Learning Goals
As evidenced in recent research on learning abroad[1], students learn differently when taught the same subject matter on campus as compared to in a study abroad situation. How will this course overseas be different from the same course taught in East Lansing? It also reflects MSU’s Liberal Learning and Global Competency Goals by contextualizing them within study abroad. This is a work in progress and is intended to expand and change as our thinking about student learning on study abroad evolves. Please add your perspective to it. (This information is based on the learning goals for all MSU study abroad programs developed with the deans’ designees in 1998 and revised in 2003 and 2008.)
Academic development and intellectual growth
Study abroad can…
- provide a new perspective on the major through exposure to coursework based in different cultural frames of reference and/or taught by local instructors
- expose students to academic content not available on the home campus
- contextualize learning by linking it to local realities (including community engagement and service learning) and related global dimensions
- provide guided reflection on different ways of knowing
- provide structured opportunities for comparative analysis, critical and creative thinking, and problem-solving
- enhance students’ country-, region-, and culture-specific learning through pre-departure, on-site, and post-program interventions focused on geography, history, politics, literature, etc.
- motivate students to begin or continue learning a foreign language by exposing them to structured situations, inside and outside of the classroom, which will significantly facilitate the development of language skills in the context of culture
- engage students in research projects with local students and faculty
- provide opportunities for students to give presentations about their study abroad projects/experiences on the home campus and/or at meetings of professional associations
- stimulate students’ sense of curiosity through engagement with the local culture
Personal growth
Students can develop personally by…
- forming meaningful relationships and friendships with local people through home stays, local clubs, volunteer opportunities, etc.
- reevaluating their values, vocation, and personal ethics, facilitated by reflective journaling assignments and structured reflection sessions
- expanding their comfort zone in a context of balanced challenge and support so as to enhance their ability to (inter)act in unfamiliar situations
- experiencing a sense of self-efficacy by mastering and reflecting on difficult situations
- reflecting on issues of personal identity and interdependence in a global context
- developing a sense of social responsibility through engagement with local communities
Professional development
Study abroad programs can…
- provide opportunities to students for meeting professionals in their chosen field of study so they may learn how to relate professionally with culturally different others (in labs, businesses, professional organizations)
- integrate internships, service learning, community engagement and other opportunities for experiencing local work life
- offer pre-departure and post-program frameworks designed to help students make connections between learning on study abroad and their career paths
- provide opportunities on site and post-program for students to reflect on skills learned and knowledge gained
- provide a structures for exploring future professional direction
Skills for engaging with culturally different others
While skills such as abilities to deal with ambiguity, be flexible, and take the perspective of a culturally different person, cut across the other three categories of student learning, they also warrant separate treatment as central to study abroad learning.
Study abroad programs can facilitate intercultural learning by…
- enhancing students’ self-awareness and understanding of their own culture by providing opportunities to compare and contrast host country customs, values, and traditions with their own
- allowing time for structured and unstructured encounters with local people and customs in a variety of contexts
- providing opportunities for exposure to, interaction with, and reflection on the everyday aspects of the host culture through taking classes a the local university, engaging in recreational activities with local students, home stays, service learning opportunities, individual projects, participation in local customs/celebrations, etc.
- encouraging students to experience the world through the eyes of the other culture by exposing them to the literature and arts of the local culture
- preparing students for the intercultural experience through pre-departure orientation, readings, and other media
- helping students realize and articulate their intercultural learning and identity development through post-program reflection
- requiring attendance at regularly scheduled on-site reflection sessions during which critical encounters with the host culture are analyzed
- helping students make connections between the host country’s culture, society, history, politics, and arts
On-campus internationalization of MSU
Our students’ international learning experiences add value to the on campus experience by...
- infusing the classroom with the various cultural perspectives to better prepare students for study abroad and be more receptive to global or comparative perspectives of returned study abroad students
- building on faculty’s regional expertise and connections to identify suitable locations and partner institutions, linking study abroad to faculty scholarship and research, and expanding existing institutional links and networks that contribute to the department’s research agenda
- including student research on study abroad programs
- linking faculty and student expertise gained through study abroad with strategic initiatives at the departmental, college, and university levels , thus making study abroad programming sustainable
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