White Paper for LIS 590 HE – Higher Education and Information Professionals
Exploring Institutional Support for Study Abroad Programs
Introduction:
Study abroad programs are a significant and substantial aspect of many undergraduate programs today, though more significant and substantial in some fields than others. A large number of students in the social sciences, humanities, and languages choose to study abroad for some period of time, while the numbers in the hard sciences are much smaller. Program durations range from a few weeks to an academic year. Ensuring the students’ success abroad is, in large part, down to the students’ home universities being well prepared for sending their students abroad and to the home universities preparing their students well for the study abroad experience. Strong and comprehensive institutional support from study abroad students’ home institutions is a key factor in providing students with the best possible study abroad experience, making it imperative that institutions develop and maintain clear and robust programs for supporting their study abroad students.
Paige Cunningham 