Integrating NACE Career Competencies into Faculty-led Study Abroad Programs

NACE Definition: Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.

Examples for Study Abroad Integration: 

• Invite guest lecturers
• Conduct business visits/site visits
• Offer job shadowing opportunities
• Attend networking events/lectures/ceremonies
• Volunteer/engage with the community
• Partner with a local university to collaborate with a similar class
• Coordinate program timeline with relevant major events/conferences (e.g. film festivals)
• Build in reflection activities on personal career values (e.g. how will this program contribute to your career goals?) 

NACE Definition: Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.

Examples for Study Abroad Integration: 

• Language exchanges
• Partner with a local university to collaborate with similar classes
• Collectively fill out application/visa/declaration forms
• Establish a mechanism for students to clearly inform program leaders of non-program (free-time) travel
• Have students lead others through public transit or be the guide for some activities
• Require student-led presentations to the class on important topics for the on-site experience such as: emergency management, mental health scenarios, case studies
• Student-led presentations on local topics as part of the course
• Include pre-departure preparation activities such as discussing non-verbal communication in the host country, “survival” language skills, group reflection opportunities (in the target language), and/or journaling

NACE Definition: Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.

Examples for Study Abroad Integration: 

• Practice running through case studies or skits of common scenarios experienced on site
  •  Scenarios can include arrival day, transportation issues, or emergency situations
• Create an on-site scavenger hunt
• Utilize social & personal identity wheels as part of coursework
• Review the LENS method as part of coursework
• Include anti-bias training/reflection prompts as part of assignments
• Offer re-entry/post-program debriefs
• Include journaling prompts as part of curriculum, such as:
  • Describe a challenging or exciting situation you recently faced
  • Discuss the biggest impact from the program thus far
  • Discuss something new you discovered
  • Describe how your values have shifted thus far if at all
  • Describe how your worldview has been impacted
  • Reflect on what you think you will do if you experience culture shock
  • Identify an upcoming activity on the itinerary:
    • How can you best prepare for that activity? 
    • For example, if it’s a business site visit, what would be appropriate to wear? What should you research in advance? What questions should you ask? 
    • If you are scheduled to take public transport for the first time, what do you need to plan in advance? How will you get to the public transit stop? How will you pay for your ride? What will you do if you get disconnected from the group? 
  • If you or one of your peers experienced an uncomfortable situation, reflect on how you responded and/or how you could have responded (e.g. if a student experiences being stereotyped, questioned about US politics, or struggled communicating in the local language)

NACE Definition: Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.

Examples for Study Abroad Integration: 

• Offer community engagement opportunities with local groups
• Invite past participants to speak at panels 
• Offer re-entry/post-program debriefs
• Include anti-bias training/reflection prompts as part of curriculum, such as:
  • What did you learn about the local community and how will you act with intention moving forward in your home community?
  • How did you feel being in a place where you didn’t speak the language? 
  • Does this program help you relate or connect with immigrant communities at home? What could you bring from this experience to the experience of immigrants at home? Reflect on similarities and differences of being an immigrant abroad and at home. 
• Engage in anti-racist practices:
  • Start with thinking about what policies, practices, etc. are racist: both at home and abroad. This can be through journaling or reflection.
  • Follow with comparing and contrasting: is one more or less? Work to understand and own the bias in both cultures. 
  • Finish with considering what can be improved? Are there parts that can mix together?
• Require engagement post-program of participants and/or encourage participation in ambassador programs:
  • In-person events such as panels, coffee hours, or focus groups
  • Virtual engagement through videos, blogs, writing articles, or social media posts
  • Optional involvement in student ambassador programs to assist with information sessions, attend study abroad fairs, or help with pre-departure orientation

NACE Definition: Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.

