International and Comparative Education Commons^™

Identifying The Gaps In Resources For Education In Emergencies, Kate Chung

Capstone Collection

When children are thrust into emergencies, either by natural disasters or man-made conflict, education has until recently always taken a backseat. The field of humanitarian aid which focuses on the delivery of material assistance to people in emergency settings, has become more professionalized over the past two decades as conflicts become more complex. Humanitarian aid has always involved the provision of food, shelter and medical care. In the past few decades, however, education for those affected by emergencies that focuses on the practical provision of livelihood skills while also conveying conflict resolution and peace-building skills has become an increasingly important …

Robotics In Japan: A Program Design For The Experiment In International Living, Allison Barnes

Capstone Collection

“Robotics in Japan” is a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) based program design for The Experiment in International Living (The Experiment). This design is for a four-week program for high school students. It is grounded in The Experiment’s mission and basic program structure. The purpose of Robotics in Japan is to add a STEM-based program to The Experiment’s portfolio in one of The Experiment’s most popular and marketable countries. In addition, this design adds a computer and technology theme, an area within STEM that has even less representation in The Experiment’s portfolio. In this paper, all necessary aspects to …

Creating Global Citizens Through Returnee Programming, Kristen Foos

Capstone Collection

The purpose of study abroad is to facilitate students’ journey to global citizenship and a large part in doing this is having effective returnee programming. This research focused on what type of program models best facilitate this goal and are of interest to students at Washington State University (WSU). To answer this question, 12 WSU peer advisors, 4 global learning advisors at WSU, and 5 global learning advisors at other institutions were all interviewed. Along with that, a survey was sent out to all WSU student who had studied abroad within the past year. The results demonstrated that when WSU …

Accent Modification Program: A Program For Foreign-Born Employees At St. Jude Children’S Research Hospital, Lisa Gaddy

Capstone Collection

Some foreign national employees lack English proficiency, have poor pronunciation skills, and find it difficult to be understood due to their strong native accent when speaking English. The Accent Modification Program (AMP) is designed to provide an opportunity for non-native English-speaking employees at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, primarily postdoctoral research associates, to advance their English-speaking skills especially as it relates to oral presentation proficiency. The program design is informed by the needs assessment based on data collection via personal interviews, professional observations and experience of the author. AMP will provide regularly scheduled group sessions with a native-English speaking facilitator. …

The Short-Term Youth Exchange Program, Kristia Grandison

Capstone Collection

The study abroad world is constantly changing and adapting to the diverse needs of the global market. One current trend in France is the demand for students to begin studying abroad at a younger age, when many people believe it is easier to learn new languages and develop intercultural skills. Informed by needs assessment with members of the community at Saint-Denis International School, located in Loches France, I designed the short-term French youth exchange program. This three-week program will take place during the academic year and was designed for preadolescent students in 6^th and 7^th grade (ages 10 …

Beyond The Buzzwords: A Framework Of Inclusive Excellence For Leader Hiring And Training At The Experiment In International Living, Chelsea Johnson

Capstone Collection

“Beyond the Buzzwords” examines practices in group leader hiring and training at The Experiment in International Living (The Experiment) through a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion, focusing primarily on racial identity and whiteness. As members of the diverse Generation Z, Experiment students experience myriad manifestations of social identity, amplified by the context of their host countries. Their adult group leaders, who historically are majority white female, are the stewards of their educational experience, responsible for mitigating identity-related incidents while supporting all students’ learning and growth.

Drawing upon principles of experiential and transformative learning, social justice education, student identity development, …

You Can't Teach Global Engagement: Solving The Dilemma Of How To Integrate Academic And Cultural Learning Objectives Within A Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program, Michele Raphoon

Capstone Collection

The short-term, faculty-led study abroad program is the primary study abroad experience for students attending LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. Over time, the program became less focused on its mission of providing an exploratory experience of culture, global issues and academic rigor and became more of a one to three week “trip”. The purpose of this study is to design a course that demonstrates a way to combine the academic content with intercultural learning showing how a short-term faculty-led course can have a greater impact on the student and their personal and professional goals. This course, entitled L’Art de Vivre: …

Elements Of Successful Education Abroad Programs For Stem And Vocational Students: Lessons From The University Of Wisconsin – Stout, Polytechnic, Amy Kelley

Capstone Collection

In a globalized economy, wherein manufacturing and knowledge trade are international, STEM – science, technology, engineering, math – and vocational degrees lead to international career paths. International experience through education abroad is relevant, therefore, to preparing STEM and vocational students preparing for these international paths. The University of Wisconsin – Stout, Polytechnic (Stout) serves as a case-study for the question: “What elements or structures of an education abroad program should be emphasized to build programs which best serve STEM and vocational students’ unique needs, creating an optimal environment for learning and growth, while preparing them for global careers?” Data collection …

