Global Learning
Looking Back to Move Forward
Before studying abroad students at the University of South Carolina are required to attend a pre-departure workshop. This workshop prepares students for their experience abroad and allows them to meet other students traveling to the same country. Currently, there is no workshop or experience for students who return from study abroad. The Study Abroad Office and The Office of International Student Services offer some programs, such as Buddies Beyond Borders or the Study Abroad Association, that returnees can get involved in but do not tie directly to their study abroad experience. As a result, many students return from study abroad with great memories but without reflecting on their experience. Taking the Graduation with Leadership Distinction class allowed me to reflect on my study abroad experience, but not all students take the class. Implementing a workshop for return study abroad students would allow them to reflect and get the most out of their time studying abroad. Reflecting during and after study abroad is important to understand how students may have changed during their experience. This could be a change in world view or just getting out of your comfort zone. Most people do not realize they have undergone a transformation until they are looking back at a certain time or event.
Solution
A workshop would provide a great opportunity for returning students to reflect and discuss their experience with others. This workshop would be required and students would be told about it during the pre-departure workshop. While students are abroad they will be notified of when to register for the workshop and receive a list of discussion questions. The workshop would be facilitated by Study Abroad Peer Advisors, who have all spent at least one semester abroad. The majority of the workshop would be discussion based around the questions sent to students. This workshop would also be a good way for the Study Abroad Office to receive feedback on their services. Students would be given a survey and given time to talk to peer advisors.
Plan
The first step to implementing this workshop would be to contact the Study Abroad Office. I would contact the Study Abroad Director with a detailed explanation of the workshop and how it would be beneficial for students. A learning outcome would be for students to understand how stereotypes and biases can impact our view of people and places before we meet them. Another learning outcome would be for students to understand why it is important to reflect on their abroad experience and how it can help them in the future. A schedule of workshops would also need to be created to accommodate semester, maymester, and other study abroad trips. The workshops could be held at the beginning of each semester offered at different times.
Once the workshop is approved by the Study Abroad Office, the next step would be to create the list of discussion questions.
Example Questions:
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Where did you study abroad and why?
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Had you traveled there previously?​
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What are some things you knew about or heard about your host country before going abroad?
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Where did you hear about it? Media, friends, etc?​
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Once you were abroad what met your expectations and what didn’t?
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Do you think stereotypes and biases affected your viewpoint while abroad?
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Did you have any interactions with citizens of your host country? If yes, were they positive or negative?
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If not, why?​
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Why was it important to you to study abroad?
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What is one thing you wish you could go back and tell yourself before going abroad?
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These questions would center around expectations before studying abroad, stereotypes, and if/how study abroad changed their world view. Groups could be formed based on location of study abroad. Groups would change so students could discuss with people who studied in the same country and other countries.
The next step would be to train and inform the peer advisors on the workshop. The peer advisors would receive the list of questions and they could discuss their answers together. Each peer advisor could add a few of their own questions as well. Peer advisors would also be required to attend the Carolina Intercultural Training to help them lead a discussion about biases and stereotypes. Ideally, two peer advisors would lead the session, each having studied in a different country. The peer advisor would help lead discussions and take feedback on the Study Abroad Office. Peer advisors could talk about their study abroad experience and what they learned as well.
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In order to determine the success of the workshop feedback from attendees would be the most helpful. A survey would be given out at the end of the workshop with questions about what students liked, disliked and what could be improved. The peer advisors will also be available to take feedback and could take notes during the first few workshop about what needs improvement. To evaluate the success of the workshop, the Study Abroad Director or Advisors could drop in on a couple of workshops. Meetings between peer advisors and the director/advisors would also be useful to determine what aspects the workshops lacks. Overall, this workshop should help returning study abroad students think about their time abroad, how it has affected them, and why it was important to them. Students should come out with a better grasp of how they can use their study abroad experience in the future.
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