INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION REPORT CUNY STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION REPORT 28-9 CUNY STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS Joy Phaphouvaninh International Education Coordinator Office of Undergraduate Education City University of New York June 21

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Participation by Home College... 4 Number of Students Enrolled in CUNY Sponsored and Non-CUNY Programs... 5 International Education Destinations... 6 Duration of Study Abroad Programs... 8 Participation in Semester Programs... 9 Types of CUNY International Programs... 1 Participation in Various Types of International Programs Conclusions and Recommendations Appendix A: Study Abroad Destinations Figures Figure 1: Student Participation by Home College... 4 Figure 2: Student Participation by Sponsoring College... 5 Figure 3: Student Participation in Study Abroad Programs by Geographical Region... 6 Figure 4: CUNY Programs by Geographical Region... 7 Figure 5: Length of International Study Abroad Activity... 8 Figure 6: Semester Program Participation by Sponsoring College... 9 Figure 7: Types of CUNY Programs... 1 Figure 8: Student Participation by Program Type

3 Introduction International education programs provide students with cultural and academic experiences that can be meaningfully integrated into their overall academic career. These experiences are increasingly seen as an essential aspect of a liberal education and preparation for students personal and professional lives beyond college. This report aims to provide a snapshot of student participation in international programs at City University of New York (CUNY) from Summer 28 to Spring 29. A survey was sent to Directors of Study Abroad and International Education Liaisons at CUNY s undergraduate campuses during the Fall of 29. Using the information submitted, the following charts show student participation trends in study abroad programs for that academic year. The primary findings are that 1,297 CUNY students participated in international programs from Summer 28 to Spring 29; Most of the students who studied abroad came from the senior colleges; CUNY students who studied abroad tended to participate in short-term programs; and The predominant continent for study was Europe. Given the relatively small percentage of students who participate in international travel/study opportunities, there is much room for growth in the larger area of international education. A note on terminology: Study abroad in normal parlance refers to any international study outside of the United States. In this report, study abroad will be employed in the same way. The exceptions are in the sections titled, Types of CUNY International Programs and Participation in Various Types of International Programs, where study abroad refers to a specific type of program offered pursuant to an international agreement that a CUNY college has with a host university or institution abroad. Such a program is developed and run by the host educational institution or private provider and courses are taught by the host institution s faculty (pages 1-12). 3

4 Number of Students Participation by Home College Baruch BMCC BCC Brooklyn CCNY CSI Grad Center Hostos Hunter JJay KBCC LaGCC Lehman MEC NYCCT Queens QCC York Home College Figure 1: Student Participation by Home College Figure 1 provides information on student participation in study abroad programs by their sending institution. The senior colleges send more students abroad than do the community colleges or comprehensives. Of the 1,297 students who went abroad, Hunter College was home to the largest number, 31, followed by Baruch, with 193 students abroad, Queens with 181, and City College with 174. BMCC sends far more students abroad than other community colleges, with 61 going abroad in BMCC s success in this area can be traced to the 198s when the College s students voted in a referendum to designate a portion of student activities fees for study abroad, an action approved by the Board of Trustees. This enabled the development of international faculty-led programs and the provision of student scholarships for study abroad at the campus. 4

5 Number of Students Number of Students Enrolled in CUNY Sponsored and Non-CUNY Programs Baruch BMCC BCC Brooklyn CCNY CSI Hostos Hunter John Jay KBCC LAGCC Lehman Medgar Evers NYCCT Queens QCC York Non-CUNY Sponsoring College Figure 2: Student Participation by Sponsoring College Students are not limited to participating in programs sponsored by their home colleges. They can enroll in nearly every program that CUNY s sister colleges sponsor. Students are also able to participate in non-cuny programs either as directly enrolled international students at a university abroad or as participants in a program sponsored by a non-cuny college, university, or study abroad provider. Queens, Hunter, and the College of Staten Island are the CUNY colleges that are most active in the development of study abroad and exchange programs. They send the greatest number of students abroad through their sponsored programs. Queens and Hunter offer a mix of study abroad programs directed by host institutions, student exchange programs, and faculty-led programs. CSI s programs are held at host institutions abroad. It should be noted that these three colleges also have well staffed study abroad offices. The next most active campus in developing and sponsoring programs is Brooklyn College. Brooklyn is unique in that its programs are faculty-led, meaning that a Brooklyn professor designs and teaches the courses abroad. Community colleges trail the senior colleges in program sponsorship, with the exception of BMCC. Baruch College and City College do not typically serve as program sponsors. In both cases, however, a substantial number of their students go abroad. This indicates that Baruch and City students are availing themselves of opportunities throughout and beyond CUNY. In 28-9, 12 students participated in non-cuny programs, although information is not presented on their participation by college. 5

