Develop a Faculty-Led Program

For students, faculty-led programs provide an opportunity to learn in context. Because faculty-led programs tend to be shorter in duration, they can also help open opportunities for students to study abroad when they may not have otherwise been able to due to academic, personal, or financial circumstances.

For faculty, these programs are a great opportunity to network and collaborate with international experts in the field as you conduct site visits, engage in research projects, or connect with Kent State alumni abroad. Faculty-led programs can also provide a way to hold joint programs with international partners and colleagues by opening opportunities for co-teaching, faculty exchanges, or being a visiting lecturer.

For Kent State, faculty-led programs help to advance the university’s strategic priorities and initiatives. These programs are also a great way to help further internationalize the curriculum.

To assist you in your program development, the Faculty-Led Education Abroad Programs Committee has created a Faculty-Led Education Abroad Manual. The manual contains detailed information on the planning process, helpful worksheets, and the official program registration form. While we give a brief overview of the steps below, we encourage you to read the manual carefully.

If you have additional questions or would like to meet with an Education Abroad Advisor to further discuss your program, please contact edabroad@kent.edu.

Overview of Steps 

• Plan early, up to a year in advance
• Identify an academic purpose
• Create a tentative academic syllabus and travel itinerary
• Submit your proposal to your department, school, or college
• Meet with the Office of Global Education: Education Abroad division
• Construct a budget and identify the payment procedure
• Create program application materials
• Submit program application and related documents to Education Abroad
• Review of program by the Faculty-Led Education Abroad Programs Committee
• Finalize the travel itinerary
• Create marketing materials – hold information sessions
• Accept students and create roster
• Attend pre-departure orientation for faculty and pre-departure orientation for students
• Complete final pre-departure requirements
• Enjoy your adventure abroad!
• Upon return, touch base with Education Abroad to review the program

Tips

• Kent State already has many partnerships with universities abroad that can be potential in country partners and resources. Contact the Office of Global Education for a list of these partners.
• Get contracts when working with travel agents, third party providers, or other institutions.
• Do not advertise a concrete program price unless that is the absolute final price; provide estimated prices. The manual includes a worksheet to help you create a budget.

As a faculty leader you must prepare yourself as much as possible for crisis management.  The Office of Global Education has created a risk management and emergency response manual, as well as training programs for faculty leaders. The manual can help you prepare yourself and your students before going abroad, as well as give advice on steps to take in case of an emergency. You will receive an updated copy of the manual before you lead a program abroad. Please contact edabroad@kent.edu for the latest version.

For the safety of your students, it is also essential that you create an Emergency Action Plan before departing on your faculty-led program and that you follow standard emergency procedures while abroad.

Kent State Financial Aid Counselors work specifically with education abroad students to help them construct a plan to finance the costs of education abroad. They are available for consultation with you and your students. Please communicate any changes to cost information or deadlines to them so they can properly advise your students. If you have any questions or if you would like to invite a Financial Aid Counselor to an information session for your program, please reach out to finaideducationabroad@kent.edu.

Deposits

If your program requires a deposit before the term begins, and the student plans on using financial aid to pay for the deposit, they can reach out to the One Stop for Student Services or visit the Student Financial Aid webpage for information on applying for additional aid. Students can find more information on the Education Abroad and Financial Aid website.

Summer Billing

Please note that in the summer, there are no payment plans, and intersession students will not see their financial aid disburse until 10 days before the start of Summer I classes (after intersession has ended). This could affect students who are expecting a financial aid refund to use towards their education abroad program.

There are many methods to share information about your faculty-led program with students; however, we often notice that the most effective methods are those which allow you to speak with students personally. This allows your passion for the program to shine through and gets students excited to participate.

In addition to flyers and emails, some great methods include:

• Sharing information about your upcoming program with your current students
• Reaching out to colleagues to ask if you can do five-minute classroom presentations in relevant courses
• Presenting your program to relevant student groups
• Hosting an event related to culture in the location your program will be
• Holding an interesting lecture on the topic of your program
• Attending internationally focused events hosted by your college or Education Abroad (Education Abroad hosts a Showcase in September and I Heart Travel week in February)
• Participating in Instagram or Facebook Live sessions hosted by your college or Education Abroad
• Doing personal outreach to interested students