Peacebuilding And Community Development, A Civic Engagement Program For Vietnamese Undergraduate Students In Cambodia, Thuy Nguyen

Capstone Collection

This proposal presents a program design for the Peace Building and Community Development program, a ten-week civic engagement program for undergraduate Vietnamese students in Cambodia during the summer break. This is a new program model proposed to Sarus, a leadership and peace education organization, which has run its programs mostly in the form of short-term exchange programs. The program will be executed by Sarus in partnership with higher education institutions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and community partner organizations in Cambodia. The program aims to give students exposure to a multicultural environment, opportunities for holistic development, as well as …

Siena College Summer Institute: A Program Design For A Short-Term Program For Students From Siena's International Exchange Universities., Angelique Turman Corchado

Capstone Collection

This is a proposal of a program design for a three week summer program at Siena College for international students from Siena’s partner universities in Brazil and Columbia. The current trend of increased participation in short-term programs abroad has lead to the need for more programs. This is especially the case for thematic short-term programs for international students in the United States, as there is a lack of affordable options that offer college credit. The program’s curriculum is based on the Holistic and Emerging Adulthood development theories to ensure it meets the cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal needs of the students. …

Music As A Cultural Gateway: A Short-Term Folk Music Program In Albania, Catherine Pierattini

Capstone Collection

Folk songs have been described as a musical representation of a society’s entire culture. The field of ethnomusicology combines aspects of music and anthropology, and the study of folk music can give considerable insight into worldviews, histories, and traditions. Yet there are few study abroad program providers using this discipline as an approach to cultural analysis and exploration.

The proposed Middlebury Music Studies in Albania program would introduce diverse folk music traditions in three distinct cities, giving students the chance to learn the basics of the Albanian language, understand the historical, geographical, and social influences on the music in the …

Reimagining The College As A Safe Haven: The Marlboro Community Asylum Seekers Project, Emma Huse

Capstone Collection

This paper introduces a program design for Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont that combines a credit-bearing course on asylum, displacement, and community-engaged learning with a collaborative initiative to host asylum seekers who might otherwise be held indefinitely in immigration detention at the college. Inspiration for the Marlboro Community Asylum Seekers Project arose from a campus-community partnership working to bring asylum seekers to Marlboro in 2019 and the acknowledgement by many stakeholders of the learning potential for all parties, including students at the college. The program curriculum is grounded in experiential and critical service learning theory and reflects a preliminary needs …

Internationalization Through Study Abroad At Miami University: A Look At Access, Inclusion And Quality, Kelsey Toyoda

Capstone Collection

Miami University, a public doctoral university located in Oxford, Ohio, is well known for its Internationalization efforts. This past year, it was one of five schools in the United States awarded the Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization by NAFSA. Study abroad is an important vehicle for internationalization efforts at Miami and is an important institutional priority. Over 50 percent of undergraduates participate in hundreds of study abroad and away programs before graduation. Miami University in recent years has ranked within the top six nationally of public universities sending undergraduate students abroad and within the top 25 among all universities …

Intercultural Communication In International Student Advisor-Advisee Relationships, Stacy Woodward

Capstone Collection

International Student Advisors are expected to have an understanding of the cultural norms of the students they advise. Intercultural competency is a key expectation in the roles and responsibilities of advisors. They can use tools and theories, such as Edward T. Hall’s Cultural Factors and Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, to help them better understand and be better prepared for the advising needs of their students.

This research aims to have a better understanding of the extent and importance of intercultural communication and competency in international student advising. The data collected was from an advisor perspective and related to their experience …

Japan: Universal Design And Innovation, Lindsay Kravit

Capstone Collection

Recent trends in study abroad have seen a positive push for expanding diversity in student numbers; however, that push has generally not been targeted towards students with learning differences and disabilities (MIUSA, 2017). Though not exclusively tailored to participants with disabilities, The Japan: Universal Design and Innovation program is a summer program that builds participants’ knowledge, skills, and awareness in the topics of disability, access, and inclusion through the curricular/pedagogical methods of Experiential Learning and Universal Design. It takes place in Tokyo and Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan over the course of one month. It aims to challenge the concept of …

Making A Diplomat: Study Abroad Pathways To International Relations Occupations, Anthony E. Ciero

Capstone Collection

This case study surveys and interviews alumni of International Student Exchange Programs (ISEP) direct enroll study abroad programs to learn about their post-program career path. ISEP alumni study from and in over 50 countries worldwide. Survey and data analysis methodology for this study used Cognitive Information Processing, Social Cognitive Career Theory, Chaos Theory, and Systems Theory of career development to determine what guides alumni toward or away from international relations (IR) related occupations.

