The Importance of Identifying Learning Outcomes Achieved by Graduate Students Who Participate in Graduate Short-term Study Abroad Programs
The United States (U.S.) Higher Education Act of 1965, or HEA, (Public Law 89 – 329) detailed many programs prominent in higher education today, including Title VI – International Education Programs and Title VII – Graduates and Postsecondary Improvement Programs (Higher Education Act of 1965). Title VI detailed domestic programs that focused on foreign language development and intercultural studies while Title VII programs have been updated over the years and most recently added U.S.-Brazil programs, U.S.-Russia programs, and North American programs. One example of the North American programs the White House announced in 2011 and headed by the U. S. Department of State is the 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative “…aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the hemisphere and the prosperity that it can generate” and whose goal is to “…reach 100,000 student exchanges annually in each direction between the United States and the countries of the Americas” (State Department, 2014). Governments, private sector companies, and higher education institutions intend to collaborate in order to achieve the objectives of the initiative.
Based on the above mentioned law and current example, we see that internationally-focused education is not a new concept, but the internationalization of campuses – the process of integrating international dimension into institutions (Ward, 2013) – has become more relevant. Since the year 2000 and in response to globalization, the U.S. government and higher education institutions have pressed for more internationalization of campuses (Lincoln Commission, 2005; Stroud, 2010). As Cabrera and Unruh (2012) stated in their book Being Global: How to Think, Act, and Lead in a Transformed World, “… it is clear how much more connected, interdependent, and multidirectional our global world is today than at any time in the past” (p. 2).
Our communities expect that higher education institutions are taking steps necessary to prepare graduating students for the “…inclusive, multidirectional, interlinked, and hugely complex” (Cabrera & Unruh, 2012, p. 2) global workforce. However, issues still need to be addressed in order for campuses to be successful at internationalization and preparing students for a globalized world. Higher education institutions have to focus on developing globally competent citizens of the world as part of students’ higher education and to recognize that study abroad programs can impact campus internationalization.
The public perception of study abroad programs being opportunities for students to spend their junior year in another country partying and drinking while underage persists (Woolf, 2007). Many questions arise as to the actual learning that comes from study abroad programs, and so institutions now draw more attention to the outcomes of study abroad programs, such as how students grow and develop and how study abroad impacts career-related decisions (Ghose, 2010; Kavas, 2013; Zhang, 2011). While educators agree study abroad programs should not be the only component to a successful campus internationalization effort, many also think study abroad can be a starting point for students, faculty, and staff to emphasize internationalization efforts on their campuses (Chickering & Braskamp, 2009; Stearns, 2009).
The number of students studying on traditional junior year abroad programs is decreasing as short-term study abroad programs (lasting eight weeks or less) are increasing. Short-term abroad programs are often aimed toward non-traditional groups, such as graduate students, who are typically older, work full-time, and/or have spouses and children (Fischer & Zigmond, 1998; Graduate Learning Experiences and Outcomes [GLEO], 2013; Lei & Chuang, 2010; Polson, 2003; Sachau et. al, 2009). Institutions started implementing short-term study abroad programs, and during the 2011-2012 year, U.S. higher education students participated in more short-term programs for credit than they did during the 2010-2011 year (Institute for International Education [IIE], 2013). However, despite the growing popularity of short-term study abroad programs, only 14 percent of the nearly 283,000 U.S. students who studied abroad 2010-2011 were graduate students (IIE, 2013). This introduction explores factors that might affect learning outcomes of graduate students who participate in graduate short-term study abroad programs, including who studies abroad, employers’ desire for globally competent employees, and research on graduate student outcomes. From the information reviewed, institutions will begin to identify graduate-related learning outcomes that result from graduate students participating in short-term study abroad. Higher education institutions will be able to incorporate the learning outcomes identified into designing future short-term study abroad programs so that more graduate students will participate knowing the programs are worthwhile as part of the students’ educational programs.
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