A. Program Vision & Curricular Issues

How will students receive credit for the international experience?

• Create a list of academic outcomes for the experience and adjust the goals of trip to achieve the outcomes
• If a course is approved by University Curriculum Committee, it will satisfy the International Perspectives requirement for graduation, adding an incentive for students to take the class. Note: A 3 credit course would be the minimum to satisfy the IP requirement
• Decide the number of credits to be granted (1 credit per week of travel is a reasonable standard), can combine pre-departure course contact hours and field trip contact hours. A 3 credit course is the norm.
• If approved by the departmental curriculum committee as counting in major, then it satisfies other requirements and adds another incentive
• Establish prerequisites that limit site-seers but which are not too limiting

Develop a rough syllabus for a pre-trip seminar or course

• Academic background topics so students can appreciate goals of travel
• Possible basic language instruction if applicable
• Information on what to take, how to pack, and how to act
• Consider using guest lecturers on campus who can add expertise to student preparation, including the ISU travel nurse

Identify resources on campus

• College Study Abroad Office
• Study Abroad Center
• Faculty Partners (co-leaders, who know the host country)
• Experienced Program Directors
• Service Providers

Identify resources overseas

• Faculty Partners
• Former Graduate Students/Colleagues
• Host Institution
• Service Providers

B. Translating Concepts to Reality

Begin organizing logistics.

• You are a general contractor making all arrangements for travel, hotels, buses, etc.
• Contract with a commercial travel agent to provide basics of travel and living and you fill in with more specific instructional activities
• Use contacts at universities or agencies in country and have them set up the entire experience with your input on academic content
• CALS faculty should schedule an appointment with the CALS Study Abroad office, 294-1851 or jcornell@iastate.edu, 0018 Curtiss Hall, to learn more about the services provided. Non-CALS faculty should check with their own college international office or study abroad office.
• Revisit outcomes of the course and consider the kinds of activities and/or visits that will achieve those outcomes

Tips:

• Look at a map of a country or region to be visited and decide on a travel route (with alternatives) to and through the region, specifying key locations and people to be visited
• Decide on approximate itinerary-- inclusive of dates, cities and events to be visited; anticipated activities and sites to give students a sense of what the trip is about.  Try to set some concrete goals for each day, e.g. travel from xxx to xxx; or "to see the interior aspect of a rain forest and to investigate the concept of canopy biology"
• Lay out a tentative itinerary with one third day resolution; do this for morning and afternoon and evening. Set up instructional goals and list in the itinerary. Look at the itinerary and determine what is needed to accomplish goals, e.g. bus from xxx to xxx, guide in forest, and return transport. Pay attention to how you will feed, bed, instruct and transport group during each day. Group meals are nice in some remote locations or when itinerary requires it, other times students can get meals on their own so that they have a chance to mingle in the culture. If the duration of your trip allows, try to balance program time with free time students will have on their own. That way they are more receptive to group activities that follow.
  • Sample Itinerary 1 (PDF)
  • Sample Itinerary 2 (PDF)
• Use the EAC Program Planning & Approval Form’s budget form to help determine the program fee. It is better to estimate high costs at this point rather than low.
  • Planning & Approval Form (Faculty must contact Jodi Cornell before starting a proposal)
• Do a risk assessment on each phase of trip and review activities for potential liabilities taking steps to minimize. Use licensed carriers where possible. Add these risks to the risk section of the Program Planning Form      

Then:

Meet with the CALS Study Abroad Office to discuss:

• Contents of the application form that the students will complete, which will assist you in the selection process
• Setting up an account to receive student payments
• Assistance in completing the Program Planning & Approval Form
• Help in advertising
• Information on insurance
• Work out how bills will be paid from trip account

Dates for the required submission of proposals are about 9 months in advance of the course traveling abroad. Check the Education Abroad Committee website. This makes your trip an approved ISU course offering. Seek funding from your department and college to defray some of the course costs. Some programs have received funding from organizations affiliated with the scope of the course.

• If needed, talk to your Department Chair and College about a summer salary for you (if applicable) and other co-leader covering period of trip and some time before and after when you will be doing paper-work related to trip
• Contact service providers (hotels, buses, airlines, guide services, etc.) and get firm estimates of costs with amount due to make reservation and date of full payment. Investigate refund policy and latest cancellation dates. Inform students about refund policies and that late cancellations may well forfeit earlier deposits.  Always ask about free of charge policy because many hotels will give a free room of leaders if group size is 20. This also applies to airline tickets. The CALS Study Abroad office can get airline quotes for you. Update budget form with latest prices.
• You may need to make deposits at this time. Advance payments can be made with credit cards (University T&H Cards), wire transfers, or checks. The CALS Study Abroad office can assist you with all these things. Additional information on pre-payments can be found in the Program Director Handbook.
• To determine exact cost of trip, sum up group expenses to get a total budget. Subtract from total any funds that you have raised on campus such as group leader grants. Divide remainder by number of students paying to arrive at per student cost (this can be done using the budget form). This is the program fee and will be added to the students’ U Bills the semester of travel. Program fees are billed through the CALS Study Abroad. CALS Study Abroad will confirm fee amounts with you by accounts receivables deadlines (Fall billing due – first week of July; Spring billing due – first week of December; and Summer billing due – first week of April). When students pay their bills, money is automatically routed to your study abroad account. In addition to program fee, there are also tuition/fees (for summer programs that will be charged to students' Ubills too), and out-of-pocket expenditures.
• Consider how you want to evaluate the trip. If you need a baseline, consider doing some pre-trip evaluation during the orientation. If you are interested in using the post-trip evaluation developed by the CALS Study Abroad office, please contact Visha Arumugam.

