Faculty-Directed Program Proposal

Faculty are invited to submit proposals online for 2024 intersession, spring break, the 10-day period at the end of the spring term in May, or summer study abroad programs by March 20, 2023, following the revised process:

• Review the UND Faculty-Directed Guidelines and Policies and the information needed to submit the proposal form. These resources will assist you in considering the design of a strong academic and interculturally-engaging course, and incorporate the study abroad setting and experience.
• Submit a completed proposal through the online Faculty-Directed Study Abroad Proposal by the March 20th deadline.

 

Timeline with faculty, Study Abroad, and Provider Responsibilities

1. Leadership Teams. All faculty-directed programs require a director (faculty member serving as the instructor of record) and a co-director (faculty member, advisor, staff member, or graduate student). Exceptions may be made in the case of an on-site organization with appropriate student service support.
2. Experience in the proposed location. On-site experience is preferred, but not required, for directors and co-directors.
3. Program Approval and Deadlines. All faculty-directed program proposals must be reviewed and approved by the sponsoring department chair and college dean, and submitted to Study Abroad by the published deadlines. Criteria for selection includes:
   1. Programs with courses that fulfill major or minor degree requirements or fulfill an Essential Studies requirement.
   2. Program location has clear justification for relevance to course content (e.g. industry leader in location, professional connections, relevant academic and cultural site visits).
   3. Programs with a wide target audience for viable enrollment (minimum 12 student participants).
4. Faculty Directors are responsible for the following:
   1. Academic Content of the Program including the syllabus, book orders and printing, course materials, any classroom-based content, and lectures.
   2. Oversight of Students: Provide oversight, support and direct students in the academic and intercultural goals of the program both in the United States and on the program abroad. While on the program, faculty directors are responsible for the oversight of participating students. This includes serving as a Campus Security Authority (CSA) and determining dismissal of students from the program.
   3. Marketing and Recruitment: Study Abroad programs require a minimum of 12 approved students. Faculty/departments should expect to promote their program to students and peers, to visit classes and request and distribute print and e-publications from providers as needed. Study Abroad publishes program descriptions on its website and carries out general marketing for the term’s study abroad opportunities.
   4. Assessment: Study Abroad provides an assessment of student learning related to Study Abroad learning outcomes. Faculty and co-directors are required to conduct and collect student assessment related to Study Abroad student learning outcomes. Faculty can engage an additional assessment for their department if so desired. All students must complete a pre- and post-assessment of the program.
5. Compensation. Faculty Director’s compensation is approved by their department chair and dean and includes pre-approved academic and program-required travel expenses. The faculty director’s department is responsible for arranging for the payment of salary, including initiating compensation for on-site adjunct faculty and any workload (pg. 2) paperwork. All co-director stipends will be arranged by the coordinating department and will be disbursed on a timeline in agreement with the faculty directors.
6. Cancellation. The University of North Dakota reserves the right to discontinue short-term programs at any time before or after departure, at its sole discretion. Among the reasons for discontinuation and cancellation of programs is insufficient enrollment or a travel advisory is issued by the U.S. Department of State. Refer to the Study Abroad Risk Management Plan for cancellation information by contacting the Study Abroad office.
7. Withdrawal. It is expected that program directors will not withdraw except in an emergency. If it is impossible to serve, the dean, department chair and Study Abroad must be notified immediately. Depending on the withdrawal date, the program may be cancelled, or the department chair can identify an appropriate replacement program director with the approval of Study Abroad.
8. Travel & Logistics. All UND-sponsored programs must be supported by an approved travel service provider and all travel activity must be in compliance with UND’s Procurement and Payment Services guidelines.
9. Flight Information:
   1. For Spring Break programs, flights will be included in student program fee, coordinated by an approved travel service provider.
   2. For intersession, May, and Summer programs, students are responsible to purchase their own flights. Students must arrive at the initial group meeting on-site. The designation and communication of the date, time and location of the initial group meeting is the responsibility of the program directors and provider. This benefits the students as they have the flexibility to stay in-country longer before or after the program dates. Faculty and co-director flights are included in the program budget with arrangements made by an approved travel service provider. Group flights can be arranged for May programs if needed.
   3. Students who would like different flight itineraries or are online/distance students and not on-campus can be charged an adjusted program fee that does not include flight. It is then their responsibility to coordinate their flight to arrive by the initial group meeting on-site.
10. Collaboration with the Study Abroad staff. Working in collaboration with the Study Abroad staff will ensure delivery of the highest quality program. Because there are individual as well as shared responsibilities, faculty directors should communicate and meet regularly with Study Abroad.
11. Student Orientations. Because these programs are intense group experiences, whose success depends on good group dynamics and clear expectations, faculty directors are required to schedule at least one pre-departure orientation session, in collaboration with Study Abroad, with student participants.
    1. Additional pre-departure meetings and correspondence are highly encouraged.
    2. Programs should have an on-site orientation, conducted during the first two days after arrival, and faculty directors should plan frequent times during the experience for students to process and reflect on their intercultural experience.
    3. Faculty are highly encouraged to provide students with a return meeting to reflect on their experience after the study abroad experience.
12. Faculty Director Preparation Sessions: Faculty and co-directors must attend a Risk Management training session as facilitated by Study Abroad, and are encouraged to attend sessions as available to assist in course preparation and program management.
13. Participation in Course: Only participants who are fully enrolled in the course will be able to participate in the on-site experience. Individuals 18 years of age or older who are not currently affiliated with UND may apply as a non-degree seeking student to UND and enroll in the course in order to participate. Those individuals will be responsible for any tuition for the credits associated with the program as well as program fee. No auditing is allowed and full participation in the coursework and on-site experiential learning is expected.
14. Accompanying Minors. Accompanying minors, such as children, should be carefully considered. The director and co-directors' primary supervision is for the enrolled UND students. An additional adult, not a program co-director, who is fully responsible for childcare must accompany any children under 18 years old. The travel expenses for the minor and accompanying adult, including insurance, will not be included in the UND study abroad budget and all expenses must be paid separately. This accompanying adult will not need to enroll in the course.
15. Travel Advisories from the U.S. Department of State. UND will allow travel to countries with a Level 1 or 2 advisory. Travel to countries with Level 3 or Level 4 advisories will be allowed if the only reason for the level is COVID-19. If the country has Level 3 or Level 4 for any other reason travel will not be supported.

