Short-term, faculty-led education abroad programs are the fastest-growing and most popular type of program among U.S. study abroad participants.
UNC Charlotte’s Office of International Programs has built a national reputation in supporting faculty-led study abroad programs and will host approximately 50 study abroad advisors and administrators from across the nation for a special workshop. The U.S. Department of State’s Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad (also known as the IDEAS Program, Increase and Diversity Education Abroad for U.S. Students) provided support for this workshop.
“The Office of International Programs has gained considerable experience and expertise in key areas such as risk mitigation, risk management, student and faculty program pre-departure preparation as well as legal considerations in program planning and execution that are fundamental to quality short-term, faculty-led program administration,” said Brad Sekulich, director of the Office of Education Abroad in the International Programs Office.
UNC Charlotte student interest in short-term, faculty-led education abroad programs reflects the national trend; the University’s Office of Education Abroad now develops 233 percent more of these types of programs than it did over a decade ago.
“These programs provide more accessible and inclusive international opportunities to a larger variety of students due to their shorter duration and lower aggregate cost than more traditional academic semester and year-long study abroad programs,” Sekulich stated.
He added, developing these programs that are meaningful, cost-effective, safe and academically relevant for students requires input and collaboration from numerous campus constituencies.
“The Jan. 30 workshop we are hosting will highlight multiple units and resources across campuses, both public and private, within the field of international higher education with which education abroad professionals can cooperatively develop academically sound programs that meet the standards of best practices in the field of international higher education,” said Sekulich.