RWU Experts Collaborate On Study Abroad Handbook

From Roger Williams University: As short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs continue to grow and gain prominence nationally, a new book edited and written by study abroad experts at Roger Williams University and Wake Forest University offers readers a detailed framework and guidance on how to plan and implement such programs.

In recent years, more than 300,000 American university students have studied abroad for credit. Of those, some 60 percent were short-term experiences of two to eight weeks.

Despite this, there aren’t many books that outline what these short-term experiences should look like or how they should be implemented. This volume, titled “Passport to Change: Designing Academically Sound, Culturally Relevant Short-Term Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs,” is a critical resource for faculty or administrators preparing to establish a short-term study abroad program.

The book is edited by Roger Williams University’s Susan Lee Pasquarelli, professor of language, literacy and cultural studies, and Robert A. Cole, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Education. A third editor, Michael J. Tyson, is the assistant director of short-term study abroad programs at Wake Forest University.

“One of the major strands in the book addresses the importance of designing challenging curriculum with clear student learning outcomes,” said Pasquarelli, who has conducted a yearly RWU short-term, study abroad program in Sicily and Rome since 2005. “While creating the volume, we focused on identifying research-based curriculum elements to be sure that when we’re abroad we are providing the same rigor as we do in a university classroom.”

“We didn't want it to just be a theory-based book on curriculum development overlaid against the backdrop of being abroad,” Cole said. “We wanted to show what a deeply rigorous, academically sound study abroad program should look like.”

Along with Cole and Pasquarelli, the book features nine RWU professors who contributed to the book based on their experiences abroad with RWU students in places such as El Salvador, Panama, Belize, China and Ireland. Combined with faculty from Wake Forest, the RWU contributors also suggest logistics for managing program details at home – such as recruiting and marketing – and while abroad.

“Through the book, readers will understand the difference between experiences that are more touristic than scholarly,” Cole said. “They’ll also understand how to design and market the programs to ensure the student experience is culturally relevant to the international site.”

The other RWU professors who contributed to the book are Bilge Gokhan Celik, Dale Leavitt, Roxanne O’Connell, Autumn Quezada de Tavarez, Michael Scully, Kerri Staroscik Warren, Paul Webb, Brian Wysor and Min Zhou. They each contributed or collaborated on a chapter.

The book, published by Stylus Publishing, is available now.

About RWU: With campuses on the coast of Bristol and in the heart of Providence, R.I., Roger Williams University is a forward-thinking private university committed to strengthening society through engaged teaching and learning. At RWU, small classes, direct access to faculty and guaranteed opportunity for real-world projects ensure that its nearly 4,000 undergraduates – along with hundreds of law students, graduate students and adult learners – graduate with the ability to think critically along with the practical skills that today’s employers demand. Roger Williams is leading the way in American higher education, confronting the most pressing issues facing students and families – increasing costs, rising debt and job readiness.

Photo courtesy of Roger Williams University