A program may be considered recurring if it meets all these criteria from the most recently approved program:

  1. Program has been conducted less than 3 times in its current format.
  2. Primaryfaculty leader is the same.
  3. Itineraryis similar to previously approved program.
  4. Program takes place within the same term as previously approved.
  5. No other significant changes are plannedthat could affect program cost or logistics.

Part 1: Program Information

Date of Last Full Proposal Approval / Number of Times Conducted
Program Title:
Destination(s):
Term (20xx-xx) : / Year / Winter (05) spring break (10) summer (20) circle one
Start Date: / End Date: / Number of Days
Title and Number: / Instructor of Record (PL): / Dept & College:
Course 1:
Course 2 (if applicable):
Course 3 (if applicable):
What degree program/graduation requirements does each course meet?
Major/Minor: / Yes No / Which Major and/or Minor
Colonnade: / Yes No / If Yes, which area? FoundationExplorationConnection - ______
If the courses do not meet Colonnade requirement, would you be willing to adjust your programs to include a Colonnade course? Link here for options:

Part 2: Program Leadership

Faculty Leader #1 / WKU ID
Term/Year last led this program / If New leader, attach Leader Background Statement
Faculty Leader #2 / WKU ID
Term/Year last led this program / If New leader, attach Leader Background Statement
Assistant Leader / WKU ID
Term/Year last led this program / If New leader, attach Leader Background Statement. If never employed by WKU, include phone number and email in the statement.

Part 3: Additional InformationRecurringProgram

Please check the items that are included and attach the items to this proposal:

Attachment A. Program Description – to help with accuratelydescribing the program.

Attachment B. Instruction & Engagement.

Attachment C. Syllabus for each course planned for the program (required) – draft version with intended learning goals.

Attachment D. Tentative Itinerary (required) – dates are need to we can promote the program.

Attachment E. US State Department advisories/warnings.

Attachment F. Change in program leadership - Leader Background Statement (if needed). If never employed by WKU, include phone number and email in the statement.

Attachment G. Additional forms for students.

Attachment H. Rubric.

Leader post-program report from most recently completed program (recommended).

Post program evaluation by students (recommended).

Attachment A: Program Description

For use in marketing material.

Attachment B: Instruction and Engagement

Study abroad courses offer a unique opportunity to meet the expected number of instruction hours and engagement activities.

Please provide a statement in response to the following items.

  1. Instruction (Contact) Hours - The nature of teaching a study abroad enables you to meet contact hour requirements in different ways. However, you should plan on reporting about 12.5 contact hours per credit hour of instructional time similar to that which you’d expect in an on-campus class. College or department policies may call for another number of contact hours per credit hour, and FLSA defers to whichever is appropriate for your course. Normally, pre-departure class meetings during which course material is covered also count in instructional hours. However, pre-departure orientation sessions do not normally count toward instructional hours. This guide is based on the current WKU policy (1.4061) regarding course syllabi:

State the planned direct faculty instructional activities before, during and after the study abroad component of your course(s).

If noted in your syllabus, please state that here.

  1. Engagement Requirements - Policy 1.4033 further stipulates that for every semester hour of credit include a minimum of two hours of out of class student work for every hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction; therefore, as with on-campus courses, a 3-credit-hour STUDY AWAY course by definition must include a minimum of 75 hours of out of class student work. Here is the current policy:

State the planned engagement activities before, during and after the study abroad component of your course(s).

If noted in your syllabus, please state that here.

Attachment C: Syllabus (or Syllabi)

Attach the course syllabus for each course to be taught. Include a statement of the course learning goals and the rationale for teaching course at location.

WKU policy also requires that you adhere to all accreditation requirements relevant to your discipline.

Note for courses being offered for more than one level of credit (for example upper division and graduate),

Each course must differentiate assignments and perhaps course goals and grading standards in accordance with the level of credit being earned, either two different syllabi must be submitted OR the syllabus must clearly articulate the differences in course requirements according to level.

Your syllabus should include, at a minimum, the following information.

