Report and recommendations of the task force on global education 22 may 2013 table of contents introductory Observations pp. 3-5 Student Programs Abroad



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With enhanced financial support from the President’s Scholarship Initiative and other fundraising through the Office of Development, Baylor is positioned to launch a much broader-based hybrid initiative in which international engagement can be built into academic courses (most likely at Spring Break). Travel might be strictly academic, discipline-based service, or missional.


Criteria for Selection and Approval of Programs and Partners

In the past, many of our programs and partners have developed in a reactive way, and with little strategic direction. Quite often, for example, we have signed partnership agreements with institutions that have selected and approached Baylor University, but seldom have we surveyed the landscape, selected partners that would meet our students’ needs and other strategic objectives, and approached the institutions with our own proposals. In the future, our programs and international relationships should be selected and proposed in a more deliberative and pro-active way to pursue our strategic objectives.


At the present time Baylor is under-represented in several crucial areas of the globe, most notably China and East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. As we investigate expanding and strengthening partnerships, these global regions should be prioritized.
If an overseas university or other institution is being considered for a new or continuing relationship, the following questions and criteria should be included in the evaluation:


  • What is the potential for building a deep, mutually beneficial, and sustainable set of relationships between Baylor University and this institution? Does it promise to provide opportunities for many of our students, faculty, and other stakeholders, or for only a few?

  • Do we have existing relationships with similar institutions in the same country? Does this one bring something fundamentally new to the table? If this relationship is established, should others be discontinued?

  • Does this program or institution allow us to meet the needs of underserved academic disciplines, to meet the potential demand for increased instruction in specific foreign languages, or to afford language instruction in a language not offered at Baylor?

  • In addition to its traditional academic value, does this program or institution provide opportunities for our students to engage in practical experience (internships, service learning, discipline-specific missions, etc), that may contribute to their lives and careers?

  • What are the prospects for utilization of telepresence, videoconferencing, and other advanced communication and instructional technologies in our interactions with this institution?

  • If this program or institution is located in a country that carries a relatively high level of risk in the areas of health, safety, or security, are the potential benefits of the program commensurate with the risks?

One of the major objectives of our overseas programs is the improvement of foreign-language skills of our students, faculty, and staff, so the impact of each program on language instruction should be an important consideration in their evaluation. As the following table will indicate, Spanish accounts for about half of our foreign-language. This would suggests that we should place a high priority on the identification and development of institutions in Latin America and Spain that hold promise for deep strategic relationships. Strategic relationships in Latin America (and Canada) are particularly promising, because they provide opportunities for use of telepresence, videoconferencing, and other instructional technologies within a closer set of time zones.



Baylor Enrollment in Modern Foreign Languages (on-campus student credit hours)




2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

% Growth 2005-2007 to 2011-2013

Arabic

441

466

535

468

622

705

813

617

57.7

Chinese

511

589

624

547

696

758

790

806

45.1

French

3263

3146

3413

3601

3758

3773

3832

3611

16.1

German

1262

1448

1327

1203

1249

1292

1366

1500

5.8

Italian

733

736

781

880

846

781

880

1020

29.3

Japanese

523

651

569

666

636

631

675

675

15.0

Korean

237

231

253

303

379

422

373

357

56.0

Portuguese

280

182

116

180

148

203

209

273

4.3

Russian

428

502

413

528

499

609

541

730

36.7

Spanish

10377

10125

10892

11088

10711

10423

10281

10499

1.4

Swahili

596

596

652

623

649

657

707

666

15.2


Even as we devote immediate attention to development and improvement of programs in our high-enrollment languages (Spanish, French, and German), we must accommodate the rapid growth of student demand and strategic importance in programs related to such languages as Arabic, Chinese, and Russian.
Improve Policies and Procedures to Support Program Development

Our subcommittee held a series of discussion sessions attended by fourteen leaders of academic study-abroad programs and five directors of mission teams and discipline-specific mission programs. These were lively, candid, and informative discussions and we have also received written comments from some directors who were not able to attend (in addition to the members of our subcommittee, some of whom are also program directors). Our discussions touched on a wide range of issues, some of which have already been noted above, but they were particularly helpful in identifying policies, procedures, and practices that are impeding the work of our program directors. Without any claim to completeness, some of their concerns, requests, and suggestions are provided here as matter for consideration by the new Vice Provost for Global Education.


