Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I use the course?
This course can be used as part of a formal class or orientation program through your institution or study abroad provider. You can also use it independently. The course is divided into three sections: Before You Leave, While You’re There, and Once You Return. You will choose the course depending on where you are in your study abroad process. While the course are designed for you to work through each module, you are free to explore the modules with are of most relevance to you.
Completing Assignments
An important part of the Global Scholar Course is answering questions for reflection and doing research to prepare for, make the most of, and make sense of your experience. Not only will you be completing these exercises individually, but you will also be interacting with other students who are on similar journeys as well as administrators and others whose knowledge and experience can be of use to you. Through your individual work and group interactions, we hope that you will gain insight into your experience and help others along the way.
Individual Reflection
Your Information Log (Info Log)
Throughout this course you will be asked to record your thoughts, feelings, opinions, and research in an Information Log (Info Log) for later reference. Your Info Log is a place where you can save your Global Scholar coursework for later reference. You are welcome to add any personal reflections or information which you find helpful. How and where you record this information can vary and is up to your own preferences as well as what framework you are completing the course in. You may feel more comfortable with certain ways to record information than others; perhaps you already keep a personal journal and would like to use that, or maybe posting the information as part of your blog or website is best for you. Students can use the Global Scholar course with different levels of structure; you may be completing this course through your home institution, study abroad provider, independently, or within a different framework, with varying levels of support. While your Info Log can be in whatever format you wish, if you are completing the course within an organized framework your course moderator may require your Info Log to be in a particular format.
Here are some suggestions to help you decide on what format your own Info Log will follow:
1.) Traditional Written Format
a. Write in a Journal or on paper that you bind together.
b. Write on your computer using a program like Microsoft Word and print out your work as you
complete the exercises, then print out your work. Keep all papers together in a folder.
2.)Independent On-Line Tools
a. Your Blog: You can click on this convenient link to take you to the Blogger homepage. There
you can create a blog if you do not already have one.
b. Your Website: You can dedicate your website to your study abroad experience, or you can
make a separate section for your experience.
3) Community forums
Facebook Account or equivalent: You can create an account with one such provider and be able to post your thoughts and learnings using the site. Facebook now allows you to interact with students from other universities. Using their search tool, type in keywords such as ‘study abroad’ or the name of your host country, and choose ‘all networks’ from the drop-down menu.
4) On-Campus or Study Abroad Program Forum
a. Your class or content may be hosted on-campus
b. Your class or content may be hosted by your study abroad provider
c. Your online course may be framed using Blackboard or Web CT and moderated by an administrator
5) Hybrid: Part Personal – Part Structured
You may be required or comfortable with posting certain things for public viewing, while
choosing to record other things in your personal journal.
However you decide to set up your Info Log, it is important to record your thoughts, learnings, and experiences in order to be able to reflect on your process for later learning.
Interaction With Others (Interaction)
You are not alone in your journey! There are many other students who are also planning, are abroad now, or returning from an experience abroad, as well as administrators and others who can also share their own experience. In various parts of the course, you will be asked to look at information and/or reflections that others have gathered, whether it be searching for other students’ Info Logs or blogs, websites, or postings in general. Depending on what framework you are taking the course in, you will be able to choose how you would like to interact with others. For example, you may search for blogs or websites of other students who are currently studying abroad, or, if you are taking the course through your campus or study abroad provider, you may be directed to search through a special website or blog page they have set up for students of the course to interact with one another. It is important to remember that other students can be looking at your Info Log and find it helpful to their own process.
Some suggestions for interacting with others (Interaction) include:
1). Searching for other's blogs: There are many sites where people post their blogs. Using their search tools, try searching on keywords such as Study Abroad, or type the name of the country you're traveling to. Some good sites to start your search are:
-http://facebook.com
-http://blogger.com
-http://blogsearch.google.com
-http://myspace.com
-http://toadfire.com
-http://blogstream.com
2). Searching other people’s websites: Upon doing an internet search using keywords such as ‘Study Abroad’ or the country you will be studying in, you can find peoples’ personal websites where they may be discussing topics of interest to you, posting personal stories, and submitting pictures of their experience.
3). Forums: If you are using this course through your campus or study abroad provider and it is in a structured format, you will likely have forums for students taking part in the course to discuss different issues concerning study abroad.
