May/June may be most desirable for a program in Vienna or Brussels. Consider travel time to and from the destination and whether you are planning for a group flight or just announcing an arrival date and time. 

3.2. Course Scheduling

Some thoughts about good practice for course scheduling a short faculty-led program of are offered here:  

1. It may be helpful to plan travel courses using blocks of time for each learning activity. Depending on the intensity of the course, evening sessions and even mealtimes may be used for learning activities. Generally, students can be scheduled for one activity in the morning, one over lunch, and one in the evening, such as reflection and group project time after dinner.  

2. Experiential activities may require more time than lectures. On-site learning time may be more impactful than classroom learning hours. 

3. Hands-on experiential activities can make a deeper impression and require more cognitive processing than other forms of learning. Talks and lectures are important for providing theoretical structure and factual information. Group discussions allow for processing and guided reflection. Learning in a well-structured course will combine learning activities to ensure students are able to frame and understand what they are experiencing.  

4. Students should be assigned unstructured blocks of time for engaging with the local people and resources. Unstructured or “free” time can include practicing techniques for participant observation or interviewing skills.  

5. The program should progress from more supervised group activities in the beginning to more independent activities as the students learn their way around and can navigate independently.  

6. Shorter programs require greater structure and more planned hours than programs spread over more weeks.  

7. For shorter programs, learning and group activities should occupy most waking hours with evenings used for reflection, group project work, cultural excursions, etc. This provides for intensive learning and minimizes the opportunity for high-risk behavior. Free time requires check-ins for safety and can often best be managed during the day rather than the evening. Going to an evening venue as a group is a less risky option than giving students unstructured free time in the evening. 

3.3 Program Hours and Credits 

Courses that take place on campus may include contact hours in class, homework, lab assignments, etc. within the hours and weeks assigned for the course. A course in an international location may be for any amount hours and weeks the professor chooses based on learning objectives, course activities, credit to be given, other commitments in the academic year, and costs such as housing and travel. Most faculty-led programs in an international location are between ten days to four weeks. This section discusses a variety of considerations for scheduling.  

1. A unit represents an average of three hours of work each week in class. Therefore, a 3-unit course would need 45 hours of structured learning and additional hours for homework and pre-reading. Please confirm with your home unit.

2. A great deal of learning occurs outside of the classroom. Excursions should provide specific learning opportunities rather than being mere sight-seeing trips. 

3. Determine the realistic amount of time the student can devote to in-class instruction and out-of-class homework, activities, and study. 

4. The duration of your program and the required number of hours of in-class instruction per day will help determine the maximum and minimum number of credits students can earn through the program. 

Working with in-country agencies and partners

Many faculty choose to work with institutions based in-country. These agencies can be travel agents who arrange in-country transportation and logistics for the group, third-party providers that provide logistical and program development support in-country, academic and research institutions that provide classroom or lab space, or Illinois partners (usually universities we have exchange agreements with) who may provide some combination of classroom space, logistical support, housing, and more.

Housing & Meals

Programs should limit accommodations to one (1) or two (2) students per bedroom. Where feasible, planning should begin with one (1) student per room. Likewise, bathrooms should be private for each bedroom.

At least one regular meal should be provided by the program daily, either breakfast or lunch, during the program. 

Please download and use our budget template when developing your program budget.  The LAS Shared Services and LASIP Business Manager will work with Program Leaders to develop the program budget. 

Program budgets will include all direct fixed and variable program costs for all participants (students, leaders, local support), as well as indirect costs that students will have to cover on their own.   

New course proposals must be submitted at least one year prior to your proposed travel dates to allow sufficient time to set up logistics, review contracts and agreements, and promote your course. 

Step 1. Please click here to start the Faculty-led Course Proposal Form and submit a course proposal through LAS International Programs.  For more information please contact Cheryl Marcelo, Associate Director, or Mark Beirn, Director, LAS International Programs.

Step 2. Complete a preliminary budget form to include with your program proposal.

Step 3. Information LAS International Programs of any local partners, vendors, or third-party providers you will be contracting with to support the program. LAS International Programs will need to ensure these parties meet Illinois requirements and have a proper contract or agreement signed with Illinois before we can engage in any services. 

Step 4. International Safety & Security (ISS) Risk Assessments. Approved Programs will next go through a 3-step international risk assessment process with Illinois International Safety & Security starting 6 months prior to the program start. 

Step 5. Attend an Illinois International Safety & Security Program Leader training session. 

Step 6. Work with LAS International Programs to set up your Program Brochure, go over the application submission and review process, and how to promote your program.

Step 7. Promote your program to students and colleagues in your department, college, and across campus!