6 Number of Students International Education Destinations North America Central America Caribbean South America Europe Middle East Africa Asia Australia Various/Unknown Regions of the World Figure 3: Student Participation in Study Abroad Programs by Geographical Region Figure 3 indicates the level of student participation in both CUNY and non-cuny programs by geographic location. The region that attracts the most students for study abroad is Europe, which drew 57.7% of CUNY students who studied abroad. This is in-line with the national trend reported by the Institute of International Education Open Doors Report in The Institute found that 56.3% of all U.S. study abroad students went to Europe. For CUNY students, Asia was the second most popular destination, but this represented just over 15% of the students who studied abroad. This was followed by locations in South America and the Caribbean. Just 5% of the students studied in Africa or the Middle East combined. 1 International Education Open Doors 29 Fast Facts: Doors 6

7 Number of CUNY Programs International Education Destinations (continued) North America Central America Caribbean South America Europe Middle East Africa Asia Australia Regions of the World Figure 4: CUNY Programs by Geographical Region Figure 4 indicates the number of CUNY programs available to students by region. There are more CUNY programs offered in Europe than in any other region of the world. See Appendix A for data on study abroad destinations by country (page 16). 7

8 Number of Students Duration of Study Abroad Programs Academic Year Semester Short-Term Embedded Short-Term Program Length Figure 5: Length of International Study Abroad Activity CUNY students tend to enroll in programs that are short-term, typically 4 weeks or less for CUNY programs. This also is reflective of the national trend as reported by the Institute of International Education Open Doors Report in The Institute found that 56.3% of study abroad students studied in short-term programs. The difference is that the Open Doors Report defines short-term programs as being eight weeks or less. Given the range of demands on CUNY students, it appears that programs of shorter duration are more feasible and attractive for students. The column Embedded Short-Term in this chart refers to the one-week Salzburg Global Seminar Program offered by KBCC that takes place during the spring break of the spring semester. 2 International Education Open Doors 29 Fast Facts,: Doors 8

9 Number of Students Participation in Semester Programs Baruch Brooklyn CCNY College of Staten Island Sponsoring College 1 Hunter Lehman Queens Non-CUNY Figure 6: Semester Program Participation by Sponsoring College Figure 6 provides additional data on the 194 students who participated in semester-long programs. Queens College sponsored 39 students who studied abroad for a semester, more than any other college. This reflects the number of CUNY students attending the long-standing NY/Paris Exchange Program that is open to all CUNY students but administered by a faculty program director located at Queens. Despite the numbers participating in Queens, Baruch, CSI and Hunter s programs, the data indicate that about one-third of CUNY students go outside of CUNY for semester-long programs. Further analysis would be needed to determine what academic program areas and locations are attracting students for semester-long programs and which students are seeking these longer term opportunities. 9

10 Number of CUNY Programs Types of CUNY International Programs CUNY Study Abroad CUNY Student Exchange CUNY Faculty Led Type of Program Figure 7: Types of CUNY Programs CUNY programs are categorized into three groups; CUNY study abroad, CUNY student exchange programs, and CUNY faculty led programs. According to CUNY s Tuition and Fee Manual and international agreements procedure, a CUNY study abroad program is offered pursuant to an international agreement that a CUNY college has with a host university or institution abroad. 3,4 A study abroad program is developed and run by the host educational institution or private provider and courses are taught by the host institution s faculty. CUNY students receive academic credit for successful completion of the program. Students receive CUNY credits directly for CUNY-sponsored study abroad programs. Student exchange programs are also based on an agreement with a host institution. However, the programs are based on the reciprocal exchange of students. There must be both outgoing CUNY students attending the host institution and incoming students from the host institution enrolling at CUNY. CUNY students pay CUNY tuition and the tuition stays at CUNY instead of 3 CUNY Tuition and Fee Manual (Rev 9/3), Part III.G.3 (Tuition Charges\Guidelines Governing International Programs\General Program Management), 4 CUNY International Agreements: Procedure and Model Documents: 1

11 Number of Students being remitted to the host institution. The reverse holds true for the incoming students. CUNY faculty-led programs are taught by CUNY faculty using CUNY-approved curricula. Not included in Figure 7 are Non-CUNY programs. These are not affiliated with CUNY. Students learn about them and attend independently, although arrangements are typically made prior to their departure for the transfer of credits back to their college. Almost half of the programs offered through CUNY are study abroad programs; almost a third are faculty led programs, and a fifth are exchange programs. Participation in Various Types of International Programs CUNY Study Abroad CUNY Student Exchange CUNY Faculty Led Non-CUNY Type of Program Figure 8: Student Participation by Program Type Figure 8 displays the types of programs in which students participated in The majority of students, a total of 1,117, participated in CUNY-sponsored study abroad, student exchange, and faculty-led programs. One-hundred and twenty (12) students enrolled in non-cuny programs. Of the students who participated in CUNY programs, over half of them enrolled in study abroad programs at host institutions abroad or in private provider programs. About fifteen percent (15%) enrolled in exchange programs at host institutions abroad, and about 35% participated in CUNY faculty-led programs. It may be interesting to note here that although students receive direct credit from all international CUNY programs, tuition monies for those CUNY study abroad programs are remitted to the host institutions abroad or to provider programs. Tuition for student exchange and faculty-led programs is retained by CUNY. 11

