User Guide for Staff

Welcome to the Global Scholar Online Course!

This course has been developed by The Center for Global Education including information from students who have studied abroad, the staff who work with them in the U.S. and abroad, faculty who teach students abroad, and researchers in the field who have developed materials to help students through the process. Students will benefit from their experience by finding out tips and techniques to prepare for their program, how to cope with challenges that may arise while they're abroad, how to make the most of their study abroad experience while they’re there, tips for dealing with issues that may arise after their return home, and advice on where they can go from here personally and in their career preparation. It provides them the opportunity for cross-cultural learning, making better sense of their experiences abroad, and to further refine their skills in cross-cultural observation, adaptation, and communication.
 Along with content developed by the Center, we have shared some of the best material in the field, including some resources from What’s Up With Culture? , School of International Studies, University of the Pacific, Bruce La Brack, ed. (2003), funding by FIPSE, U.S. Department of Education and Maximizing Study Abroad: A Students' Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use by Paige, R. M., Cohen, A. D., Lassegard, J., Chi, J. C., & Kappler, B. (2002)with permission from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota.
The course consists of three separate sections designed to be of help to students depending on what stage of the study abroad journey they are in:

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.

Course Components
The online course was designed to give any student with access to the internet the chance to be better informed about study abroad before, during, and after their program of choice. It can be modified for use in the classroom or as an on-line class with a faculty moderator. Course components may be affected by the format the course takes; please read the description of components below.
Completing Assignments
An important part of the Global Scholar Course is answering questions for reflection and doing research to help students prepare for, make the most of, and make sense of their experience. Not only will they be completing these exercises individually, but they 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 them. As a result of their individual work and group interactions students will gain insight into their experience and hopefully help others to do the same.
Individual Reflection:

The Information Log (Info Log)

Throughout this course students will be asked to record their thoughts, feelings, opinions, and research in an Information Log (Info Log) for later reference. The Info Log is a place where they can save their Global Scholar coursework for later reference. How and where students record this information can vary and is up to their own preferences if they are completing the course independently. If you are serving as the instructor for the course you may decide what particular format the info log should take. Suggestions for the format of the Info Log include:
 
1.) Traditional Written Format
         a. Write in a Journal or on paper that will be bound together.
         b. Write on a computer using a word processing program, print out work and keep all papers together.
 
2.)Independent On-Line Tools
         a.  Blog: Students can create a blog if they do not already have one.
         b. Website: Students can dedicate their website to their study abroad experience or make a separate section for their experience.

3) Community forums
         a.  Facebook Account or equivalent: Students can create an account with one such provider and be able to post their thoughts and learnings using the site..

4)  On-Campus or Study Abroad Program Forum
         a.  Class or content may be hosted on-campus
         b.  Class or content may be hosted by the study abroad provider
         c.   Course may be framed using Blackboard or Web CT and moderated by an administrator             
 
5)  Hybrid:  Part Personal – Part Structured
         a. Students can be required or comfortable with posting certain things for public viewing, while choosing to record other things in their personal journal.

Interaction With Others (Interaction)

In various parts of the course, students 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 the framework the course will take, students can choose how they would like to interact with others. For example, they may search for blogs or websites of other students who are currently studying abroad, or, if the course is in a more structured format, students can be directed to search through a special website or blog page the instructor has set up for students of the course to interact with one another.
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, students can search on keywords such as Study Abroad, or type the name of the country they are traveling to. Some good sites to start the 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 students will be studying in, they can find peoples’ personal websites where they may be discussing topics of interest, posting personal stories, and submitting pictures of their experience.

 3). Forums: Forums can be set up 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, students 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 course can be modified in the way that best fits your students' needs. The best mode of delivery is in a formal classroom setting, with students participating in the Before You Leave and Once You Return courses before and after their program, completing the While You’re There module online from the program location. You are free to use the materials in the way that is best for your students and your institution; we ask that you please cite us accordingly. In addition to the Global Scholar Course,  The Center for Global Education has developed additional resources for education abroad staff to assist their students. Please visit www.globaled.us for more information. We welcome any questions, feedback and suggestions you may have regarding this course or other resources! Please contact us at globaled@lmu.edu.