Alumni in IR-related careers usually had an internationalized personal history prior to university and reported that their ISEP program improved their ability to secure and perform their …

Afghan Students’ Academic Experiences And Cultural Adjustment In The United States, Ayesha Sabri

Capstone Collection

This study explores Afghan students’ academic experiences in pursuing graduate studies in the United States and contributes to the scarce literature on the adjustment experiences of Afghan students in the US. Data was obtained by employing a qualitative research methodology, particularly phenomenology, through individual interviews with four participants. The findings of this study reveal that the education these participants received throughout their schooling in Afghanistan was rote learning and teacher-centered. Studying in the US, Afghan students experienced a range of academic challenges (teaching methodologies, educational practices, language, research, and educational facilities). They were also confronted with non-academic challenges (social, cultural, …

Education Provision To Internally Displaced Children In Northern Shan And Kachin States In Burma, Nang K Thwe

Capstone Collection

Thousands of people have been displaced from their villages and have remained in the internally displaced camps since the fighting resumed in Northern Shan and Kachin states in Myanmar (Burma) in 2011. Displaced families and children experience a number of challenges in the camps, one of which is access to education. This capstone explores the non-governmental organization professionals’ perspectives about the challenges they face with regards to providing quality education to displaced children in Burma through these research questions: 1) How do NGO professionals address the challenges they experience in the provision of education to internally displaced children in Burma? …

The Effectiveness Of A Boys For Positive Change Program At Changing Attitudes And Behaviors Toward Gender Equality, Bethany Grupp

Capstone Collection

There has been tremendous research done regarding programs involving the empowerment of women, girls, and gender equality. Even Sustainable Development Goal number five focuses on gender equality. An analysis of the research reveals that most programs for girls and women address the inequalities and discrimination that they face, along with obstacles to girls’ access, completion, and retention in school. Increasingly, non-governmental organizations, the United Nations, and other international organizations have found that these programs are not changing the view of gender norms in society and that men and boys also need to be included in the discussion. This paper examines …

From Theory To Curriculum: A Best Practices Model For A New International Student Cultural Acclimation Course, Denise Leinonen

Capstone Collection

This course-linked capstone (CLC) is inspired by the current international student cultural acclimation course at State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta. Surprisingly, there are few cultural acclimation courses offered in the United States and there is lack of academic research evaluating the effectiveness of such courses. This course model will incorporate the successful aspects of the few current cultural acclimation courses offered, including the Oneonta course, and integrate learning, cultural adjustment, and student development theories into the curriculum to provide a basis for the content and structure of the course. Qualitative research through surveys and interviews with international …

The Kiwi Way: Marketing In New Zealand, A Program Design For Johnson & Wales University, Rachael L. Peters

Capstone Collection

The proposal for a study abroad program to be implemented at Johnson & Wales University [JWU] results from a five-month internship in the JWU Abroad office and multiple interviews with full-time colleagues in the department. It is designed to not only expand the current JWU portfolio in subject matter and program location, but to strengthen a newly built partnership with American Universities International Programs Limited [AUIP] through the addition of a second collaborative program in the provider’s catalogue.

The Kiwi Way: Marketing in New Zealand is a twelve-day faculty-led study abroad [FLSA] program that splits time between the cities of …

Connecting Cultural Ties With Latinx Identity: An Explorative Semester In Mexico City, Margaret Musty

Capstone Collection

This International Education Design and Delivery Capstone describes the research and design of a proposed semester-long study abroad program entitled Connecting Cultural Ties with Latinx Identity: An Explorative Semester in Mexico City. The hybrid program is designed for undergraduate students of the University of California as a heritage seeking semester in Mexico City that fulfills Latin American Studies and International Migration Studies degree requirements. Through faculty-led seminars, direct enrollment at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and cultural excursions, students will examine Latin American culture, the bicultural identity of Hispanics living in the United States, and Mexican social justice …

Going Full Circle: Connecting Re-Entry And Preparation For The Harlaxton Study Abroad Program, Kaylynn Carver

Capstone Collection

This capstone paper is a program proposal for a Harlaxton Ambassador program, to be situated in the Harlaxton College office at the University of Evansville (UE). As the program is in a place of growth and development, this ambassador program is all about going full circle with the study abroad experience at Harlaxton College. In order to address problems of non-UE Harlaxton student retention and preparation and of Harlaxton alumni connections and re-entry, this program connects those students to allow them to support and help each other and create better experiences. Based in theories of student development and learning, informed …

