Planning Short-Term Programs
Short-term programs are a popular avenue for gaining education abroad experience. These programs are usually of a limited duration (frequently less than four weeks) and focused on some aspect of international exposure.
Various travel and trips may fall under the rubric of a short-term program abroad, including:
- Faculty-led program;
- Field research or study;
- Conference and symposium attendance, or
- Service, intern, or volunteer opportunities.
For study abroad, short-term (faculty-led) programs approval resides at the college level. Faculty or staff interested in designing and leading a program must work with their college study abroad office. For those colleges or schools without a study abroad office, interested faculty or staff should work with Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange (IAGE), who will coordinate with relevant academic unit administrators for sign-off/approvals.
Should you lead a short-term program?
Leading a short-term program abroad can be very rewarding as students are exposed to new ideas, cultures, languages, geographic environments, and memories that will have a lasting impact. However, experienced faculty comment that leading a short-term program often requires more work than teaching a semester course on campus. We have outlined some of the increased responsibilities that first-time leaders should be aware of below.
Next: Considerations
If you are ready to lead a short-term program, review these Considerations before you begin planning your program.