Guiding Principles for Planning Programs

In resuming short-term programs, it is important to begin planning from known and anticipated expectations. These expectations are not inviolable but establish parameters to guide initial discussions and planning. The intent is reducing risk as it is understood today, knowing the situation will evolve by Summer 2022.

• Repeat programs should be the priority to take advantage of previous planning and experience. For a new program, previous leadership and location experience assumes critical importance.

• Program leaders should have experience leading short-term programs and navigating the program destination(s). Colleges may match program leaders to provide requisite program and destination experience.

• Programs should have at least two (2) current university employees leading the program, preferably faculty and/or staff but a graduate TA can be used. Stationary programs, with dedicated support from local sources, may run with one current university employee. (Solo university leaders will carry significant expectations. Colleges must plan to augment support to program leaders.)

• Subject to academic content, programs should remain in one country.  Crossing international borders during a program should be avoided due to potential contingencies. Likewise, programs should operate from as few locations as possible using day trips in lieu of frequently relocating. 

• Program locations must have voluntary testing capacity, even if payment is a student responsibility. Program leaders must understand the testing process.

• Programs less than 28 days in duration should not be planned in countries that require mandatory quarantine upon arrival. Program planners should consider the country’s history of imposing mandatory quarantine on arrivals from the U.S. 

• Program leaders should intentionally plan itineraries to balance academic content with free time. Particularly for programs less than 28 days, students should not receive long weekends that facilitate travel away from the program location.

• 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.

Course rubric and approval: Many faculty-led courses run under existing course rubrics 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.

Global competency: While many humanities and social science courses naturally provide students with global perspectives and cultural context, it is equally important for science and other STEM disciplines to incorporate these into any study abroad course. 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 competency.

Course set-up: Most faculty-led courses are set up as a first or second 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.

Program dates

Faculty-led courses travel abroad for anywhere from one week to one month over fall, winter, spring, or summer break.

Program leadership

Every faculty-led study abroad program should have two leaders or staff present for the entire duration of the time students are abroad. Faculty leaders may choose to co-lead a course with another faculty or staff member, employ a teaching or program assistant (usually an advanced graduate student) to accompany the group, or hire an in-country program assistant. LAS International Programs staff and academic advisors may accompany a group and can serve as the second leader.

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.

Please download and use our budget template when developing your program budget.  

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

Please click here to start the Faculty-led Course Proposal Form. 

Eligibility

Candidates with a current teaching appointment with the Urbana-Champaign campus in one of the following employment categories are eligible to apply.

• Tenured and tenure-track faculty

• Specialized faculty (PhD preferred)

• Emeritus faculty

• Academic professionals (Master’s degree required, PhD preferred)

Graduate students are not eligible to direct a program abroad, although co-teaching may be considered.

Proposal submission

Faculty may submit a course proposal through either of the following two proposal processes:

1. LAS Global Studies 298 (GLBL 298) Seminar Abroad Programs

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.

2. LAS departmental courses abroad

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.

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.

For more information please contact Mark Beirn in LAS International Programs.