Student Learning Abroad

<p>A central purpose of this book is to question the claims commonly made about the educational benefits of study abroad. Traditional metrics of enrollment increases and student self-report, and practices of structural immersion, are being questioned as educators voice growing uncertainty about what students are or are not in fact learning abroad. This book looks into whether these criticisms are justified—and what can be done if they are.The contributors to this book offer a counter-narrative to common views that learning takes place simply through students studying elsewhere, or through their enrolling in programs that take steps structurally to “immerse” them in the experience abroad.Student Learning Abroad reviews the dominant paradigms of study abroad; marshals rigorous research findings, with emphasis on recent studies that offer convincing evidence about what undergraduates are or are not learning; brings to bear the latest knowledge about human learning and development that raises questions about the very foundations of current theory and practice; and presents six examples of study abroad courses or programs whose interventions apply this knowledge. This book provokes readers to reconsider long-held assumptions, beliefs and practices about teaching and learning in study abroad and to reexamine the design and delivery of their programs. In doing so, it provides a new foundation for responding to the question that may faculty and staff are now asking: What do I need to know, and what do I need to be able to do, to help my students learn and develop more effectively abroad? Contributors:Laura BathurstMilton BennettGabriele Weber BosleyJohn EngleLilli Engle Tara HarveyMitchell HammerDavid KolbBruce La Brack Kris Hemming LouKate McClearyCatherine MenyhartR. Michael PaigeAngela PassarelliAdriana Medina-López PortilloMeghan QuinnJennifer Meta RobinsonRiikka SalonenVictor SavickiDouglas StuartMichael Vande BergJames ZullWhile the authors who have contributed to Student Learning Abroad are all known for their work in advancing the field of education abroad, a number have recently been honored by leading international education associations. Bruce La Brack received NAFSA’s 2012 Teaching, Learning and Scholarship Award for Innovative Research and Scholarship. Michael Paige (2007) and Michael Vande Berg (2012) are recipients of the Forum on Education Abroad’s Peter A. Wollitzer Award.</p> <p>PREFACE PART ONE. SETTING THE SCENE 1. Student Learning Abroad. Paradigms and Assumptions—Michael Vande Berg, R. Michael Paige, and Kris Hemming Lou 2. Why Students Are and Are Not Learning Abroad. A Review of Recent Research—R. Michael Paige and Michael Vande Berg PART TWO. FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING 3. Taking Stage Development Theory Seriously. Implications for Study Abroad—Douglas K. Stuart 4. Paradigmatic Assumptions of Intercultural Learning—Milton J. Bennett 5. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). A New Frontier in Assessment and Development of Intercultural Competence—Mitchell R. Hammer 6. Using Experiential Learning Theory to Promote Student Learning and Development in Programs of Education Abroad—Angela M. Passarelli and David A. Kolb 7. The Brain, Learning, and Study Abroad—James E. Zull 8. Anthropology, Intercultural Communication, and Study Abroad—Bruce La Brack and Laura Bathurst 9. The Psychology of Student Learning Abroad—Victor Savicki 10. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Support of Student-Centered Learning Abroad—Jennifer Meta Robinson PART THREE. PROGRAM APPLICATIONS. INTERVENING IN STUDENT LEARNING 11. Shifting the Locus of Intercultural Learning. Intervening Prior to and After Student Learning Abroad—Laura Bathurst and Bruce La Brack 12. Beyond Immersion. The American University Center of Provence Experiment in Holistic Intervention—Lilli Engle and John Engle 13. The Maximizing Study Abroad Project—R. Michael Paige, Tara A. Harvey, and Kate S. McCleary 14. Facilitating Intercultural Learning Abroad. The Intentional, Targeted Intervention Model—Kris Hemming Lou and Gabriele Weber Bosley 15. Developing a Global Learning and Living Community. A Case Study of Intercultural Experiences on The Scholar Ship—Adriana Medina-López-Portillo and Riikka Salonen 16. An Experiment in Developing Teaching and Learning. The Council on International Educational Exchange's Seminar on Living and Learning Abroad—Michael Vande Berg, Meghan Quinn, and Catherine Menyhart CONCLUSION 17. Intervening in Student Learning Abroad. Closing Insights—Kris Hemming Lou, Michael Vande Berg, and R. Michael Paige</p>