student preparedness & orientation

Student Preparation

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

In order to ensure that students studying abroad on embedded programs have appropriate preparation for inter-cultural awareness, travel and immigration procedures, student conduct expectations, and health and safety considerations abroad, the Education Abroad office will require a variety of pre-departure student requirements. 

Once a final roster is submitted by the program proposer by the designated deadline, students will be added into the Education Abroad portal (known as Terra Dotta) to complete various pre-departure requirements, including but not limited to:

• Emergency contact information

• Travel itinerary

• Passport information

• Special accommodations information

• Acknowledgement e-signature forms regarding infectious diseases, student conduct, communication while abroad, student responsibilities

Program leaders are asked to remind students that completion of the Education Abroad pre-departure documents is required in order to participate on the program. Failure to complete the requirements can result in the removal of the student from the program.

In addition to the completion of the pre-departure documents in the Education Abroad portal, all ‘committed’ students will be required to complete a general self-paced online orientation Canvas course provided by Education Abroad. Requiring a common, standardized orientation ensures that students studying abroad on customized embedded and freestanding programs have appropriate preparation to study abroad. 

Completion of the non-credit course and attainment of a minimum score (80% or higher) on an associated quiz is required for all students. Program leaders are added to the Canvas course as ‘observers’ should they wish to review the student content. 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

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.  See the section below. The program leader should also plan at least one orientation session with the group to cover the topics above in more specific detail as they pertain to the individual program, as well as to address any other pre-departure questions. 

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. 

The program leader should also plan at least one orientation session with the group to cover the topics below in more specific detail as they pertain to the individual program, as well as to address any other pre-departure questions. All group preparation and orientation meetings should be mandatory for all program participants. Leaders 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. 

Depending on the type of program, students should be given the following information at the pre-departure orientation meeting with the program 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; group chat while abroad - Whatsapp, Signal)

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 program leaders and/or on-site staff. Expectations regarding academic and student conduct as well as the full program itinerary should also be reviewed.

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 program leaders attend the “Managing Student Conduct Abroad” workshop that is held each year. The workshop time and location will be announced to all program leaders at least one month in advance, and faculty at campuses external to University Park can attend virtually.

Since the budget for the program is managed by the academic unit and faculty member, the specifics of the financial arrangement will vary a bit from program to program. In most cases, the budget for the program is dependent on a minimum number of students attending. As such, when a student drops the course or chooses not to attend the international portion of the course, it can have a serious impact on the program budget.  

It is advisable for most programs to have firm deadlines for commitment to travel and payment of fees as well as a requirement for students to sign a written withdrawal policy indicating their agreement to pay a percentage of the program cost or all unrecoverable costs should they choose to withdraw after committing to attending the program.