Examples for Study Abroad Integration: 

• Offer the opportunity for graduate students to take on leadership roles within the curriculum and/or co-lead the program based on past experience or number of participants
• If teaching sections of honors and non-honors within the same program, have the honors participants take on leadership roles
• Assign leaders as head of class projects (e.g. during pre-departure orientation) or group discussions
• Have the class create their own program code of conduct for group accountability
• Offer on-site volunteering opportunities 
• Facilitate icebreaker activities that help the group recognize each other’s strengths
• Offer end of program recognition of growth/strengths (such as “paper plate awards” or assigning superlatives to participants)

NACE Definition: Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace. 

Examples for Study Abroad Integration: 

• Include attendance or participation points as part of grade
• Have the class create their own program code of conduct for group accountability
• Have students present on local topics as part of the course
• Have students produce a portfolio at the end of the course that includes resume updates/LinkedIn updates (especially if in another language!)
• Use the Hofstede tool for a course assignment on value differences in the workplace 
  • See the resources section below for more information
• Coordinate or encourage participation in networking events/shadowing opportunities/business site visits
• Debrief the experience, including discussions about differences, during and/or post-program
• Include reflection prompts throughout the program (e.g. how will this program contribute to your career goals) 

NACE Definition: Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.

Examples for Study Abroad Integration: 

• Include group assignments before and during on-site part of program
• Create an on-site scavenger hunt
• Orientation activities
• Run through scenarios (e.g. going through customs, “what if” unexpected travel delays) as part of pre-departure orientation
• Set up group expectations at start of course
• Encourage use of the buddy system on-site
• Facilitate ‘getting lost’ (and getting back) activities, such as:
  • Challenging students to utilize a paper map to navigate home from a destination without using their phone
  • Dropping students off in an area and have them get home using/not using public transportation
  • Having students use their target language only when asking for assistance
  • Using the buddy system

NACE Definition: Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals. 

Examples for Study Abroad Integration: 

• Use apps that are most appropriate for communication in the host country (e.g. what works there, what will be blocked, what’s easiest to access, etc.)
• Highlight different apps and ask for suggestions from the class, including for: 
  • Navigation 
  • Transportation 
  • Translation 
• Invite program alumni to share what apps they thought worked well
• Create assignments pre-departure about helpful apps for on-site (have students do research)
• Include intentional site visits such as research centers, universities, or businesses, to experience new technology

• What is Career Readiness? (naceweb.org): Defines career readiness and competencies. These are the competencies and definitions we used. Each competency has sample behaviors to help understand the definitions. 
• Competencies - Career Readiness (naceweb.org): Reviews how the competencies assist with employment and includes articles on the competencies that are accessible without a membership.
• Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle: Kolb’s experiential learning cycle is a four-stage model exploring how students learn through experience. Reflection plays a key role in student learning, and understanding how to apply new knowledge to future experiences.
• https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison-tool: Geert Hofstede was a Social Psychologist whose research led to the development of a framework of six cultural dimensions with which to explore national (majority culture) differences in the workplace. The country comparison tool allows students to compare countries (such as home country and destination country) across those six cultural dimensions to begin to explore cultural differences. Note that further research exists identifying many other potential cultural dimensions for discussion.
• Examine your LENS: A Tool for Interpreting Cultural Differences | Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad (frontiersjournal.org): The Examine your LENS method is a visual, experiential, and memorable technique of four steps to understand cultural differences and intercultural interactions. These steps are grounded in experiential learning theory and utilize the skills, attitudes, and perspectives needed for intercultural competence. By implementing these four steps, individuals can recognize biases and appreciate a different perspective, as well as actively engage with the local culture. As educators who want our students to be actively involved in their own learning, self-aware, and engaged in the local culture, this technique is an ideal tool.
• hubicl - Home: HubICL is a collaborative space for individuals and institutions to learn and grow from one another’s ideas, programming, and resources on intercultural learning. The HubICL toolbox is a digital collection of intercultural activities that can be searched and drawn upon to include in on-site programming, complete with facilitation guides.