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It starts with your course: Imagine the course you've always wanted to teach - now imagine how you would teach the course if it were set in a foreign location. Dream, research, and find connections between your course content and locations that interest you. Let your academic knowledge guide your program development.

• Join an established ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ program - London Spring Break, Semester in Regensburg (fall), and the International Teaching Experience in Belize are just a few of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½'s signature program offerings. These programs are led by a Program Director who works with the Education Abroad Office to make logistical arrangements while you get to focus on your course.

• Teach with KIIS or CCSA - Propose a course for a pre-existing program with or . They'll choose the dates and handle all of the logistics while you get to focus on your course and your students. 

• Create your own program - You choose the course(s) and the program location while the Education Abroad Office and a trusted third-party study abroad provider arrange all of the program logistics (flights, accommodations, excursion planning, etc.). Multiple faculty with similar educational and cultural goals can propose to teach on the same program.

Still trying to figure out what all of this means? Keep reading or contact the Director of Education Abroad to talk through all of your options.

Your Course: Ultimately, the overarching question to consider is why you want to offer this course in this location. Students need to be able to make a connection between the particular academic field of study and the international experience they will receive on your program. Your proposal should illustrate how you plan to marry the educational content with the cultural experiences presented while being abroad.

Avoid simply proposing a course offered at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and transporting it to a new location with the intention of teaching it in exactly the same way. Allow the foreign location to transform your course content and structure. Look for ways that museums, cultural experiences, field work, lectures, and other experiential activities can fill out or enhance your course objectives and content.

• Infuse international content into a current course - this might mean proposing an International Mass Communications course (with a focus on Britain) for a summer London program. This course could be a requirement for many of the majors in your departmental area, thus giving you a larger recruitment pool to work with.

• Create a new course - use a Special Topics designation and offer the course as an Upper Level elective.

• University Studies curriculum - courses that count towards University Studies requirements are great to have on a study abroad program. Consider developing a course in either the Foundations Category (Oral Communication, Written Communication, Scientific Inquiry & Methodologies, or Quantitative Reasoning) or the Human Experience Category (Literary & Philosophical Perspectives, Historical Perspectives, Creative Perspectives, Social & Behavioral Perspectives, or Culture, Diverse Perspectives, & Responsible Citizenship).

• Courses required in the major, minor, or by the Honors College - the most successful programs are those offering content directly related to a student's major/minor or that offer content that fulfills the study abroad requirement for the Honors College.

Please note: your course content should fall within your academic area and focus. 

Current ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Program Lengths: 

• Fall: 9 weeks (2nd-half semester - Fall)

• Winter Break: 10 days to 2 weeks

• Spring Break: 9 days to 2 weeks

• Summer: 10 days to 2 weeks (2nd-half semester - Spring)

• Summer: 1 week to 6 weeks

Program Dates:

• Fall: the Semester in Regensburg (Germany) program is offered every Fall semester. Faculty teach two courses on-location as 2nd-half Fall semester courses. The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ faculty portion of the program runs October through December.

• Winter Break: programs start as 2nd-half Fall semester courses followed by an international program component, which departs in December or January.

• Spring Break: the London Spring Break program includes a full Spring semester course. The international program component occurs during the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Spring Break holiday. Many faculty enjoy teaching on Spring Break programs as it allows for both pre- and post-departure classroom activities.

• Summer: most ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Summer programs start as 2nd-half Spring semester courses, giving students the ability to include these hours in their Spring semester course load. The international program component can occur anytime between Spring finals through the end of the Summer term.

• Summer: programs occurring during the Summer term are attached to a Summer course only, giving students the ability to include these hours in their Summer semester course load. If the international program component is shorter than 3 weeks, it must be attached to a pre-departure teaching component for students (whether online or in-person).

How to Choose:

• You may want to consider teaching a study abroad program during a semester where your teaching responsibilities are manageable. Scheduling a study abroad program during a semester where you also teach one or two new courses could impact your ability to meet all educational requirements and goals.

• Talk to your department Chair about any departmental requirements that you may have that would factor into your decision to teach a study abroad program. This includes any timeline considerations for tenure and position promotion or any committee obligations.

• If you plan on taking a sabbatical, consider waiting to schedule a study abroad program until you are back on campus and can engage in all manner of recruitment activities. Programs that don't recruit well are less likely to make the final cut.

• Make sure to factor in any personal commitments or responsibilities when putting together your program plan. For example, faculty members with children or aging parents should make sure that none of those caretaking responsibilities are left out of consideration when making program decisions, such a program dates, lengths, and locations.

• Be open and honest with yourself about your ability to juggle many competing work/life responsbilities. Many faculty choose to participate in study abroad programs on a rotating or alternating basis in order to balance the demands of both study abroad and work/home commitments.

• : Submit online using the Faculty-Led Program Proposal for the year you wish to teach. Deadline is January 15th annually for programs the following year. This application includes Semester in Regensburg, Spring Break London, and any other ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ program existing or a new one you wish to create. Follow this link for a .

• : Submit online. November and March deadlines for summer and winter programs.

• : Submit online. October and February deadlines for summer and winter programs.

Application Requirements for any teach abroad experience generally include an updated CV, course syllabus and/or course description, recruitment ideas or complete plan, details on how the course will count toward degree requirements for students, and proposed budget (if you are responsible for the budget). Affiliate programs require more than one course description and may require up to 5. Do not be scared off by the application requirements. Contact the Director of Education Abroad and/or the affiliate program reps for guidance as needed. For ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Signature Program applications, you'll be notified via email from the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Education Abroad Office by February 13th. See the Review Guidelines under "I. Study Abroad Program Proposal Review and Selection" for details on how applications are reviewed by the Program Review Committee. Faculty applying with KIIS or CCSA programs will be notified on the schedules of these affiliates by their program representatives.

