Designing Quality Academic Programs in Education Abroad

Balancing quality with quantity is a primary concern for education abroad professionals. As the community is called upon to increase the numbers of students going abroad, institutions must maintain their focus on providing programs with academic excellence that draw on the strengths and culture of the local environment.

But what is a “quality program”? What academic and cultural elements need to be considered?

Join this live NAFSA e-Learning Seminar to discover helpful strategies, important considerations, and inspiring methods of program design to improve your office’s education abroad offerings.

Participants will discuss components of quality academic programs; strategies to develop and achieve academic and programmatic goals; and methods of demonstrating the long-term benefits of creating engaging content with strong cultural foundations. Presenters will share examples of how to incorporate cultural exercises and reflection into the curriculum.

Learning Outcomes

After attending this NAFSA e-Learning Seminar, participants will be able to:

• Identify ways to define strong academic program content;
• Integrate cultural and educational experiences in the education abroad curriculum;
• Demonstrate strengths within program academics to attract stakeholders.

The content of this live e-Learning Seminar will appeal to education abroad professionals in direct service, management, and strategy roles; faculty; and academic deans interested in improving the quality of their education abroad programs.

Speakers

Jason Sanderson, PhD
Georgetown University

Jason Sanderson serves as the assistant director of curriculum integration and assessment in the Office of Global Education at Georgetown University, where he has advised outbound students on study abroad opportunities in French- and German-speaking countries, as well as Africa, for nearly 12 years. Sanderson is also the France country coordinator on NAFSA's Consular Affairs Liaison Subcommittee. Sanderson's academic background is in intercultural communication and sociolinguistics, where his primary research interests are regional language ideology and identity. He also teaches in the university’s Department of French and Francophone Studies.

Amy Henry
Georgia Institute of Technology

Amy Henry is executive director of international education at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a position that followed many years of work with study abroad students and programs. The Office of International Education leads student-centered internationalization on the campus, and serves more than 6,000 F and J visa holders; 1,900 study and intern abroad students; and 700 students pursuing the university’s International Plan. Henry has degrees from the College of William and Mary and Georgia Tech. She has served in various advisory and leadership roles in international education, including as NAFSA Education Abroad Network Leader, and is co-author of NAFSA's e-publication, “Curriculum Integration of Study Abroad.”

Jessica Francis
Wake Forest University

Jessica Francis is the associate director for global abroad programs at Wake Forest University. At the Center for Global Programs and Studies, Jessica is responsible for coordinating the university’s semester programs and involved with development of new semester opportunities for students. In recent years Francis has focused on increasing participation in study abroad among first-generation college students, including serving as chair of the Diversity Abroad Task Force on First-Generation Students. Additionally she has been active in presenting at national and international conferences on topics ranging from advising first-generation college students to best practices for working with faculty on education abroad programs.