Establish a Culture of Support and Service

  • Some faculty members feel that staff in CIE and other administrative offices are more focused on enforcement of rules than on the support that is needed to aid compliance. They understand that many (not all) of these rules and requirements are necessary, but they need more help and service to support their compliance.

  • Some directors who coordinate relations with foreign universities report that their biggest problem has been slow consideration and processing of revised agreements in the Office of General Counsel.

  • For exchange and affiliate programs, staff should provide support on grade approvals and conversions, but faculty directors must provide final approvals.

  • Also for exchange and affiliate relationships, the Registrar’s office should explore the possibility of creating a new flexible course in each department (or those that wish to participate) that could be used for international courses that have no close equivalent at Baylor.  Ideally, the transcript entry for each instance of this course would include the actual title of the course at the foreign university, and it would accurately reflect the level and credit hours of the course.  A system of this kind is used at Arizona State University.


Fix BearsAbroad

  • BearsAbroad is our online system for program information, application, and recordkeeping. We need to have a system like this one to improve the efficiency of our operations and to maintain a full database of program information. However, compliance with the demands of this system has been a major cause of difficulty for our program directors.

  • Provide data entry support for faculty/staff who do not use the system frequently enough to get acquainted with it.

  • For faculty/staff who are comfortable with BearsAbroad, expand their administrative permissions. Currently, for example, program directors cannot upload their own forms on the system.

  • Simplify and streamline (reduce required clicks and ambiguous labels) the user interface for faculty/staff members who do use it often

  • Expand the public space in the BearsAbroad (space that does not require login) to provide program information on the web.


Financial Model

  • The directors of some programs reported that their compensation is far lower than that of other faculty members teaching in their programs since compensation is tied to the enrollment of individual faculty rather than enrollment in the program as a whole. They are also concerned that it will be difficult to transfer their programs to new directors who also are confronted with higher requirements for scholarship.

  • Allow full pay to lower-income faculty with fewer than 10 students if program easily covers costs.

  • Adjust the many spending restrictions that complicate the budget process and program administration. Remove, for example, the limitation on purchase of drinks and “snacks” that are sometimes needed when program participants have long and busy days, sometimes in significant heat.

  • Make initial Goodrich awards for summer programs before Christmas, making it possible for students to discuss the programs in a more informed way with relatives during the holidays. Also clarify if graduate students are eligible to compete for Goodrich scholarships, and if so what percentage of Goodrich funding is allocated for graduate students.

  • Tie the indirect cost charge to the current university discount rate, but otherwise allow directors to use both tuition and program fee monies as necessary without restriction.


Program Promotion

  • Program directors need more help to create printed and web material for their programs.

  • Consider promoting programs between acts at SING, in a special tent during Parents’ Weekend, and in more Baylor publications (Lariat, Baylor Magazine, etc).


Simplify Procedures

  • Digital course equivalency forms (use on-campus system)

  • Digital legal/health release forms

  • Create expedited process for re-approval of programs that have been approved previously.


Reconsider or clarify “one-size-fits-all” policies

  • Consider allowing non-students to participate in the programs

    • Help smaller programs to succeed financially.

    • In some cases, adults on the program may reduce the need for a back-up program director.

  • Reconsider the current cell phone policy. Consider exceptions for short trips when the group stays together and for areas where cell phone service is unreliable. Negotiate a high-volume arrangement with a service provider, making it easier for directors to comply with the requirement.


Establish a System of International Program Assessment

To determine whether our global student programs are meeting their stated objectives and to support their continuing improvement, we need to establish a more comprehensive system for program evaluation and assessment with several components. Many instruments, such as the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES), LLC, IDI, Global Competencies Inventory (GCI), the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI), Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI), and LENS already exist. Baylor needs to choose one or more of these instruments and then use the data gathered for continuous improvement of student development of cultural competencies. At the macro level, assessment will include measures of performance for our overall program:




  • Participation rates in academic study abroad, international internships, discipline-specific missions, and other programs of education and service.