After your application is approved (or conditionally approved), you will be asked to attend mandatory group meetings with other Faculty and Program Directors. These meetings are set throughout the year prior to departure and are designed to:

• Explain how students will apply and enroll in your program

• Provide details on student scholarships, financial aid, and billing

• Help support recruitment efforts

• Develop a cohesive leadership team for the program

• Provide information about the student experience on study abroad programs

• Design programs that are academically and experientially-centered as learning and educational opportunities

• Ensure that each course is designed to meet credit hours and cirruculum requirements

• Assist with preparing the budget for the program (for Program Directors)

• Provide ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ crisis management preparedness and response protocols and training

• Assist with planning the student orientation for the program abroad

Dates and Deadlines: You will be provided with a Dates and Deadlines sheet after acceptance. This will include meeting dates for the entire year, including student orientations and deadlines.

Cultural Content. Though it is our responsibility to teach about culture, we most often shy away from this because of our lack of knowledge. Don't be afraid to admit that you have some learning to do about the location and take this opportunity to do so in conjunction with your students. Utilize Google! It's your friend! Also our  (make sure you're signed in with your ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ google account to access) will help you start to think about the local culture and activities to learn about culture. Also consider requiring your students to obtain a language phrasebook and learn basic history and foreign relations between the U.S. and the location. 

Course Texts. No matter the academic content of your course, you might also consider these opportunities for students to learn more about the location as part of your course. Incorporating the location is the only way your study abroad program will be successful. Consider adding one or more of these as requirements for your students:

• Location-Specific: Above all, you must include texts, readings, or fine arts that are about, by, or originate in the location of your program. Do not solely utilize U.S.-centered sources. 

• Autobiographies of U.S. American experiences living or traveling in the location can help inform students of challenges on-site and get students interested in the location in order to experience the program in a deeper, more meaningful way once on-site.

• Travel Guides/Apps/Site Apps. This helps with location knowledge for free time and for course activities. Requiring a travel guide or a travel guide smart phone app and creating an assignment around designing their free time can assist with their maximizing the program while abroad. 

• Language Phrasebook/App. Duo Lingo is a popular option

• Atlast or Mapping activities/Apps will help students visualize where they are going. Let's face it, they don't always know where other countries are. Make sure they know the bordering nations and where the location fits geographically before you stick them on a plane and take them there.

• Current Events. Find location-specific news sources online and read/listen to them prior to program departure.

• Basic History. Find a basic history text that your students - or YOU - may use as an overview, informing the experience on-site.

• Foreign Relations. What is the history of US-location relations? How will this inform your program? Providing context for your students about the relationship between their nation and the foreign nation will further understanding of their possible integration with the locals. Keep any international student participants in mind in this endeavor and allow them to focus on their home nation.

Activities and Itinerary Development.  You likely already have ideas about things that would be relevant and beneficial for your course.

• Make a long list of sites, activities and excursions along with relevant contacts. You may also find relevant walking/boating/guided tours and companies that would work for your class.

• Consider company visits or experts in your field that may not be on a usual tour list and think about making personal contact to ask for a visit for your class

• Consider the proximity of activities to one another and sketch out a lumping of activities that could work.

• Don't forget to include time for introducing activities and debriefing activities.

• Don't pack your days so much that you don't get to eat! 

• Submitting these ideas to a provider or your program director with your top priorities indicated will help determine what ultimately ends up in your itinerary.

• If you are designing the program on your own, then you can do the planning with the vendors abroad to determine what will work for your program. 

Logistical Arrangements. Program Directors are the ones who take on the logistics and budgeting roles for the program. If you're responsible for locating housing and transport and booking activities abroad, see our for tips. (You'll need to be logged in with your ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Google account to access.)

Budget Development. Program Directors are responsible for setting and keeping the budget. In collaboration with the Education Abroad Office and using our (you must be logged in with your ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Google account to access), PDs will be guided through how to track and maintain the budget for any size program.

Recruiting. Above all, go into your Teach Abroad experience with the knowledge that study abroad is unfortunately not a "build it and they will come" adventure, but instead takes planning and work to get those great students out there to actually submit applications. (make sure you're logged in with your ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Google account to access). Applications flow into the Education Abroad Office . You'll review your student applications and issue decisions together with other members of leadership on your program and an Advisor from the EAO. 

Application Review Considerations

• Student fit with the program: You don't have to accept every student. Read each application for review.

• Essay: Does it address program fit? Academic match?  Is it offensive in any way? Poor essays can result in rejection.

• Transcript or GPA: There is a minimum for every program of 2.0. Your program may have a higher requirement.

• Space: If you have limited space on your program and you have an applicant who has studied abroad before, you may consider rejecting that applicant for a student who hasn't had the opportunity to do so yet.

• Practice selective recruitment: Applicants who present themselves as disruptions to courses on campus now won't get better once you're abroad. Don't be afraid to reject applicants.

• Don't feel obligated. Students who have already had the course you are offering may be tempting to accommodate, but can also create much more work for you as faculty. Don't feel obligated to create cross-listings to fit students into your program OR if you do so, be sure to consider the amount of work required to accommodate the student(s).

At the close of your program, you will have collected student evaluations. The Education Abroad Office will provide you with a copy for reflection and program improvement.

You'll also complete the Post Program Report in your online application to debrief the program, including how we can better serve you in the future, but also reporting course contact hours and multiple aspects of the program.

Then, start planning your next Teach Abroad!