Leadon Alliance: Empowering Alaska's Youth Through Inclusive Programming, Megan Juneau

Capstone Collection

Alliance is an annual youth conference in Alaska designed to create inclusive and multi-cultural programming for Alaskan youth and their adult mentors. Alliance is a reimagining of a program formerly known as LeadOn. While LeadOn has been successful for the last ten years at providing workshops for Alaskan youth and adults on healthy sexuality, relationships, and leadership, it will now focus on making quality content for Alaskan Natives, Immigrants, and LGBTQ+ identities in Alaska. In the development of this idea past program participants and previous program coordinators were surveyed and interviewed to collect information about how inclusivity has or has …

Beyond The Numbers: Comprehensive Internationalization At Miami University, Andres Oliver

Capstone Collection

Marketing materials for Miami University, a public doctoral university in Oxford, Ohio, frequently reference the caliber and popularity of the university’s outbound student mobility programs. With almost sixty percent of undergraduates studying abroad or away before graduation, outbound mobility has become a core element of both the Miami student experience and the university’s vision for global engagement. This study seeks to go beyond the numbers (i.e. student mobility rates) in examining whether the success of outbound student mobility programs is indicative of successful internationalization across the university as a whole. Using the American Council on Education (ACE) Center for International …

Closing The Circle: Comprehensive Study Abroad Reentry Programming In A Small Liberal Arts College, Dora Musini

Capstone Collection

In an increasingly globalized world, study abroad is growing in popularity. As a rising number of students study, work, research or simply move abroad, research by experts and practitioners has been focused on finding ways to maximize learning. An effective and wildly popular strategy adopted by most institutions is pre-departure orientation. However its counterpart, study abroad reentry, while also potentially transformative, isn’t equally widespread.

This paper describes an effort to fill this gap through the creation of a reentry program for Marlboro College, a small, liberal arts college in Marlboro, Vermont. In order to tailor the program to Marlboro students’ …

Intercultural Competency Development: A Case Study With Sit Study Abroad In Morocco, From A Trainers Lens, Amy Leap Miller

Capstone Collection

This Course-Linked Capstone in Training focuses on intercultural competency development, both of the practitioner’s own life journey and through the lens of study abroad, highlighting a Case Study with SIT Study Abroad in Morocco. This Capstone weaves together theory and practice of intercultural competence, experiential learning, social justice training, and study abroad. The practitioner’s self-analysis includes reflection of her Practicum time, as well as a timeline of her intercultural competency development, including growth areas in five categories: knowledge, skills, attitudes, awareness and language. This Capstone also reflects the journey of the practitioner’s growth as a social justice trainer and experiential …

The Implementation Of The Extreme Visa Vetting Policy And Its Effects On International Students And Scholars, Amelia Burke

Capstone Collection

The extreme visa vetting policy, or initiative, was first introduced during the 2016 presidential race by then candidate Donald Trump. During his campaign, he promised he would implement a process to more rigorously scrutinize visa applications for foreign nationals who wanted to temporarily come to the United States. After being elected president and taking office in January 2017, Trump fulfilled this promise by requiring Departments of Homeland Security and State to implement an extreme vetting process for visa applications, which is done by the creation of the extreme vetting policy. This paper presents an analysis of the extreme vetting policy …

Engaging International Transfer Students At University Of Washington Tacoma, Amber Hallberg

Capstone Collection

International student social engagement on university campuses is increasingly challenging as more students transfer from community colleges and commute from long distances. Furthermore, international student programming has traditionally viewed appropriate engagement behavior through the lens of the host campus’ cultural norms, not through the lens of the students’ native cultural attitudes and behavior. As a result, the programming is unrelatable, overlooks international students’ actual needs, and/or poorly attended. This case study at the University of Washington Tacoma, which was conducted by an international student advisor, used qualitative research methods to examine the ways in which cultural dimensions and contexts may …

Incorporating Collaborative Online International Learning (Coil) Into Study Abroad Courses: A Training Design, Michelle Esche

Capstone Collection

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is known as an innovative, cost-effective instructional method that promotes intercultural learning through online collaboration between faculty and students residing in different countries or locations within the context of a course. Two international faculty teaching courses in different locations typically partner to co-facilitate online collaborative activities, such as assignments, projects, presentations and discussions, between their students. COIL continues to grow as an important intercultural instruction tool in higher education as U.S. universities, and universities around the world, work to internationalize their campuses and curricula, as well as increase access to intercultural learning. At the same …