Faculty-Led Study Abroad Handbook Overview of UNF Faculty-Led Study aboard process

Each faculty-led course is designed and taught by a UNF faculty member (the faculty leader) during a given semester and includes several course meetings throughout the semester. The course typically culminates in a seven- to fourteen-day experience abroad during a University break (Spring, May, August, December). Some faculty-led programs taking place over the summer can include up to six weeks abroad. It all depends on the makeup of the course.

Course meetings prior to travel include - but are not limited to - the following topics:

• detailed information about an academic topic related to a specific country or region of the world,
• the culture of the destination country, 
• and travel preparation. 

The international portion of the course usually includes all or a combination of the following activities: 

• planned business or academic visits, 
• interaction with local students, 
• cultural excursions, 
• service-learning activities, 
• and a small amount of free time. 

The faculty leader is the primary instructor for the course and responsible for all course content, travel and visit arrangements, and grading. Some colleges require that all courses have a faculty second or co-leader who attends all course meetings, participates in the travel portion of the course, and assists the faculty leader as needed. 

UNF constituents who provide support for faculty-led programs include department office managers, International Center staff, and Global Engagement faculty and staff.

To lead a faculty-led study abroad course, a faculty member must check on their department's or college's requirements.  For example, in the Coggin College of Business, faculty leaders must meet the following qualifications:

• Hold full-time faculty status
• Have past experience as a faculty co-leader on a study abroad course (preferable), and/or prior international travel experience. 

The faculty co-leader or "second" is expected to attend all course meetings, participate in all course activities, and travel with the class, so it is critical to find the right fit.  When proposing a study abroad, the faculty leader should work with their dean/department chair and/or Global Engagement to select a co-leader strategically.  Items to consider include the following: 

YEAR 0 (optional)

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

If your college has a selection process for faculty-led programs, this is the time to begin.  For example, the following process applies to the Coggin College of Business:

• Once the faculty member and the International Business (IB) director have started the conversation, the faculty member should complete the Coggin Faculty-Led Study Abroad Preliminary Proposal Form as the first step in formally expressing interest in leading a program. Since this is a preliminary proposal, program details need not be fully developed. However, the faculty member should have a tentative program idea in mind when submitting this form. It is important to note that changes and adjustments to the proposed course may take place after this phase of the process.
• Once all Preliminary Proposals are received, the IB director will meet with the IB faculty advisory committee and rank the proposals in order of viability. Only those faculty members not leading or co-leading a study abroad program can participate in the ranking of the study abroad programs. The ranking is based on several factors, including student cost, student demand, desirability of location, an overall slate of programs balanced across disciplines, etc. Afterwards, the IB director will communicate the ranking to the dean’s office, and the dean will decide how many programs may be funded as overloads for the upcoming year.

Each faculty-led program has its own budget, and the faculty leader is responsible for keeping the budget on track. For budget assistance and timelines, faculty should contact the UNF International Center.  Topics to cover with the International Center staff include the following:

• Budget timeline
• Budget execution
• Travel requests and expense reports
• Methods of payment
• Budget format
• Contingency
• Break-even number of students
• Exceeding approved budget

Leading a faculty-led study abroad course involves a significant amount of faculty responsibility and a significant amount of University support. This section will provide more detail of the expectations of the faculty leader and Global Engagement in regards to different aspects of the program.

Faculty Leader Responsibilities

• Representation: As a study abroad course faculty leader, the faculty member is a representative of UNF, their college, and Global Engagement. Therefore, faculty leaders are expected to behave in a professional manner and exhibit exemplary conduct throughout the study abroad course, both in country and abroad.
• Budgeting: The faculty leader is responsible for acquiring cost estimates through research, working with a travel agent, contacts overseas, etc. With that information, the faculty member and the International Center will develop a budget for the entire travel portion of the course.  The faculty leader and International Center will set the per-student program cost.
• Marketing: Since the faculty leader designs the course, the faculty knows the most about the academics and planned activities. Therefore faculty leaders are the most important marketing tools for a course. When planning to market a study abroad course, it is important to think about how the course content will complement what students learn in the classroom and contribute to their future careers or advanced study. Students considering studying abroad, perhaps for the first time, will likely have lots of questions. faculty leaders should be available to meet with interested students to address these questions.  Consider the following marketing strategies which have been successful in the past:
  • Meet with the Global Engagement short-term study abroad advisor: As the primary student contact for faculty-led study abroad courses, this person must understand the details of the course in order to promote it to students
  • Share information with your college's academic advisors
  • Attend the UNF Programs Study Abroad Fair: Promote the program, invite students, and ask other colleagues to send their students to the fair. 
  • Inform colleagues: Make sure other faculty are aware of the course by announcing in departmental meetings, sending the course information via email, and speaking to colleagues individually so they can help notify students about the study abroad opportunity.
  • Conduct Class Presentations: Talk about the upcoming study abroad course in the courses you are teaching. Consider contacting other faculty members about doing presentations in sections of the study abroad prerequisite course and/or other targeted classes. In order to be the most effective, class presentations should be conducted within the first three weeks of the semester. 

Global Engagement Responsibilities (Marketing)

• Build and maintain the website for all short-term study abroad programs, if desired 
• Conduct general class presentations at the start of each semester promoting study abroad opportunities generally.
• Prepare and distribute general, non-program specific flyers about short-term study abroad programs.
• Promote study abroad offerings via Global Engagement social media accounts
• Discuss programs with students in face-to-face (or Zoom) interaction. 
• Actively promote all short-term programs at the UNF Programs Study Abroad Fair, Week of Welcome events, information sessions, other campus promotional/marketing events, and in 1:1 interactions with students.

All courses and Faculty Leaders should be aware of the following requirements, best practices, and policies: 

Syllabus

The syllabus must meet all the standard University syllabus requirements. In addition, there are several required syllabus items for study abroad courses. The International Center and/or Global Engagement will provide these to faculty leaders. If the course is a lower-level course (2000-level), the course syllabus should also meet the general education requirements.

Pre-Departure Course Meetings

Faculty leaders need to notify their respective office managers the days and times of their pre-departure meetings, so they can be included in the course schedule for the department. In general, at least 12 hours of pre-departure content presented by the faculty leader and/or guest lecturer for a three-credit-hour course is expected. Topics could include the following:

• Business/educational visits
• Guests – exchange students, faculty, etc. from or very familiar with destinations
• Health & immunization considerations
• Language, culture, economy 
• Safety & security
• Travel logistics (packing, airport plans, travel times, etc.)

Meetings while Abroad

A minimum of eight group visits is expected per three-credit-hour course: at least four discipline-focused visits and four cultural visits.

Post-Travel Course Meeting

At least one three-hour meeting to facilitate reflection is expected per three-credit-hour course.

Student Evaluation

Student evaluation should be built into all phases of the course and include the following:

• Participation, attendance, and conduct (especially while abroad)
• Deliverables in all 3 of the following phases:
  • Pre-Departure: e.g., papers or presentations related to a course topic
  • While Abroad: e.g., travel/reflection journal
  • Post-travel: e.g., papers, presentations, or reflections related to the course

Interviews

If the faculty-led course is a lower-level (2000-level) course, the faculty leader is strongly encouraged to complete face-to-face interviews with applicants. For upper-level or graduate classes, the decision to require an interview is at the discretion of the faculty member. However, Global Engagement strongly encourages all faculty leaders to require an interview as part of the student application process. Interviews should be finalized within one week of the student submitting an application.

Additional UNF Study Abroad Policies