12 Conclusions and Recommendations CUNY is at a turning point with regards to international education and study abroad. Assessing current study abroad activities is the first step in mapping out the scope of the University s activity and determining the University s future direction. Study abroad is one way to internationalize students experiences at CUNY and has been the primary focus of this report. However, as the importance of global competencies have been widely acknowledged by higher education associations as being integral to general education in the twenty-first century, CUNY needs to further develop international education opportunities from both a curricular and cocurricular perspective. CUNY enrolled over 244, students in degree programs in spring 29. Only 1,297 of these students studied abroad. This represents half of one percent (.5%) of the University s student body. The University needs to fully embrace the importance of students engaging in carefully planned and deliberate learning opportunities that take them beyond their neighborhoods and into the obvious and hidden corners of the world, so that they can become better prepared to meet the challenges of the future. The following recommendations are aimed at advancing our understanding of international education activities as well as increasing the number of such programs and student participation in them. The University must expand its study abroad opportunities so that larger numbers of students can have this important educational opportunity. The data presented in this report speak to the limited scope of study abroad activity at CUNY. They do not provide an explanation for why activity in this area is so limited. While further research is warranted, it is important to review CUNY s administrative procedures and support systems to insure that students have the maximum access possible to international programs. Study abroad is an inherently complex area that demands clear administrative policy and procedures that are developed and shared across the traditional silos of higher education. This will provide for rigorous, safe, and affordable programs that are available to the widest range of students. In discussion with the Directors of Study Abroad and International Education Liaisons these are some of the structural areas that should be pursued. Financing Study Abroad: Financing study abroad appears to be a serious obstacle to student participation. Even the shortest programs require students to take off a minimum of two to four weeks from work and/or other responsibilities in order to participate. The limited resources of many students coupled with the loss of potential income from work can adversely affect participation in these programs. Scholarship funds might be the one of the best tools to encourage students to strive to go abroad. Because scholarship funding is limited, the University should try to both design more affordable programs and to build sustainable sources of scholarship money from both internal and external sources. BMCC s use of student fees provides one such model. 12

13 CUNY Policy that Impacts Program Development: The CUNY Tuition and Fee Manual prohibits programs from charging students fees to cover any overseas expenses related to a faculty member including salary, travel, lodging, etc. 5 This policy inhibits the development of CUNY faculty-led programs because organizers cannot include the cost of faculty participation in the program fee. Faculty-led programs offer many advantages, including control over the curriculum by CUNY faculty members and colleges, enhanced ability to create connections between faculty members and students, and the sponsoring of what can become CUNY learning communities abroad. Faculty-led programs can embody the concept of the integrated university. These strengths of faculty-led programs can lead them to have lasting impact on student learning and global awareness. If the prohibition on funding faculty participation through student fees were changed, more faculty members might decide to initiate and lead such programs. Administrative Practices to enhance Study Abroad Opportunities: Registration: The current registration processes at the campuses do not consistently identify study abroad programs or designate them by type. In addition, the students who participate in them are not always identified. While all students who study abroad should be coded STABD, this does not always occur because some students study abroad in sections of classes that are also offered at the college. The lack of consistent registration codes for study abroad students makes it difficult to quickly and easily know where students are in the world or track program participation over time. Campus-Based Study Abroad Offices: The staffing structures at each college for developing and administering international programs require further review and possible change. To adequately develop and sustain international programs requires a wide range of activities, including advising students who want to study abroad, visiting international sites for program development and monitoring, providing professional development for faculty members participating in campus-based programs, and maintaining adequate information systems to insure that students and faculty members studying abroad can be reached at all times. Safety and Risk Management: Student and faculty safety is a top concern. The Office for Undergraduate Education, together with the offices of the General Counsel and Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management, is finalizing CUNY International Travel Guidelines. When the guidelines are rolled out, the CUNY Central Office (Academic Affairs, Legal Affairs, and Risk Management offices) should provide training for faculty study abroad program leaders in the areas of risk management and emergency response. Improved Program Coordination: The Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) in conjunction with the International Education Liaisons from all CUNY campuses is developing Guidelines for International Program Development that outline existing procedures for international program development, registration, billing/bursar s practices, and legal contracts. The guidelines will also clarify issues such as the use of financial aid for academic credit-bearing international experiences. Once complete, the Guidelines need to be widely disseminated to students, faculty and staff who advise students to insure that existing 5 CUNY Tuition and Fee Manual (Rev 9/3), Part III.G.3 (Tuition Charges\Guidelines Governing International Programs\General Program Management), 13