  • A deeper analysis of our programs in different schools/colleges and disciplines, the durations of our programs, and their geographic distribution.

  • A thorough assessment of financial impacts of programs and how University investments align with strategic areas of focus.

  • The overall impact of our programs on language acquisition, international student recruitment, and other measures of international interaction and cultural competencies.

For individual programs and courses, we should consider the extension of our new online system of course evaluation. With proper modification, the online system should make it possible for Baylor students to evaluate all of the international courses that are reflected on their Baylor transcripts, including those taken at exchange and affiliate universities. Also, in addition to the questions that are included on the standard online course-evaluation instrument, additional questions could be added to assess the effectiveness of the international experience. These could include many of the same questions that have been included in occasional surveys of international programs, conducted by IRT. For example:




  • Has this program contributed to your understanding of the culture of the country where you are studying/working?

  • Has this program contributed to your fluency in another language?

  • Do you feel that this program has contributed to your confidence and maturity?

  • Would you recommend this program to others?

In addition to the formal systems of surveys, questionnaires, and other record-keeping, we also need to provide more opportunities (or requirements) for our returning students to share their experiences with other Baylor students and faculty. This will serve a double purpose. For the returning student, it provides an opportunity to process the information that has been accumulated during time abroad, and to establish relationships with other students and faculty who have interests in their experience. For other members of the Baylor community, it provides an untapped source of up-to-date information on conditions, attitudes, and opportunities in other countries.




* * * Global and Regional Academic Programs * * *
While we raise the quantity and quality of student participation in programs overseas, we also must continue to promote activities on the Baylor campus that prepare students for lives of global engagement.  These include academic courses and degree programs, conferences and colloquia, international films and musical performances, global service projects, and a variety of other activities, organized by academic departments and centers, student organizations, Campus Ministries, and our Global Community Living and Learning Center. We recommend that a full inventory of these courses and other activities should be compiled to support student advising and to encourage broader participation.  In this section, we direct special attention to the current structure and organization of our global and regional degree programs, and we offer recommendations for their development.
Overview of Academic Programs
International Business

The B.B.A. in International Business has two required courses (INB 3305 and 3332) and also requires three additional INB courses, completion of a foreign language through the fourth semester, and a second major in another field of business. Study abroad is strongly recommended, but not required. This degree program is housed within the School of Business and is flourishing. Continued support for this program is recommended.


Modern Foreign Languages

The Department of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) offers both majors and minors in Arabic and Middle East Studies, French, German, Spanish, and Russian. Minors in Chinese, Italian, and Japanese are also offered. These degree programs appear to be effectively preparing Baylor students for engaging in a multi-lingual society. Continued support for these majors and minors is recommended. The department of Modern Foreign Languages recently established a new major in Arabic and Middle East Studies.


World Affairs Minor

The MFL Department also offers a minor in World Affairs. This 18-hour minor includes 6 required credit hours of foreign language. Other course requirements and options are provided by a variety of disciplines that address global concerns related to, for example, culture/anthropology, political science, sociology, geography, and religion. This minor appears to be a valuable complement to several globally-focused majors on campus as well as the Global Community Living-Learning Center.



Area Studies

Prior to 2011, five Area Studies programs were housed within the Baylor Center for International Education: African Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle East Studies, and Slavic and East European Studies. Directors for these programs were faculty members in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages, History, or Honors College/Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. In each program, course requirements included offerings from a variety of academic disciplines, (e.g., language, anthropology, history, political science). Travel to the designated global area was recommended but not required in most programs.

Some challenges related to student enrollment and academic oversight led to extensive discussion about the future of the Area Studies programs. The African Studies program was closed in 2011in consequence of faculty turnover leading to inconsistent course offerings. The remaining four Area Studies programs were temporarily moved from the Center for International Education to the Department of Modern Foreign Languages to facilitate continued academic oversight and student advising. Division directors in MFL currently serve as advisors in those programs. A more centralized location within the Baylor structure is needed for these programs to foster cross-disciplinary partnerships, enhance campus-wide visibility, and expand program purposes beyond that of an academic degree.



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