• When creating a proposal, consider the following:
  • What is the academic content of the course and how does it relate to the chosen country or locations?
  • How will students' academic performance be assessed?
  • What academic qualifications do you and your co-director have in relation to course topic, international experience, language skills relevant to the chosen site, and experience teaching undergraduates and leading groups?
  • What will the program itinerary look like (all possible program excursions and site/cultural visits)?
  • What students are in your target audience? Will that population of students have sufficient interest in participating on the program (minimum of 12 students)?
  • How will you promote your program for its intended target audience?
• Students seek study abroad options that meet degree requirements for Essential Studies or major or minor.
• Successful courses usually provide frequent opportunities for student groups to process and reflect, in an informal or formal setting, their observations and reactions to the cultures they are experiencing.
• The number of sites proposed to visit, the geographical proximity to each other and the time spent traveling between them should be carefully considered. More focus should be given to full experiences at each site rather than ‘seeing everything,’ and will be more affordable for UND students.
• There should be a thoughtful attempt to balance course lectures, site visits, and unstructured course time. Think about jet lag and long bus trips, both of which can add to fatigue.
• Since these programs can be exhausting for both faculty and students, consider different models of site visits; for example, scheduling three company visits or museums in one day may produce exhausted students by the afternoon.
• Consider how the course enrollment can impact group dynamics, travel and cost. While the minimum number of student is 12, 14-16 students is ideal for group dynamics and travel.

In determining the number of credits to assign to your course, bear in mind that faculty-directed program courses have the same academic rigor as on-campus classes. A good rule of thumb is that a week-long program is only worth 1-credit, so for example, a spring break program can be 3-credits, but only 1-credit worth of in-class contact hours can be counted abroad. The rest of the contact hours must be obtained on-campus during course meetings.

Each credit requires the equivalent of 750 minutes (12.5 hours) of direct faculty instruction, with at least 1500 minutes (25 hours) of additional work by students. The following should be utilized to determine how to count the contact hours earned abroad:

• Each hour of a guided experience that directly contributes to the learning goals of the course is equivalent to an hour of a traditional classroom lecture.
• Experiences that are not guided, but that contribute to the learning goals of the course may be counted towards the out-of-class work.

Another consideration for the amount of credits to award is how the credit amount will progress the students towards their degree. A 1-credit course is less useful for students if they could take a 3-credit one that can fulfill an academic requirement. If you are considering a summer course, then please keep in mind that students who rely on financial aid and/or private loans to fund the program will be required to enroll for 6-credits. This means that a 1-credit or 2-credit program is much less desirable to students when it is held during the summer.