14 procedures are clearly understood by all participants. It may be decided that further standardization of practices is desirable by the various administrative offices throughout the University. Need for ongoing evaluation and assessment of CUNY s study abroad programs. This report represents the first step in examining study abroad programs at CUNY. There are several directions that future monitoring, assessment and evaluation can take. Office of Institutional Research and Assessment Data: Using data from CUNY s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA), it is possible to pursue several issues related to the impact of study abroad programs. For example, students who participate in study abroad programs can be tracked in terms of retention rates, GPA, and other measures of student success. To make sure the most reliable data are available for analysis, the issue of registration coding needs to be solved. Office of Undergraduate Education Data Collection: Independent data collection by the CUNY Office of Undergraduate Education could be further refined. The survey used for this report could be modified to include such information such as the academic disciplines and fields of study currently offered. Nationally, the top three fields of study for study abroad are social sciences, business and management, and humanities. 6 National data also show that students in the STEM fields are underrepresented in study abroad, with only 16% of all study abroad students majoring in the STEM fields. 7 Beyond the types of programs CUNY offers, a deeper understanding of the format of these programs such as intensive-language, service-learning, and fieldwork-based could be valuable. Additionally, assessments could be made to find to what extent the students interact with the host community and culture within the programs. For example, one question is if the programs offer or require home stays with local families. Other questions for exploration concern the location of CUNY study abroad programs. It is not known, for example, whether CUNY students would participate in greater numbers in programs outside of Europe if more programs were available in other regions and if their costs were comparable to those of programs based in Europe. External Assessment Tools: There are several instruments in the field of international education to gauge students learning in intercultural skills. One example is A Guide to Outcomes Assessment in Education Abroad, published by the Forum on Education Abroad, the leading professional association for the study abroad field. 8 This guide leads institutions through designing assessment projects, discussing methods and instruments, and the rationale and value behind their use. Another example is Global Perspectives Inventory (GPI) that measures 6 International Education Open Doors 29 Fast Facts,: Doors 7 Promoting Study Abroad in Science and Technology Fields IIE Study Abroad White Paper Series, Issue Number 5, March 29 _WhitePaper5.pdf

15 students cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal development. 9 also be pursued at the program or campus level. These types of activities can Internationalization should not be limited to study abroad opportunities. An Inventory of Internationalization Efforts at CUNY: The University can serve its students if both the knowledge of the complex and interconnected world and the skills to navigate successfully within it are conceived as valuable and foundational components of a university education. A comprehensive review of global, international, or intercultural programs and courses within the undergraduate education curricula at CUNY would clearly identify the existing teaching in global studies that takes place outside of study abroad. Internationalization of Student and Academic Affairs: Given its dynamic student body and its location in New York City, which is a transportation portal to the rest of the world, CUNY has much potential to develop and deliver exciting international programming both on and off its campuses. Because the New York metropolitan area flourishes in multicultural diversity and there are approximately 1, international students who attend CUNY, the opportunities to build dynamic pre-departure workshops, reentry programs and other types of international programming are vast. Students who are interested in study abroad could prepare for the experience with international students from their destination. Returned study abroad students could continue language practice and learning about the country they have visited with the communities in diaspora in New York City. By connecting with local communities, multinational companies, governmental embassies and consulates, and intergovernmental agencies, the opportunities to delve deeply into issues such as globalization, sustainability, international political processes, and cultural integration and assimilation at various levels would not only enhance any international travel/study experience, but also be valuable opportunities in and of themselves. This is especially true for those students who will not be able to physically travel abroad. Finally, there is the possibility of bringing these opportunities into the classroom through service-based learning, undergraduate research and other curricular offerings

16 Appendix A: Study Abroad Destinations Program Destination Countries Number of CUNY Students in CUNY Programs Number of CUNY Students in Non- CUNY Programs Total Argentina Australia Austria Bahamas 1 1 Barbuda 7 7 Brazil Chile 2 2 China Costa Rica 9 9 Czech Republic 4 4 Denmark 7 7 Dominican Republic Ecuador France Germany Ghana Greece India Ireland Israel Italy Japan Korea 1 1 Mexico 1 1 Morocco 2 2 Namibia 1 1 New Zealand 1 1 Poland 1 1 Puerto Rico Russia 2 2 Rwanda 2 2 Sierra Leone 2 2 South Africa South Korea 3 3 Spain Sweden Taiwan 1 1 Tanzania Turkey 1 1 United Arab Emirates 1 1 United Kingdom United States (Hawaii) Various 3 3 Grand Total