With learning abroad firmly back on the institutional agenda and staff services clearly back online, Australian students are busy planning and building global profiles and constructing learning abroad experiences.
So, the learning abroad sector is naturally looking toward resources and guidance to underpin the reboot, secure academic and administrative success and deliver future growth.
A newly minted Foundations in Education Abroad Toolkit provides education abroad offices with key knowledge to establish new and expand existing education abroad programs.
The toolkit is published by the Forum on Education Abroad in the U.S. It supports the sector’s development, aligned with the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad and Code of Ethics for Education Abroad.
Available for purchase by Forum members and non-members, the toolkit supports over 700 institutional global members across higher education providers, affiliate and industry partners, third party providers, foundations and reciprocal associations. This network serves thousands of staff in the advocacy, promotion, design and delivery of education abroad.
(If you are keen to explore Forum membership, drop into the February information session ‘Member Monday for Prospective Members’ here)
Providing a framework for establishing global learning opportunities, the toolkit assists in the strategic alignment of learning abroad to institutional mission, values, learning outcomes, and curriculum goals. It delivers research-informed and global best practice tools to assist in meeting institutional requirements.
Written for education abroad (learning abroad in Australia) administrators, it’s also a valuable tool for senior executive and faculty overseeing education abroad. Broken into 10 segments, the kit covers the elements below to underpin program success.
- Implementation guide
Assists in building a strong foundation for education abroad, aligned with the Standards of Good Practice in Education Abroad and the Code of Ethics for Education Abroad. It provides guidance on the use of toolkit resources to build and expand education abroad programs.
- Prompts for reflection
A workbook guiding reflections by institutional leaders and education abroad directors on key considerations during the establishment or expansion of education abroad. The Prompts for Reflection build upon selections from Meeting the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad: Prompts for Self Assessment.
- Education Abroad program practical checklist
Checklist of practical components for each phase of program development and delivery that engages institutional and other community stakeholders.
- External and affiliated program approval process and template
A review and approval process enabling institutions to review programs approved for credit. Guidance on compliance for accreditation and funding guidelines. The resource includes a draft process for approving external and affiliated programs.
- Site visit protocol template
A practical tool to guide the systematic and comprehensive collation of information during partner and site exploratory visits.
- Sample Memorandum of Agreement
An agreement template adaptable to diverse institutional contexts, for use to guide review and approval of agreements by institutional general counsel and risk managers.
- Marketing, advising and orientation
The pre-departure phase for education abroad covers initial promotions and communication about education abroad opportunities. It guides the communication, events, and activity design to manage student expectation and prepare them for success abroad. This resource provides guidance related to marketing, advising, and orientation.
- Emergency Action Planning
Assists institutions create an emergency action plan with the involvement of key stakeholders. It considers potential outcomes, the responses and management of impact on students, community partners, the education abroad program, and the institution.
- Re-entry programming
An outline to intentionally integrate student education abroad experiences into further academic, professional, and personal learning.
- Suggested readings
A curated list of publications and resources providing context and knowledge to support informed and research-led program development and reform.
Learn more about the Forum on Education Abroad here
Purchase the Foundations in Education Abroad Toolkit here
Note: The Forum on Education Abroad is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission as the Standards Development Organization for Education Abroad. The Forum on Education Abroad is hosted by its strategic partner, Dickinson College
