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Guidance for Developing an Instructor-Led Study Abroad Program

Guidance for Developing an Instructor-Led Study Abroad Program

Traveling with a faculty or staff member on a study abroad program may be one of the most impactful and gratifying experiences of a student’s academic career at the University of Michigan. This page outlines key considerations to help you create an instructor-led program that meets your academic or co-curricular learning objectives while providing students with a safe and culturally rich experience. The purpose of this page is to supplement sponsoring school, college, or unit processes for developing instructor-led programs and to guide program leaders who may be interested in developing new programs or fine-tuning existing programs.

At the University of Michigan, there is no central study abroad office. Rather, schools, colleges, or units have an office (or multiple offices) dedicated to supporting education abroad activities, or staff members whose role is dedicated to supporting education abroad activities. Some schools, colleges, or units have defined proposal processes for instructor-led study abroad programs, while others may have more informal processes. Be sure to work with the school, college, or unit that is sponsoring your instructor-led program to outline processes and create timelines for each step.

For the purposes of this guidance, the definition of Program Leader includes any faculty or staff who is assuming some responsibility for a cohort of students on a University of Michigan Related Travel experience abroad. See definition of “Group Travel” in the International Travel Policy for more details. The school, college, or unit sponsoring the experience may have other names for faculty and staff who are leading programs abroad.

Complete Post-Program Follow-Up

  • Submit all program expenses to school/college/unit.
  • Submit grades by the required deadline, if the course is offered for credit.
  • Meet with the administrator in your sponsoring school/college/unit to share lessons learned and complete any post-program processes.

Consider offering your students a post-program meeting to collectively “unpack” their education abroad experience.

  • Explore new skills gained, unexpected experiences, and changes as persons, citizens, and scholars.
  • Discuss how they plan to incorporate their learning abroad into their academic and professional careers.
  • Include an assessment to gather feedback on their program experience and possible improvements for the future.

Consult with your school/college for ways that returnees can get involved in continuing to promote education abroad; for example:

  • Enter photos from their experience abroad into the Global Photo Showcase.
  • Share their experience abroad to be featured on Global Michigan.
  • Participate in study abroad fairs as representatives.
  • Work in an international office as a student ambassador.