  1. A Cover Letteror beginning paragraph introducing yourself and your experience teaching in the location, along with current contact information.
  1. A Course Description and Goals (aka Student Learning Outcomes). The course description should match the one used in the WKU catalog.
  2. Grading and Assessment sectionsregarding:
  1. Attendance. FLSA courses normally require mandatory attendance, and a good practice is that an unexcused absence results in a letter grade (or points) reduction. A statement in the syllabus can indicate the difference between excused and unexcused absences. A contagious illness may be consider excused, while fatigue due to too many late nights may not be excused.
  1. Participation. FLSA course normally require between 10% and 15% of the grade be based upon participation, except in the case of explicit academic requirements, such as healthcare courses. Participation has different meanings -- hence the differentiation from Attendance. Participation includes not just contributing to class discussion, but also having a positive involvement in all class activities. Students who are reserved should not be penalized as long as they are seen to be engaged in the class dynamic at some level. Assessment of participation is inevitably subjective, but since participation is highly valued in experiential learning, it is normally included as a component in the final grade.
  1. Pre-departure assignments. The on-site portion of most FLSA courses is two to four weeks in length. Therefore, students normally need to complete assignments BEFORE the program start date. You may assess that students completed reading assignments by requiring some written work upon arrival on-site or scheduling a quiz on the material for the first on-site class. Faculty should clearly designate course work that is due before departure with its weight toward the final grade clearly stated. Short-term programs normally include pre-departure assignments worth between 10% and 30% of the final grade. Weight given to pre-on-site assignments in computing the final grade tends to be higher in which the on-site portion is two-week or less course with lower weight assigned in courses in which the on-site portion is more than two weeks.
  1. Final project due date. Because your grades are due no later thanthe date published by the Office of the Registrar,it is vital that you set and communicate to your students in your syllabus a due date for final projects that will allow you sufficient time to grade the work and submit final grades.
  1. Submission of final projects. If you require a post-site project, it is recommended that yourequireyour students to send their projects to you either by some form of registered mail or return receipt email; ensuring proof of delivery and receipt is a good idea. A clear statement regarding the consequences of late submissions is also highly recommended.
  1. Grading scale and grading basis. It is important to communicate clearly to your students the grading scale you will be using. Within individual assignments, the basis on which student work will be assessed should also be indicated.
  1. Honors Section (If you’re not offering this level, please disregard). WKU designates Honors sections as Honors Enriched and Embedded Courses (HEECs) that are described at this link:
  1. If you choose to propose an Honors section, you must differentiate it from a non-Honors through “additional assignments, more sophisticated assignments, more sophisticated course material, oral presentations, different methods of grading, special trips or activities, group work, or even special meetings with the professor outside of the scheduled class times (such as scheduled discussion groups).” While this definition may fit any well-designed study abroad class, you still need to differentiate the Honors section.
  1. An example may be to add an extended assignment that your students complete “after” the on-site portion of your course. This could follow the “bring it home” concept in which students actively compare something they learned in the foreign location with their home town or home campus. Public transportation or infrastructure. Access to public services. Food. These are examples of things your students may research or discuss with people on the local level to compare with people they met in the international location. The methods may vary, but interviews or physical documents (photos) may be ways for your students research the differences (and similarities) that they then present to the entire class. There are hundreds of ways for your students to complete the assignments, but you need to differentiate the Honors section from the non-Honor section here and in your syllabi.
  1. Academic Honesty Statement. It is strongly recommended that you include some sort of academic honesty statement, detailing especially the potential consequences for failure to abide by generally

accepted practices of academic honesty; while you may wish to use the statement utilized on your own campus, bear in mind that your students may not be from your school and so while you can and should hold them to your campus policies, you need to be sure the application of the policy begins withyou (i.e., plagiarismwill result in a grade of zero for the assignment).

  1. Disabilities Statement.Given the special nature of the in-country portion of yourcourse, aswell as the fact students will be off campus and not able to call on the assistance of their local office of disability services, it is important to include some version of your campus disabilities statement AND a requirement that students requiring accommodations contact both you and their local campus office of disability services at least a month prior to the starting date of the program to ensure that appropriate accommodations can, to the extent possible, be made.
  1. A Reading Listwith approximate cost of materials and how all students can obtain text(s) (an 800# at your own bookstore and/or Internet purchase, such asamazon.com, are acceptable). We suggest that you include a statement reflecting which reading should be accomplished prior to the trip, then provide a schedule of when the items will be discussed.
  1. A Broad Outline of Day to Day Itineraryto include tentative plans for your activities. It is a good practice to explicitly connect the itinerary with your learning goals. This enables you to adapt an approved syllabus to your study abroad course. An example is a Colonnade course. By swing the directly connecting between each learning goal and each daily activities, you assure that your course meets WKU policies and also makes your teaching much more effective.
  1. Additional Costsstudents might be required to pay for the academic (graded) portion of the class (entrances, theatre performances, etc.). If you are not certain about this, it is a good idea to include some sort of blanket statement. For example “Students should budget approximately $100 for possible class-oriented expenditures not covered in the program price."
  1. Physical Requirements. This information must be included in syllabus so students are aware upfront what is expected as a means to improve the overall effectiveness and risk management of the course. It is wise of overestimate the amount of walking students will do during the program. Other elements to consider are weather, heat/cold, exposure to natural elements, footwear, rain gear, elevation, humidity, rigor, ruggedness of terrain, etc.

