We are so glad you are exploring teaching a course with a study away experience! Below you will find information that will help you start and finish the process of submitting a study away proposal. These processes have been established through the Study Away Review Team and in alignment to the Standards of Good Practice through the Forum on Education Abroad.
Plan, plan and plan!
Preparing and leading a study away experience is roughly a two-year process. The first year is focused on developing and approving the proposal with the second year focused on student recruitment and facilitation of the experience.
The below eligibility and standards may be reviewed and revised at any time.
Faculty eligibility
- The Faculty Leader and Support Person must be full-time classroom faculty.
- The Faculty Leader must meet the qualifications to teach the course.
- The Faculty Leader and Support Person must be in “good standing” with the College (does not have an active professional improvement plan).
- The Faculty Leader and Support Person must be able to demonstrate their ability to effectively coordinate and lead students on a significant travel experience.
- Evidence of coordinating a successful class and/or field trip.
- Evidence of financial oversight, student consultation, and overall risk management.
- Evidence of effectively following college policies and procedures.
- Previous travel experience, ideally to those destinations being traveled and could be considered a content expert and very knowledgeable about the proposed travel location(s).
- Familiar with collaborating with a travel provider.
- Flight travel experience.
- Familiar with culture, laws and customs of the travel destination(s).
- Familiar with accommodations practices (physical, mental, dietary, etc.)
- The Faculty Leader may submit up to two full proposals, however only one will be approved.
- The Faculty Leader and Support Person must have a smartphone and use it to communicate with students and the college during the travel experience.
Curricular standards
- The course being proposed is either part of a program and/or meets a general education requirement.
- All instruction and travel are within the confines of the official course start and end dates.
- Contact Hours are appropriately distributed before, during, and after the trip.
- The academic components of the course are outlined and demonstrate the following:
- clear curricular benefits of teaching the course in the desired location(s)
- academic rigor is evident through assignments, itinerary activities and assessments
- there are clear attempts for cultural connections and opportunities for reflection
- The course has an updated Course Document.
- The syllabus being used is in the approved College template.
- All study away experiences will be offered in the Summer semester, unless prior approval.
Travel Location Standards
- Any location being considered for travel and identified as a "Level 3 or Level 4" by the US State Department will not be considered.
- When traveling internationally, all travel is within a single country. In some cases, travel may be permitted between two countries.
- All travel must be within the confinement of two weeks.
Student Support Standards
- The Faculty Leader will provide a plan to prepare students for the travel experience to address the following:
- How payments are made.
- The physical and mental demands.
- Laws, cultural norms and overall safety.
Collaboration Standards
- Ability to effectively collaborate with the Department of Experiential Learning, travel providers, and internal departments including but not limited to:
- Be responsive to email
- Attend meetings
- Monitoring spreadsheets
- Participate in marketing and recruitment initiatives
- Maintain communication during travel
- Post trip debrief and financial reconciliation
Study Away Proposal Process
GRCC approves study away experiences through an annual proposal process.
Step 1: Submit the Study Away Pre-Proposal [submit by February 1st].
In this step, faculty will email their pre-proposal to their Department Head or Program Director (DH/PD) requesting for their feedback and support. This review ensures alignment to the faculty and curricular standards described above. Using the Pre-Proposal Rubric, the DH/PD will identify areas of concern/improvement. The DH/PD may consult other faculty, DH/PD’s, the Study Away Liaison, etc. Once you’ve received support from your DH/PD, faculty will then email their pre-proposal to their Dean requesting their feedback and support. Once you’ve received support from your Dean, faculty will then email their pre-proposal along with the rubric scores and feedback to the Director of Experiential Learning by February1st.
*Faculty are strongly encouraged to create a meeting with their Department Head or Program Director and Dean within two weeks of submission to capture feedback and allow time to make revisions.
Step 2: Submit the Study Away Full Proposal [submit by April1st]
In this step, faculty will submit the Full Proposal fleshing out the entire travel experience (travel logistics, itinerary, budget, etc.) and prepare for a brief presentation to the Study Away Review Team. The full proposal is emailed to the Director of Experiential Learning by April1st.
Step 3: Proposal Review.
In this step, all materials submitted as part of the Full Proposal are shared, reviewed and scored by members of the Study Away Review Team. Faculty are provided an opportunity to present at the final review team meeting to give a general overview of their proposal and answer questions. The Team will then make final recommendations to the Associate Provost, Instructional Support and Institutional Planning.
Proposals are scored under the following categories:
- Pre- and post-trip planning
- Program itinerary
- Health, Safety, and Security
- Accommodating students
- Laws and customs
- 12-month action plan
- Budget
Additional contributing factors include:
- Overall strength to the rubric.
- A new experience that has never been offered.
- Likelihood of the trip to recruit students.
- Direct impact on student's careers and professional practice.
- The number of trips going to the same county.
- The number of trips being offered in the same discipline.
- Is the trip/course available to all students?
- It describes creative ways to reduce the cost to students.
- Successful facilitation of student group travel experiences.
Proposal documents
The pre- and full proposals are combined into the below Google template. Simply copy the template and create your own google doc.
- Study Away Pre/Full Proposal
- Pre-Proposal Rubric (used by academic leadership)
- Full Proposal Rubric (used by the Study Away Review Team)
- Example Proposal [HU 274 - American Cinema Genres/Scotland/The Cinematic World of Harry Potter]
- Third-Party Provider: Guidelines and Support
Study Away Support
Faculty are best prepared when they have met with Sean Mackey. Sean provides leadership for supporting faculty in their effort of proposing a course with a study away experience and facilitates the professional development offerings. Sean supports faculty in their successful completion of the Study Away Proposal. He specializes in the following topics:
- Preparing a Study Away Proposal
- Working With a Third Party Provider
- Preparing Students for Study Away
- Minimizing Risk during Study Away
Contact information
- Sean Mackey, smackey@grcc.edu