• At a minimum, the pre-departure orientation must cover health, safety and risk issues. The CALS Study Abroad Office can assist with this preparation. General travel tips, money issues, local language and cultural preparation are important as well. Technical background will help students develop a context for what they will experience and learn on the trip. You can do this alone or invite in guest speakers. The seminar allows the group to get to know each other and allows you to set the tone for the trip, i.e. it is a course, not a vacation.
• Previous leaders have built in student ownership by having students complete assignments on trip locations, flora, fauna, geology, weather, politics, economics, and general tourist information. Have the students send links to you and insert in a trip web page or Facebook page that you develop. Some groups have had student “reporters” that take responsibility for weather reports, current events and interesting news from the host country.
• For example, Warren Dolphin, former international field trips in Biology program director, had students prepare a 10-page research paper with 10 references on some topic that relates to trip. These are called 10 X 10 papers. He suggested topics but was open to students proposing one. One-page outline was due in third week, 6-page outline in 6 week and paper is due about tenth week. Papers are read and commented on and returned to students before end of seminar. Students prepare a 20 to 30 minute talk on based on their paper. Talks are delivered on-site in country to group (sometimes with outsiders listening in) at a location that is appropriate to topic chosen, e.g. those choosing a Great Barrier Reef topic deliver their talks on the fore deck of the dive boat during a rest period between dives.
• Share with students your concerns about the trip and have them participate in developing a sensible code of conduct for the trip. Responsibility should be on the students and not always on the leader. Be sure to address expectations around alcohol and disruptive behavior.
• Layout a detailed itinerary with objectives, logistical information and day-to-day activities. Include phone, emails or links of locations where appropriate. This list can be shared with parents, etc. before you go on trip.
• Arrange extracurricular meetings so that group members can get to know one another. Have a student social committee to plan some games. Use it as an opportunity to share travel tips: packing, communication options, gear to bring, extending trip afterward, etc.
• As trip dates get closer watch currency exchange rates.
• If visas are needed for the country visiting, begin paperwork process for this. One service we have used successfully in the past is Perry Visa International, if you need a service.  The CALS Study Abroad office can assist with this as well.

• Using the information in the application forms the CALS Study Abroad office will prepare an emergency packet of information: Emergency contact information for all students (part of application form); Medical information for all students (part of application form); copy of passport/visa of all participants (can help with replacement if lost).
• Purchase or collect gifts for hosts
• Attend program director training. To register, contact Shelley Taylor.
  • CALS Study Abroad will assist you in applying for an Event Card (Purchasing card) to use during your program.
  • Decide how much cash you will need (university cash advance before trip, or ATM withdrawal in-country).
  • Finalize any advance payments, take receipts or confirmation with you
• Consider what your financial needs will be on the trip
• Submit final itinerary and contact information to the CALS Study Abroad office

• During trips, keep students informed of each day’s activities and the goals of those activities through daily morning briefings
• Consider reflection activities throughout the trip to maximize learning
• Keep excellent records on expenditures (keep all receipts, and take blank receipts as well). Additional information can be found in the Program Director Handbook.
• Encourage students to post program experiences on social media using #CALSGlobal
• Keep excellent records of incidences, review emergency procedures and student conduct policies.

Emergencies:

• In the event of an emergency situation, it is the first responsibility of the Program Director to provide for the immediate safety and security of all participants.
• In the event of an emergency situation, it is the second responsibility of the Program Director to immediately contact ISU via the ISU Global Emergency number which is 515-294-7700 or CALS Study Abroad personnel.

• Submit receipts to appropriate Account Specialist and reconciliation upon return. More information can be found in the Program Director Handbook.
• Post photos and comments on appropriate websites or social media sites. Helps to bring closure for group and sets up advertising for next group
• Submit a narrative report that summarizes the trip activities and suggests any changes that you might make for next time. If unexpected risks were encountered describe with suggestions for future minimizations.  Be sure to evaluate educational value as well as travel arrangements.
• Organize a reunion picnic to share photos and stories when convenient