Year Abroad Meeting

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Year Abroad Meeting
for all students spending their Year Abroad in a
Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking country

• 4th March 2009

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Handouts

• Pre-Departure Checklist
• Grading for Year Abroad
• Weblog Instructions.

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Contact Details

• Make sure that the University has your correct
  Home address and Emergency Contact details
• Change your Term Time address to reflect that you
  are not in Leeds
• You can check and update your contact details by
  going to the Student Services tab in the Portal
• http//myuni.leeds.ac.uk/
• If changes need making and you cant update them
  then contact your Parent Dept.
• This is extremely important

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Pre-Departure Checklist

• Read the Residence Abroad Booklet carefully
  before completing the checklist
• Return the completed checklist to the Department
  before 23rd March or 8th May
• You must not return the checklist until you can
  tick yes to every point and have signed the
  sheet
• If you are unable to tick yes to any of the
  points, please contact the Department or the
  Study Abroad Office for clarification.

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Pre-Departure Conference

• Study Abroad Office are running a Pre-Departure
  Conference on Wednesday 29th April
• Aimed at students for whom a year abroad is not
  part of their degree, but will be useful to you
  as well
• Further details will be sent out via email by
  Study Abroad Office.

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Aims and Objectives 1

• During this part of their degree programme, all
  students will be expected to
• make substantial linguistic progress, over a wide
  range of registers, in respect of the target
  language
• face the linguistic, intellectual and
  psychological challenges of living in another
  country
• acquire a deeper knowledge and appreciation of
  the target culture
• strive to develop the social/personal/transferable
  skills necessary for gaining maximum benefit
  from living in a different community
• Contd

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Aims and Objectives 2

• seek to enhance their future employability by
  familiarizing themselves, when appropriate, with
  the world of work within the target culture, or
  by reflecting on the utility of skills that they
  are acquiring while living abroad for their
  future employment.
• In the case of JH students having their Year
  Abroad arranged by a School outside of SMLC, they
  should satisfy the requirements of the partner
  school.

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Grading for Year Abroad

• Minimum requirements for Pass mark
• Failure to achieve these
• Essay Route or resit of Year Abroad
• The Residence Abroad Committee reserves the right
  to fail a student outright, if no serious attempt
  has been made to complete the stated
  requirements.
• Students should note that if their
  performance/behaviour is deemed unsatisfactory
  whilst abroad under the Unsatisfactory Students
  Procedure (http//www.leeds.ac.uk/AAandR/unsatis_s
  tu_proc.htm especially 2.4) they may be required
  to return to Leeds at their own expense for an
  interview with members of the Residence Abroad
  Committee and/or the Head of Department.

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Credits and Exam Passes

• Minimum number of credits taken
• Minimum number of credits passed
• Different at each institution
• Sports modules cannot count towards passed
  modules.

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European Health Insurance Card

• If you're going to a European Economic Area (EEA)
  country, you should make sure you've got a
  European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) as well as
  private health insurance
• The card entitles you to reduced cost, sometimes
  free, medical treatment in most European
  countries
• Can apply online, by phone or by post all you
  need is your date of birth and NI number
• www.dh.gov.uk/travellers

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Health and Safety

• You must have adequate insurance cover for your
  time abroad to include travel and medical
  expenses
• www.leeds.ac.uk/insurance
• Contact details for the local emergency services
  and the nearest British Embassy
• Draw up a plan of when and where you expect to be
  including details of planned travel arrangements
• Check the visa requirements for all countries to
  be visited
• Regularly check with the Foreign and Commonwealth
  Office, Embassy or Consulate
• Dress and behave in an appropriate manner for the
  activities and area to be visited.

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Behaviour While Abroad

• Students travel abroad as ambassadors for the
  University of Leeds and have a responsibility to
  the University, their fellow students and the
  host institution
• We take very seriously any reports of
  inappropriate behaviour while abroad
• This year a student has been excluded from the
  Year Abroad for inappropriate conduct while
  overseas
• We refer you to the Unsatisfactory Students
  Procedure as described in the Year Abroad Grading
  document.

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Accommodation

• The department does not and cannot arrange
  accommodation for students overseas
• We advise you to consult destination handouts,
  wikis, good travel guides and final year/current
  YA students
• The department cannot accept responsibility if a
  student takes out an accommodation contract for
  the final year and then fails to pass the Year
  Abroad.

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Final Year

• Details of Final Year modules and how to register
  for them (online) will be sent out in April 2010
• Please dont send emails asking for them in
  October or February because they wont be
  available
• For an idea as to what is taught in the current
  final year go to the Module Catalogue.

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Extended Essay/Dissertation

• Meeting Thursday 12th March, at 1pm in Baines
  Wings 2.15
• all students eligible to take either an Extended
  Essay or Dissertation within the Department as an
  optional module during final year
• applications to be submitted by November 2009
• For more information contact Karen Charlesworth
• To be eligible for the Franco Scire Latin
  American Travel Award students must undertake an
  Extended Essay.

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Awards and Grants

• Santander Travel Award for those going to a
  Santander country in Latin America on their Year
  Abroad
• details to be posted soon from International
  Office
• Erasmus Grants available to those who study and
  work in Europe
• details from Study Abroad Office or Careers
  Centre as appropriate
• Franco Scire Prize for the best Extended Essay on
  a Latin American topic.

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Using the VLE whilst Abroad

• Access SPPO9001 Year Abroad via Blackboard VLE
  within the Portal using your ISS username and
  password
• Compulsory Weblog, making at least four entries
  during the year (in the target language)
• 1,000 word Weblog Summary to be submitted (in the
  target language) by 4th October 2010
• One of the key documents required as part of the
  assessment for the Year Abroad
• Student Guides to wikis that current YA students
  are updating.

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Other Requirements

• YA Courses Form or WP Contact Details Form must
  be submitted by 2nd November 2009
• If you have to re-choose your modules at the
  start of Sem 2 then you need to complete another
  form
• WP Evaluation Form or Transcript of Marks must be
  submitted by 1st September 2010
• It is the students responsibility to ensure these
  are submitted by the due date, the department
  will not chase up Employers or Universities on
  your behalf
• ALL forms will be available to download from
  Blackboard VLE.

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Accessing Systems

• ALL students must re-register with Leeds for
  their Year Abroad (via the Portal in August)
• Enables you to access the Portal, email and the
  VLE
• Failure to do so could result in the University
  excluding you
• Further information will be sent out via email by
  Student Services
• If you have problems then contact the ISS
  Helpdesk
• tel [phone], email helpdesk_at_leeds.ac.uk

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Contacting the Dept

• If you have any problems or queries whilst on
  your Year Abroad (about anything) please contact
• Karen Charlesworth, tel [phone],email
  k.p.charlesworth_at_leeds.ac.uk
• Remember that academic members of staff will not
  necessarily be around out of term time dont
  send every man and his dog the same email

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Contacting Other Departments

• Study Abroad Office
• studyabroad_at_leeds.ac.uk
• www.leeds.ac.uk/studyabroad
• Careers Centre (Work Placements)
• erasmuswork_at_leeds.ac.uk
• www.leeds.ac.uk/workplacements/students_leonardo.h
  tml

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One last thing

• Read everything!
• Residence Abroad Booklet distributed at the start
  of level 2
• Paperwork from today and other YA meetings
• Information sent out from the Study Abroad Office
  or Careers Centre
• Remember to act on anything that needs doing
  dont leave it to your parents or until the last
  minute!

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Any Questions?