4.) Newsgroups: Newsgroups are a way for people to connect and interact with each other in a question/answer format. Different from a blog, where people post thoughts for public view, newsgroups aim for people to respond, answer, and comment. To search a newsgroup, you can start at one of these sites, using their search tools to search for groups relating to study abroad. Try using keywords such as Study Abroad, or Traveling :
-http://groups.yahoo.com/
-http://groups.google.com/
The goal of this course is to guide you, the future study abroad student to utilize resources on study abroad programs, finances, health/safety, culture and world affairs to build your own Study-Abroad plan.
The plan will be built as you go through each module. The plan can be exported to show parents, friends, teachers, and other students.
Each module will contain several components. Each component will have instructions and resources (like a selection of supporting articles, web links, and text to choose from) for you to create a product like a Profile, List, Essay, etc.
Or, the component will have instructions and resources to help you formulate a thought on a concept such as cultural distinctions, and express that thought in a short essay or through interaction with others. Occasionally, material will be presented with a standard multiple choice/true-false quiz to assess understanding.
If you've traveled before, you'll have opportunities throughout the course to contribute your ideas so that other students may benefit from your experience.
You will be given tasks throughout the course which may include articles to read, quizzes, or questions for reflection. For a detailed description of the tasks and resources, please see the Syllabus.
2. Which course should I do?
There are three separate courses, designed for students at all stages of the study abroad process. Please read the course descriptions below to determine which course you should begin with:
Course 1: Before you leave
Course 1 is for students who are in the pre-study abroad stage, whether they are thinking about study abroad, searching for a program, or preparing for departure. This course provides them with the opportunity to determine their goals for study abroad, know how to search for the program that is best for them, learn what documents they need, and prepare for cross-cultural and language learning.
Course 2: While You’re Abroad
Course 2 is for students who are already abroad on their study abroad program. Whether they have just arrived overseas, are well into their program, or are getting ready to return home, this course will give students the tools to make the most of their experience abroad! They will find out how to cope with challenges that may arise while they're abroad, how they can take care of things they may not have prepared for, and how to get ready for their return home.
Course 3: Once You Return
Course 3 is for students who have returned home after their study abroad program. Here they will find tips and techniques to help them with their return home, how to cope with the issues that may arise after they return, and how to continue the learning. This course provides them with the opportunity to continue with reflections on the foreign experience, on the odd, sometimes painful and unexpected process of cultural re-adaptation, on the integration of their intense international experiences with their current intellectual and emotional lives, and on where they can go from here personally and in their career preparation. It provides them the opportunity to continue the cross-cultural learning process, to make better sense of their experiences abroad, and to further refine their skills in cross-cultural observation, adaptation, and communication.
3. How do I find a study abroad program?
One of the main reasons students give for not studying abroad is that they start the planning process too late and miss the opportunity. The earlier you start researching programs, the better chance you will have to study abroad, include the coursework in your on-campus degree program, and graduate on-time. The simplest way to find an appropriate study abroad program is to look at programs available through your home campus; home campus faculty and staff can help you through the process.
Some Tools for Finding a Program:
U.S. Home Campus Study Abroad Office/Resource Center: The best place to look for a study abroad program is your U.S. home campus study abroad office (where available). The staff can help you through the process of finding a program, applying, participating, and returning home.
Reference Books: The following are comprehensive reference books which are updated each year: Peterson’s Study Abroad, Peterson’s Summer Study Abroad, IIE Academic Year Abroad, and IIE Short-Term Study Abroad. They include detailed explanations and descriptions of many study abroad programs.
Websites: There are a number of websites with information about available study abroad programs. Some websites we recommend are: Studyabroad.com, Goabroad.com, IIEPassport, and Peterson’s.
Asking the Right Questions: 
The following is a list of issues to consider and questions to ask when looking for an appropriate study abroad program. Along with speaking with program administrators in the U.S., it is suggested that you ask to speak to students who participated in the program in the past. If possible, speak directly with one of the program administrators abroad to find out both the strengths and weaknesses of the program.
Courses Available: What courses can be taken abroad? Will they be taught by U.S. home campus professors or foreign university faculty or local nationals? Do they have Ph.D.s, Master’s Degrees, Bachelor’s Degrees? Have they taught U.S. students? Is the set-up traditional classroom or experiential learning?
Transfer Credit: It is important to know how courses taken abroad will count towards the U.S. degree program (major, minor, language, general education, etc.).
Housing: Is housing provided as part of the program? Is it in an international university dorm? With a family/homestay? In an apartment? What part of the city? How far from where the courses are offered? Near public transportation?