Spring Break

Course Credit Options

• 3-credit Spring, A maximum of 1-credit can be obtained during the time abroad (total of 12.5 contact hours and 25 out-of-class hours), with at least 2-credits worth of contact hours being done during spring semester (total of 25 contact hours and 50 out-of-class hours). It is recommended to meet once a week for 2 hours each all throughout spring semester.
• Regular 3-credit Spring course with a 1-credit Spring Break abroad co-requisite to enhance a course that already exists. If your department already has a course in existence that could be enhanced by the addition of an experience abroad, then this would be a viable option. Not all students who are enrolled in the 3-credit spring course would be required to go abroad, but all students in the spring break course would be required to enroll in the spring course. There would be separate course meetings for the 1-credit abroad course to help the students prepare for departure.

Locations

Some destinations would be perfect for this 8 day program, however others would not be so great. Here are some considerations to think of when planning during this timeframe:

• Weather
• Length of flight (is the destination too far to fly during such a small timeframe or the cost too high for the little amount of time in country)

May Term

Time abroad would take place for a 10-day period at the end of the spring semester. Departure dates are typically the day after UND Commencement. Travel would be connected to a spring semester course and grades will be due on the last date of the program.

Course Credit Options

• 3-credit Spring, A maximum of 1-credit can be obtained during the time abroad (total of 12.5 contact hours and 25 out-of-class hours), with at least 2-credits worth of contact hours being done during spring semester (total of 25 contact hours and 50 out-of-class hours). It is recommended to meet once a week for 2 hours each all throughout spring semester.
• Regular 3-credit Spring course with a 1-credit May-term abroad co-requisite to enhance a course that already exists. If your department already has a course in existence that could be enhanced by the addition of an experience abroad, then this would be a viable option. Not all students who are enrolled in the 3-credit spring course would be required to go abroad, but all students in the spring break course would be required to enroll in the spring course. There would be separate course meetings for the 1-credit abroad course to help the students prepare for departure.

Locations

Most destinations would fit well during May-term, but here are some considerations:

• Cost related to high tourist season
• Weather
• Length of flight (is the destination too far to fly during such a small timeframe or the cost too high for the little amount of time in country)
• Travel flexibility is available for students who would like to continue their own independent travels at the end of the program.

Summer

Time abroad should take place during the regularly scheduled summer term. 

Course Credit Options

• 6-credit Summer, the contact hours can be obtained a variety of ways, but most likely this would be more of a stationary program with the majority of contact hours taking place during classes on-site. Directors could partner with another department to split the teaching load abroad or locations. Lots of variety within this option, including online coursework before/after the on-site experience.
• 3-credit Summer, very similar to above, however many students would also have to register for another summer course to use financial aid/loans. Timing of program should allow for that option.

Locations

Most destinations would fit well during the summer, but here are some considerations:

• Holidays (for example, many countries in Europe is on vacation during portions of this period)
• Cost related to high tourist season
• Weather
• Travel flexibility is available for students who would like to continue their own independent travels at the end of the program.

Participate in Director and Co-Director training session provided by Study Abroad staff, in collaboration with UND content experts.

• Sychronous Training Workshop topics will include:
  • Pre-Proposal: Program design
  • Post-Proposal: Risk management
• Recorded sessions will include the following topics:
  • Role of Director and Co-Director
  • Staying Healthy & Safe
  • Students Abroad
  • Finances & Budget
  • Teaching Abroad Success

Study Abroad will sign up Directors and Co-Directors to take the following Safe Colleges Trainings:

• CSA (Clery) Training
• Responsible Employee Training

• Review the UND process for Essential Studies course approval.
• Review UND High Impact Practice (HIPs) rubrics through TTaDA and current HIPs courses by college.
• For additional information, please refer to the Forum on Education Abroad's Leading Short-Term Education Abroad Programs website, which includes the Short-Term Program Standards.
• UND is a member of the Forum on Education Abroad, so if you are interested in accessing the Forum's Curriculum Toolbox please email at UND.studyabroad@UND.edu. 
• Study Abroad staff are members of NAFSA and have a copy of the Guide to Successful Short-Term Programs Abroad, 3rd Ed. Email UND.studyabroad@UND.edu if you are interested in reviewing this book.
• True North Intercultural: Resources for intercultural learning
• NACE Career Readiness