Domestic Study Abroad Offers Advantages Without the High Cost: Leveraging Diversity in the U.S.

Abstract

ABSTRACT While the benefits of short-term study abroad programs are well documented, especially with respect to enhancing cross-cultural competency in the participants, fewer than one percent of college students in the U.S. benefit from this experience. The principal barriers to studying abroad are actual and opportunity costs and its perceived worth. An alternative model is presented here in which the culturally-diverse, internationally-oriented megacities of North America – New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Houston, among others – can serve as domestic alternatives where a curated set of experiences and learning opportunities can provide educational outcomes akin to those obtained through traditional study abroad programs, at a substantially lower cost to a larger and more diverse student body. A case study, that is easily replicable, is showcased. Limitations of this pedagogical alternative and guidelines for instructors are discussed.