By Christine, Connie, Nina & Ruoyang

STUDY ABROAD

TRAINING

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE

“Study Abroad helps students participate in study abroad programs with high academic standards”

Staff

-Director: Adriane van Gils

-Assistant Director: Constance Whitehead Hanks

-Graduate Assistant

-Intern

-3 undergraduate workstudy students

Students & Programs

-Studying Abroad Annually: approx. 200

-Clark-Affiliated Study Abroad Programs: over 50

-Number of Countries Represented: 38

TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

• Clark has reorganized its Academic Services to support Clark’s new model of Liberal Education and Effective Practices (LEEP).

• Beginning this Fall, Study Abroad, Career Services, the Writing Center, Academic Advising, the Community Engagement Center & Innovation and Entrepreneurship will be combined into one LEEP Center.

• In this center, all employees of these programs will provide basic information to students in all areas of Academic Support.

• Because all LEEP advisors will need to be able to help with all LEEP programs, there is a need to inform other offices' employees about the basics of Study Abroad.

EXISTING TRAINING PROGRAMS

•Study Abroad has existing trainings for other situations including a pre-departure training that all students going abroad must attend.

•In the past, as new work study, graduate assistants or other new employees start working at Study Abroad they were individually trained.

•Now there will be at least ten people who need to be trained simultaneously one official training will be more efficent and effective.

•Because of the unique situation of the new LEEP Center, there is no existing training for this situation.

TRAINING GOALS

• To familiarize other LEEP Center employees with Study Abroad:o What is Study Abroad: what do we do/not do?o What are requirements?o Where can LEEP advisors access information about

Study Abroad?

• To teach LEEP advisors Study Abroad Guidelines so that they can effectively communicate them to students

• To know when to refer students to a Study Abroad advisor for assistance

TRAINING BENEFITS

• This training will allow students to talk to any LEEP Center employee about Study Abroad and receive accurate basic information.

• Employees will feel knowledgeable and able to help students in a new area.

• Students and employees will transition more seamlessly into the new LEEP model.

WORKSHOP DESIGN

• Welcome and statement of purpose (5 min)

• Introductions (5 min)

• Test (5 min)

• Self-correction (10 min)o Trainers will provide correct answers with explanations

• Summary (3 min)

• Coffee Break and questions - optional (2 min)

WORKSHOP DESIGN CONT'D.

• What is the study abroad application process? (20 min)o Refer people to where inquiry packets and interview

sheets are located in the LEEP centero Where are our study abroad programs? o What are different types of programs?

• Hand out and Review inquiry packet (6 min)o Conclude Training

• Questions (4 min)

TRUE/FALSE TEST SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Students need a 3.3 GPA to study abroad on a Clark-Affiliated program.

TRUE AND FALSE

Clark requires that students have a 3.0 GPA to study abroad. This includes first year grades. Students with lower GPAs may have other options for studying abroad and should speak to a Study Abroad Adviser.

Clark-affiliated programs have their own requirements; some require a higher than a 3.0 GPA and/or have GPA requirements in certain areas of study. Speak to a Study Abroad Adviser for details.

I become ineligible for the 5th year free/masters program if I decide to study abroad.

FALSE

If you study abroad on a Clark-affiliated program, you are still eligible to apply for the tuition-free accelerated BA Master’s Degree Program.

If you study on a non-Clark affiliated program you must take a Foreign Leave of Absence. You may still apply for the Accelerated BA Master’s Degree Program. Your tuition costs will not be free, but they will be pro-rated.

SPECIAL NOTE: Those planning to study abroad during the Spring of their Junior year must fill out PART ONE of their 5th year application before leaving campus.

TRUE/FALSE TESTSAMPLE QUESTIONS

The grades I earn abroad on Clark-Affiliated programs are factored into my GPA and show up on my transcript.

TRUE

For Clark-Affiliated programs, grades received abroad are factored into your overall GPA and appear on your Clark transcript.

For non-Clark affiliated programs, letter grades do not show on your transcript and are not factored into your GPA. Students receive credit(CR) or No-credit(NC). To receive credit students must earn a C or above.

Studying abroad costs the same as being at Clark.

FALSE

Studying abroad is generally more expensive than being at Clark. There are several extra costs associated with studying abroad that the student is responsible to pay. These include airfare, visa or residency permit, immunizations, and a variety of other possible expenses depending upon a person’s spending habits. Exchange rates vary daily. It is important to know what the exchange rate is and what that means.

REVIEW & EVALUATION PROCESSADVISOR LEARNING

• A key part of the evaluation process will be the self-correction and review of the true-false test, and answer sheet will also be handed out

• One month later there will be another hour-long meeting to review the key information about Study Abroad.

• We will role-play several likely scenarios of student questions and concerns.

• We will also re-administer the true/false test to measure learning outcomes.

• See if there are any areas of difficulty that have arose in LEEP advisors advising about Study Abroad.

EVALUATION PROCESS OUR TRAINING

• We will send LEEP staff a follow-up e-mail two days after the second training (while the training is still fresh in their minds) saying:

o We hope this training was helpful.o Do you have any follow up questions?o Do you feel that any additional training is necessary?

RESOURCES

• Study Abroad Inquiry Packet (Soon to be available online as well as in print form)

• Study Abroad Map of where students are studying (visual aid)

• Test

• Interview Sheet

• Examples of study abroad packets on individual programs