Short-Term Study Abroad Courses Research Articles

Behind the Scenes: Teaching the Sociology of Tourism Abroad

International travel has long been considered a key pedagogical strategy for global learning. Yet very little is known about whether study-abroad experiences increase students’ awareness of the impact of tourism as a global phenomenon. In this study, we assessed students’ learning through a content analysis of their journals and final essays from a short-term study-abroad course that used key concepts from the sociology of tourism to explore the impact of tourism in a developing country. Findings demonstrate how thinking sociologically about travel and tourism enabled students to look “behind the scenes,” fostered critical-thinking skills, helped in their self-assessment of ethnocentrism, and promoted a sense of global responsibility. We also discuss areas that merit further pedagogical attention, particularly when students struggle to unlearn preconceived ideas about poverty and inequality or resort to overgeneralizations when thinking comparatively.

Developing Global Citizens through International Studies: Enhancing Student Voices and Active Learning in Short-Term Study Abroad Courses

Abstract Educating global citizens has become part of higher education in international studies. Scholars argue that education includes having a global worldview that critically evaluates complex challenges in an ever-changing environment. Most agree that something more than classroom lecture is required to transform students’ perspectives, but debates exist about exactly what “more” means. Short-term study abroad courses have evolved as one way to offer a global experience to students, especially those who must balance work, school, and family life while also facing the economic restraints of higher education. These programs, however, have been criticized as providing little more than a voyeuristic view into the lives of others with no real experience with cultures, development of global citizenship, or true engagement with global issues. This study assesses the impact of a short-term study abroad program on students’ perceptions of their role as global citizens and identifies pedagogical tools that increase the likelihood that students will embrace global citizenship as a transformative learning experience. Using reflection papers and photo elicitation, this article shows that immersive short-term study abroad experiences that include extensive community engagement have the potential to change students’ perception of the world and the way they see their role in it.

Guided Journaling: Focused Writing to Enhance Learning during a STEM Short-Term Study Abroad Course

More students are enrolling in STEM short-term study abroad courses, yet the structure of these programs poses pedagogical challenges for faculty needing to cover an entire course in a few weeks. Challenges include lack of pedagogical resources and research; the need to intentionally intervene to structure learning so that students can process, connect, and reflect to promote deeper thinking; little time for preparation or content front-loading; and finding balance between faculty-led instruction and experiential activities. To address these challenges while teaching a short-term study abroad course in Costa Rica, daily guided journaling worksheets (GJWs) fostered learning through intentional writing by sharpening student focus, connecting study abroad experiences with concepts from the texts, capturing thinking, promoting student reflection, and elucidating student concerns. The GJWs incorporated thinking routines, content graphic organizers, and a variety of writing prompts. Overall, the GJWs documented student learning in a format that allowed for prompt assessment and feedback while overcoming some of the challenges related to teaching a short-term study abroad course. With relevant and situational modifications, GJWs can be a beneficial tool for other types of experiential teaching situations such as internships, practicums, co-ops, field trips, laboratory activities, and community-based learning.

What Are We Teaching Abroad? Faculty Goals for Short-Term Study Abroad Courses

Based on survey data from over 400 faculty members who taught short-term study abroad courses, the purpose of this study was to identify the types of goals that faculty members have in teaching short-term study abroad courses and the relationship between faculty background characteristics (i.e., race, gender, discipline, and prior experience) and their teaching goals. By further understanding the goals that these faculty members have for their study abroad programs, we are better able to assess how these programs may or may not be meeting overall internationalization goals and then to use this information to assist faculty members and higher education administrators in finding ways to further align study abroad goals with the broader goals of international education.

Does Content Matter? Analyzing the Change in Global Awareness Between Business- and Nonbusiness-Focused Short-Term Study Abroad Courses

Business schools have long sought to increase students’ global awareness. Short-term study abroad (STSA) experiences are becoming increasingly popular ways of generating awareness. While a handful of studies have found evidence of efficacy, none have specifically tested how courses with business content differ from other STSAs. Using a longitudinal data set, we find that all courses, regardless of content, increase students’ general awareness, awareness of global interdependence, and language exposure. However, for students with lower levels of global awareness to start with, business programs appear to be more effective in imparting awareness of global interdependence than nonbusiness programs.

Assessing Global Awareness over Short-Term Study Abroad Sequence: A Factor Analysis

Over the past 10 years, U.S. undergraduate participation in study abroad has increased dramatically. The majority of these study abroad experiences have durations of less than eight weeks. Due to the rapid growth in both of these areas, there has been increased interest in assessing student outcomes associated with short-term study abroad (STSA) programs. This paper investigates the impact of an STSA experience on undergraduate students' levels of global awareness over the entire STSA sequence: pre-preparatory course, post-preparatory course, and post-STSA program. We adopt and extend the measures constructed in Chieffo and Griffiths (2004),by implementing a longitudinal study across 23 separate STSA courses. Findings indicate that students’ global awareness does not change significantly after the preparatory course, but that students' levels of global awareness experience statistically significant increases along several dimensions after completing the STSA program. We also find that students who have completed a previous study abroad experience still benefit from an additional STSA course.

A Cultural Scavenger Hunt: Tools of Engagement

The authors describe the use of a cultural scavenger hunt to engage visiting students in cultural conversations within a short-term study-abroad course in the Caribbean. Students from a host university developed questions designed to engage visiting students in dialog with local residents and encouraged the students to return with artifacts and answers to questions. The authors outline how they developed the scavenger hunt, the activities it required of the students, and possible variations for use in other settings. Students reported that the scavenger hunt helped them develop an appreciation for cultural diversity.

Short-term Study Abroad Courses in International Health: Lessons from the Field

Short-term Study Abroad Courses in International Health: Lessons from the Field

Disrupting Liberal Discourse in a Neoliberal World: The Potential of Transformative Education During a Short Term Study Abroad Course in Cuba

Can transformative learning experiences be achieved in short term study abroad programs given the hold that liberal and neoliberal ideologies have on student thinking? Basing ourselves on Hall's and Foucault's analyses of liberalism and neoliberalism respectively and Mezirow's work on transformative learning, we examine, and learn from, the experiences of two groups of Canadian students who visited Cuba within the framework of a supposedly transformative program.