You may add other items to your syllabus as you see appropriate.

Attachment D: Tentative Itinerary

Attach a tentative itinerary including information about dates at each location, excursions, guest lecturers, cultural events, and group activities.

The presentation of your itinerary is up to you. However, a list by day or a calendar grid often prove effective to show the flow of your program with the key dates needed to determine the budget and travel logistics.

It is a good practice to explicitly connect the itinerary with your learning goals. This enables you to adapt an approved syllabus to your study abroad course. An example is a Colonnade course. By showing the direct connections between each learning goal and each activity, you indicate that your course meets WKU policies and also makes your teaching much more effective.

□Check here if this item is incorporated into your syllabus.

Otherwise, include itinerary on following this page.

Attachment E: US State Department advisories/warnings

Check US DOS for current warnings and/or advisors and state those here. It none, write, “NONE.”

Attachment F: Program Leader Background

Complete only for a new program leaders (not on this program previously)

For each Faculty Leader, address experience/preparation related teaching the proposed course (e.g. academic background, experience at the location(s), personal contacts, study abroad experience, etc.).

For each Assistant Leader, provide a statement to show appropriateness for the level and type of responsibilities required in a study abroad program.

If a partner organization is acting as assistant leader, please attach an agreement or letter stating how the partner organization will meet the responsibilities of an assistant leader.

Attachment G: Additional Forms for Students

Please include any addition forms needed from students (i.e. application, recommendations, and language proficiency verification).

These documents will be posted in the SAGL application system so students will have one-stop access to all the documents for your program.

Attachment H: Rubric

The purpose of the Rubric is to enable the Faculty leaders, Department Heads, Deans, and the IEAC to assess a proposal from a common set of metrics. It enables changes and adjustments to be made early in the proposal process.

METRICS / Scale 0 - 10 / COMMENTS
  1. The proposed course(s) clearly state(s) learning outcomes that align with the academic activities and are appropriate for a study abroad learning experience.

  1. The proposal includes an explanation of the means by which students' mastery of the learning outcomes will be assessed and those assessments appear to be appropriate for the class.

  1. The assessment methods clearly distinguish expectations and requirements for level of course (lower division, honors, upper division and/or graduate).

  1. The proposal includes course requirements normally expected in a study abroad course (i.e. reflective journal, appropriate level of class participation)

  1. Contact hours of 37.5 are achievable with instruction time before, during and after the study abroad component.

  1. The engagement expectations in Policy 1.4033 are achievable before, during and after the study abroad component.

  1. The proposed course takes full advantage of the specific aspects of the program location which lend themselves to field experiences that are appropriate to the goals of the course. (Remember, your site is your classroom.)

  1. The course instructor has appropriate experience in the location to effectively teach the class; or if lacking such experience, the instructor has mapped out how he/she proposes to develop the appropriate expertise to do this.

  1. The Physical requirements are clearly stated in the syllabus and are realistic for the course location(s).

Part 4: Acknowledgment

By signing, you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to provisions and responsibilities outlined in the Faculty-Led Study Abroad Administrative Manual and other relevant policies and procedures.

Faculty Leader:
Signature Date / Faculty Leader:
Signature Date
Assistant Leader:
Signature Date / Page 2 will be completed after program leaders meet with Study Away staff to review planned changes to program.

Return original proposal to Office of Study for review by Director of Study Away prior sending to Department head/chair.

Campus Address: Tate Page Hall 121

Part 5. Post Program Statement

Prior to submitting this proposal, the Study Away staff and programs leader met and discussed changes to the program. Based upon these discussions, this section provides an assessment with recommendations for the next iteration of the programfrom the Director of Study Away. May be added as an attachment.

Sustainability of program:

Recommendations:

Study Away Director:Jerry Barnaby______

SignatureDate

Part 6: Approval

By signing, Department Head and Dean recommend approval and certify that (1) the course content meets the academic standards set forth in the policies of the university, the department, and the college; and (2) the department and college are responsible for negative balance in a program account index as reported by DELO after the financial close-out of the program.

Department Head:
(print name) / Dean (or designee):
(print name)
Date
Chief International Officer: Dr. Gordon Johnson / Date
Approved recurring program proposals will be posted on the International Education Advisory Council’s Blackboard site.

Date

CIO is asked to return approved original proposal to

Office of Study Away. Tate Page Hall 121.

Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program Proposal - RECURRING – updated September 16, 2018 - Page 1 of 10