Best Practices for Study Abroad Maximizing Your Experience

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Best Practices for Study AbroadMaximizing
Your Experience
Facilitated by Lance Askildson, Ph.D.Assistant
Provost for Internationalization David Younger,
M.A. Associate Director for International Programs
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Introductions Credibility

• Who we are
• Leaders, experts and scholars in intl studies
• What we know
• The cognitive and behavioral correlates for good
  vs bad study abroad experiences
• Why you should care
• We can help you help yourself to a much more
  meaningful and impactful study abroad experience

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Some Preliminary Reflections

• In small groups of 4-6, answer the following
  questions
• What is the purpose of study abroad? Its
  expensive, relatively risky and involves
  considerable discomfort. So, why apply to go?
  What do you expect to get out of this experience?
• What do you anticipate will be hard or
  challenging about your study abroad experience?
  Cite 2-3 examples.
• What are your goals for your study abroad
  experience? What do you hope to
  accomplish/learn/achieve? Cite 2-3 examples.
• How do you expect to achieve your goals for study
  abroad while avoiding the pitfalls that you
  anticipate? How will you accomplish this in your
  short time abroad? (Efficacy vs Efficiency)

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Why go abroad?

• To learn outside of the classroom. Its that
  simple.

Keri Matwick, 2009 SLA Grant ND Alumnus
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Best Practices 7 Core Strategies

1. Articulate clear and feasible goals for yourself
2. Make progress towards these goals before
   departure
3. Anticipate and prepare to navigate challenges and
   surprises
4. Stay away from people/s and things you know and
   push yourself outside of your comfort zone
5. Get out and do something new everyday that helps
   advance your goals in a meaningful way
6. Develop a mechanism by which to systematically
   reflect on your learning every day/week
7. Take time to unpack your experiences and apply
   them to your life when you return to the US

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1. Establishing Goals for Your SA

• In order to maximize your outcomes for study
  abroad, you need to set clear learning
  goals/outcomes for yourself now
• This will allow you to hit the ground running
  and not spend your first weeks orienting yourself
  creating a plan
• Think about your goals functionally Both in
  breadth and depth. What do you want to do vs.
  just know/understand?
• What sort of attitude(s) or disposition do you
  want to cultivate?
• Know why you are studying abroad What motivates
  you intellectually and practically should not be
  mutually exclusive
• What, specifically, do you hope to get out of
  this experience?
• Write down your top 3 goals now. Be explicit.
• Take a moment to sketch out your goals now and
  compare them with individuals near to you

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2. Make Progress on Goals now

• Start preparing for language/culture flood by
  watching/reading TL media to gear up
• Research the country, region and city where you
  will be living
• Make social networking connections with locals
• Identify key resources to advance your goals
• Museums / libraries / universities to visit
• Historical or cultural sites/events to visit
• Professors / leaders / students you wish to meet
• Businesses or professional contacts to make
• Political organizations to engage or observe
• Opera houses / music venues to attend
• Intramural sports clubs / student clubs to join
• Service organizations / churches to volunteer
• Prepare a schedule of activities for your first
  1-2 weeks in country now, using this research

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3. Prepare for Challenges

• Understand and be prepared to navigate culture
  shock and homesickness
• Talk to other returnees to make sure your goals
  are realistic ( of friends) and adjust
  accordingly
• Think through responses for safety, health and
  security threats now so you can avoid panic
• Local challenges? Transportation? Climate?
  Cultural attitudes towards women/Americans?

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4. Stay away from what you know

• Avoid Americans and/or fellow ND students outside
  of classtime be creative
• Cultivate daily interactions with at least one
  local outside of your school/university
• Push yourself to try new things (foods,
  activities, social norms) within reason
• Limit social networking and communication back
  home to reasonable levels
• Limit exposure to American culture/media/lang
• Cultivate a greater tolerance for ambiguity in
  order to allow yourself to take social-psycho
  risks (again, within reason)

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5. Do something New Each Day

• Simple but brilliant rule of thumb
• Do something new every day
• Make a list of all the small and big things you
  want to do and use it to get out of your local
  school/home environment every day
• Make sure that these activities advance your
  goals in some discrete way targeted activities
• Great way of making measurable progress and
  addressing 4 Stay away from what you know

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6. Reflect on your Progress

• If you dont make time every day/week to
  systematically reflect on what you have learned
  and where you are headed
• You may lose/forget a lot of your insights/gains
• Many of these insights will help you advance
  further
• You may not realize how much progress you are
  making and may become unnecessarily discouraged
• You may not realize that your current approach to
  SA is not working until it is too late
• Keep a journal, set aside time once a day/week to
  sit in a coffee shop/bar/restaurant/sheesha
  lounge to cultivate some self-awareness on where
  you have been and where you are likely going

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7. Think through Your Reentry

• Dont waste your experience by forgetting to
  unpack your experiences when you return
• Reflect upon and apply what you have learned for
  your future personal, academic and professional
  trajectories
• Talk to people who can help you leverage and
  implicate your intl experiences in some way
• Find ways to stay connected/practice your
  language or cultural gains, if you want to do so
• Study abroad should be transformative and have
  some/enormous impact on your life if done right

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Why Use Maximization Strategies?

• Because they make a significant difference
  Improving both efficacy and efficiency
• Because you have a limited timeframe in which to
  achieve your goals
• Because they will help you to better cope with
  study abroad immersion as a whole
• Because they are often simple and easily applied
  once they have been raised to a level of
  awareness and practice

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Questions or Comments?

• Lance Askildson (Askildson.2_at_nd.edu)
• David Younger (David.Younger.4_at_nd.edu)