Student Preparedness & Orientation

Student Preparation

Once the group is confirmed, it is the responsibility of the faculty leader to begin to communicate with the students about specific details and planning for the program. Education Abroad will continue to communicate with students concerning required documents and processes for all programs.

General Online Orientation by Education Abroad

All ‘committed’ students will be required to complete a general orientation Canvas course provided by EA. Requiring a common, standardized orientation ensures that students studying abroad on faculty-led programs have appropriate preparation to study abroad. Completion of the non-credit course and attainment of a minimum score on an associated quiz is required for all students. If program leaders wish to be added to the course as ‘observers’ to review the content, they can request access by contacting the customized programs team. The online pre-departure orientation broadly covers the topics of:

• Pre-departure preparations and travel logistics

• Academic policies and procedures

• Finances and budgeting abroad

• Health and safety

• Education Abroad policies

• Cultural considerations

• Basic informational module on the region the group will visit

Program-Specific Orientation (Provided by Program Leaders)

Pre-Departure Meeting(s)

Since the online pre-departure orientation is general in nature and is used by students going abroad on a number of different programs throughout the year, it is expected that the program leaders will supplement this central orientation with a more specific preparation meeting. There should be one or more pre-departure sessions and an on-site orientation upon arrival in country. All group preparation and orientation meetings should be mandatory for all program participants. Faculty should plan to accommodate any students who are not based at their campus location into the pre-departure orientation session (by utilizing Skype, Zoom, etc.). The number of meetings is decided by the program leader, but it is imperative that student participants be properly prepared and aware of what to expect of the course(s) and host location.

The customized programs team will provide a general PowerPoint presentation template to assist the faculty leader in covering all relevant topics at the program-specific pre-departure orientation. Faculty leaders should customize the template with the specific details of their program.

Depending on the type of program, students should be given the following information at the pre-departure orientation meeting with the faculty leaders:

• Program itinerary/calendar

• Addresses and phone numbers of hotels and/or homestays

• Course syllabi

• Information on passports and visas (if required)

• Site-specific information on culture and traditions

• Site-specific information on health and safety

  • You may wish to consult the following resources in order to develop content for this part of the orientation –

    • United HealthCare Global’s World Watch intelligence database for useful information on medical, safety, and security information

    • Center for Disease Control (CDC) country-specific information

    • U.S. Department of State country information page

• Communication information (sharing group cell phone numbers; communication plan)

On-Site Orientation

An on-site orientation should take place as soon as the students are settled in the location abroad. The nature of this session will depend on the type of program, but such sessions typically go over the logistics of the site and provide students with necessary safety tips and contact information for the faculty and/or on-site staff. Academic expectations and the full program itinerary should also be reviewed. For your reference a basic outline of topics to be covered at an on-site orientation can be found in Appendix III (found within the Faculty-Led Programs Manual).

Student Conduct

All students are subject to the Penn State Code of Conduct while abroad and any violations of the code or of program-specific rules should be reported to EA staff as soon as possible. It is recommended that faculty leaders attend the “Managing Student Conduct Abroad” workshop that is held each year. The workshop time and location will be announced to all faculty leaders at least one month in advance, and faculty at campuses external to University Park can attend virtually.

Withdrawal Policy

Prior to the commitment date (late February for summer programs), a student may withdraw from the program without penalty. As part of the program commitment process, each student signs an acknowledgment of the withdrawal policy and financial implications of committing to a study abroad program. After the commitment deadline, the education abroad administrative fee ($150) is completely non-refundable, and students who withdraw after the commitment deadline may be subject to additional financial penalties. Students who choose to withdraw from the program prior to departure will be charged a percentage of the program fee based on the date of withdrawal relative to the start date of the program in addition to the EA administrative fee. The customized team can provide program leaders with a copy of the withdrawal terms upon request.