Faculty-Led Study-Abroad Programs
A Faculty-Led Study-Abroad program is created and administered locally, on the UMass Dartmouth campus. One or more faculty members, working with their departments and colleges, will have made a proposal for a study-abroad program that is led by them or other UMass Dartmouth faculty. While the typical program involves students receiving academic credit for coursework, non-credit programs are possible so long as they have a clear and structured educational purpose (are demonstrably more than “tourism”). When credit is offered, it is by offering UMass Dartmouth courses, which can be existing regular courses; independent-study, directed-study, or variable-topics courses; or newly created and approved courses.
Some faculty-led study abroad programs involve offering only one course, and could be called a Course Offered Abroad. Others are composed of multiple courses and could potentially comprise a full-time semester course-load. Sometimes only a portion of a course occurs abroad; such an embedded program can be a required component in a larger course or an optional non-credit or credit-carrying offering. Others may be based in research either as credit or non-credit activities. Other models also exist.
The significance of this definition is to distinguish a faculty-led program from other programmatic possibilities. For example, programs that are coordinated under terms of an Exchange Agreement are different (IPO has a separate Exchange & Partnership Agreement Guidelines document on these programs). Also different are opportunities that students receive from non-UMass-Dartmouth program providers.
Staff-Led programs are analogous, but involve UMass Dartmouth staff working with their departmental or programmatic unit. Staff-Led programs would not involve academic credit, but they are like Faculty-Led programs in registering with the IPO and in having a clear educational purpose, being approved by the appropriate administrative area, being evaluated, having safety features, and so forth. To propose a non-credit program, see the "Faculty Resources" tab.
Guidelines for Faculty-Led Programs
See Guidelines for Faculty-led Programs for a step-by-step process for development of programs abroad. The International Programs Office will assist from the brainstorming of the draft program proposal and throughout the program delivery. See the Program Budget Worksheet for estimating program costs when the course is offered in Winter or Summer. For programs abroad that are embedded in a semester course, see the Embedded Faculty-led Budget Worksheet. The Credit Course Abroad Proposal template can be downloaded here. The draft should be sent to the IPO Director for review and discussion. Once signed off by IPO, the course proposal is submitted to the Dean for final approval.
- For the most successful program development and recruitment of students, most programs require a 12-15 month lead time
- The endorsement and support of the faculty-member's department and College are essential
- Courses provided follow standard departmental approval procedures
- To ensure reasonable safety levels and cost efficiency, the accountability of logistical providers must be ensured and advance commitments secured
- The budget must reflect line-item cost estimates and include back-up student oversight and contingency funds