Cost: What are the costs of the program, including tuition, administrative fees, room and board, international travel, in-country travel and excursions, extra costs?
Where?: What country/region/city do you want to study in? Where in the city are the program office/courses located? Is it in a modern city, a rural location, or a developing area with limited resources?
How long?: Is the program available for a year, semester, quarter, summer, short-term?
When?: Will a program session be offered when you are planning to go, or when you are available to participate? How will the season and schedule abroad compare to that at your home campus?
Language: Do you want to study in a country where the language is not English? How much language training should you have before going? What type of language training is offered abroad? Are courses offered in both English and the other country's language?
Support Services: Does your U.S. home campus provide academic advisement and counseling to students through program orientations (some campuses require that all students take a semester-long course before studying abroad)? What types of support services and administrative offices are in place abroad?
Who’s in Charge of Safety?: Is there someone at the U.S. office and abroad who is specifically responsible for students' health and safety? What policies and procedures do they have in place?
Program Evaluations: Quality programs will take part in regular evaluations of their programs, with feedback from staff, faculty, and students. Ask if you can see these evaluations.
Make sure to look through the rest of the Safety Abroad Handbook for additional health and safety information on studying abroad.
4. How can I get started?
Your first step is to register with our system. Please click on the ‘registration’ link on the main menu page. In addition to your registration information you will enter information that will be incorporated into your profile. This information includes your major, your minor, your career interests, the reason why you want to study abroad, a url that leads to a picture of yourself (if you have one), past study abroad experience (if any), past travel experience in general (if any) and a list of the countries that you have traveled to. You will then be guided in creating a username and password for your login.
5. What is a Global Scholar?
For the purposes of this training course, a Global Scholar Certificate will serve as a high profile symbol of achievement in the program that can be earned by any college or university student who:
- Completes all three components of the Online Course
- Writes a Final Reflective Paper on the Study Abroad Experience
- Takes Part in Home Campus Study Abroad Mentorship/Outreach
- Takes Part in K-12 or Community College Mentorship/Outreach
The Global Scholar Certificate Program requires pre-study abroad preparation and combines it with post-study abroad reflection through the post-study abroad online course and research/reflective paper, turning what for many students has been an unconnected experience abroad into a meaningful, integrated international learning experience. Furthermore, the Global Scholar Certificate will connect participants to their home campus and community through mentorship and outreach, enabling returned study abroad students to make their overseas experience relevant and useful. Following the completion of the program and recognition of their achievement through a Global Scholar Certificate, students will have something tangible and marketable they can add to their resume displaying their accomplishments. The Center will formalize an understanding with its network of partner institutions to establish recognition of the Global Scholar Certificate as a significant academic achievement by the recipient.
6. Can I do these courses on my own or do I need to be enrolled in a class?
Students can use the Global Scholar course with different levels of structure; you may be completing this course through your home institution, study abroad provider, independently, or within a different framework, with varying levels of support.
7. How do I find others who are interested in Study Abroad?
You are not alone in your journey! There are many other students who are also planning, are abroad now, or returning from an experience abroad, as well as administrators and others who can also share their own experience. The best place to begin is to visit the Study Abroad office on your home campus. Other suggestions for finding others who are interested in Study Abroad include:
1). Searching for other's blogs: There are many sites where people post their blogs. Using their search tools, try searching on keywords such as Study Abroad, or type the name of the country you're traveling to. Some good sites to start your search are:
-http://facebook.com
-http://blogger.com
-http://blogsearch.google.com
-http://myspace.com
-http://toadfire.com
-http://blogstream.com
2). Searching other people’s websites: Upon doing an internet search using keywords such as ‘Study Abroad’ or the country you will be studying in, you can find peoples’ personal websites where they may be discussing topics of interest to you, posting personal stories, and submitting pictures of their experience.
3). Forums: If you are using this course through your campus or study abroad provider and it is in a structured format, you will likely have forums for students taking part in the course to discuss different issues concerning study abroad.
4.) Newsgroups: Newsgroups are a way for people to connect and interact with each other in a question/answer format. Different from a blog, where people post thoughts for public view, newsgroups aim for people to respond, answer, and comment. To search a newsgroup, you can start at one of these sites, using their search tools to search for groups relating to study abroad. Try using keywords such as Study Abroad, or Traveling :
-http://groups.yahoo.com/
-http://groups.google.com/
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