UNIVERSITY WORLD NEWS Febr 10, 2015
UNITED STATES
Mary Beth Marklein07 February 2015 Issue No:353
The Institute of International Education, or IIE, a non-profit group based in New York, is attempting to enlist the help of elementary and secondary school teachers in its bid to double the number of US college students who study abroad.
Last week it launched a drive to involve 1,000 school teachers in its Generation Study Abroad campaign, launched last spring, whose aim is ... to build a pipeline of high school graduates who enter college eager and prepared to study abroad.
Uniquely positioned
"Teachers are uniquely positioned to inspire curiosity about the world," says Daniel Obst, deputy vice-president for the IIE's international partnerships in higher education.
The campaign is driven by concerns that most US college students are unprepared to work in a global economy, particularly when compared with students from other countries.
Last year, for example, a record 886,052 international students enrolled in US colleges, up 8% from the previous year and a steep rise from a decade ago, when enrollments dipped after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Most are enrolled in degree programs.
In contrast, fewer than 10% of US college students earn college credits abroad each year, most of them on short-term programs that complement their studies at home. In 2012-13, the latest year for which the IIE has data, 289,408 US students had studied abroad – also a record, but a relatively flat 2% increase from the previous year.
Generation Study Abroad aims to send 600,000 US students abroad by 2019, when the IIE marks its centennial anniversary.
The IIE, which for years has tracked annual international enrollments based on credit-bearing coursework, two years ago began asking institutions for information related to non-credit-bearing experiences such as work, research, internships and community service abroad.
That data are not included in its annual study abroad report but paint a broader picture of recent trends and student experiences. The number of US students involved in those areas was 12,758 in 2011-12 and 15,089 in 2012-13.
Taking the pledge
About 140 school teachers from more than 35 states, most of whom already have ties with the IIE, have so far taken the pledge in which they vow to take specific steps designed to expand awareness and generate interest in the importance of global citizenship.
Craig Divis, a social studies teacher at Bellows Falls Union High School in Vermont, for example, said he plans to bring in guest speakers from other countries or those who have recently studied abroad.
A primary barrier is cost. Since launching last year, Generation Study Abroad has secured commitments from about 500 organisations, several of which offer financial aid.
The Council on International Educational Exchange, or CIEE, pledged to provide US$20 million in scholarships and grants by 2020. And at least 13 foreign institutions and governments, some of whom have committed to provide scholarships, have signed on.
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, meanwhile, provides language teaching tools, and 10 US universities have pledged to require students to study abroad.
Concerns about the lack of international experience among young adults have also spurred the US federal government to respond. The State Department recently created a US Study Abroad Office to manage its scholarship programs and to promote the benefits of study abroad to US students, parents, faculty and education administrators.
The White House hosted a study abroad summit in December, where officials encouraged about 130 travel bloggers and digital media outlets to write stories extolling the value of study abroad.
The summit "was an interesting effort to try to broaden the advocates for education abroad", said attendee Brian Whalen, the president of The Forum on Education Abroad, a non-profit based at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
But he added, it remains incumbent on teachers to "do a good job of articulating what study abroad is all about, making sure students understand it's not a vacation... There's always a danger of it becoming too closely associated with travel."
Last week it launched a drive to involve 1,000 school teachers in its Generation Study Abroad campaign, launched last spring, whose aim is ... to build a pipeline of high school graduates who enter college eager and prepared to study abroad.
Uniquely positioned
"Teachers are uniquely positioned to inspire curiosity about the world," says Daniel Obst, deputy vice-president for the IIE's international partnerships in higher education.
The campaign is driven by concerns that most US college students are unprepared to work in a global economy, particularly when compared with students from other countries.
Last year, for example, a record 886,052 international students enrolled in US colleges, up 8% from the previous year and a steep rise from a decade ago, when enrollments dipped after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Most are enrolled in degree programs.
In contrast, fewer than 10% of US college students earn college credits abroad each year, most of them on short-term programs that complement their studies at home. In 2012-13, the latest year for which the IIE has data, 289,408 US students had studied abroad – also a record, but a relatively flat 2% increase from the previous year.
Generation Study Abroad aims to send 600,000 US students abroad by 2019, when the IIE marks its centennial anniversary.
The IIE, which for years has tracked annual international enrollments based on credit-bearing coursework, two years ago began asking institutions for information related to non-credit-bearing experiences such as work, research, internships and community service abroad.
That data are not included in its annual study abroad report but paint a broader picture of recent trends and student experiences. The number of US students involved in those areas was 12,758 in 2011-12 and 15,089 in 2012-13.
Taking the pledge
About 140 school teachers from more than 35 states, most of whom already have ties with the IIE, have so far taken the pledge in which they vow to take specific steps designed to expand awareness and generate interest in the importance of global citizenship.
Craig Divis, a social studies teacher at Bellows Falls Union High School in Vermont, for example, said he plans to bring in guest speakers from other countries or those who have recently studied abroad.
A primary barrier is cost. Since launching last year, Generation Study Abroad has secured commitments from about 500 organisations, several of which offer financial aid.
The Council on International Educational Exchange, or CIEE, pledged to provide US$20 million in scholarships and grants by 2020. And at least 13 foreign institutions and governments, some of whom have committed to provide scholarships, have signed on.
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, meanwhile, provides language teaching tools, and 10 US universities have pledged to require students to study abroad.
Concerns about the lack of international experience among young adults have also spurred the US federal government to respond. The State Department recently created a US Study Abroad Office to manage its scholarship programs and to promote the benefits of study abroad to US students, parents, faculty and education administrators.
The White House hosted a study abroad summit in December, where officials encouraged about 130 travel bloggers and digital media outlets to write stories extolling the value of study abroad.
The summit "was an interesting effort to try to broaden the advocates for education abroad", said attendee Brian Whalen, the president of The Forum on Education Abroad, a non-profit based at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
But he added, it remains incumbent on teachers to "do a good job of articulating what study abroad is all about, making sure students understand it's not a vacation... There's always a danger of it becoming too closely associated with travel."
I never really thought about how we might be unprepared for global work since we do not travel much beyond our own country. Of course, since our country is so large and quite young, it makes sense that we don't experience as many different cultures as those students in Europe.
ReplyDeleteNatMan schrieb am 12. Februar:
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to see the IIE pushing for more studying abroad, especially since I'm very interested in studying abroad myself.
Studying abroad would be an amazing learning experience not just academically, but you would also get a chance to experience different cultures.
ReplyDelete