A Tale of Two Outcomes: Study Abroad Assessment at Tulane University and Washington University in St. Louis

A Tale of Two Outcomes: Study Abroad Assessment at
Tulane University and Washington University in St. Louis

                      Mark A. Beirn |
                  Associate Director for
                    Overseas Programs
                   International & Area
                 Studies | College of Arts
                        & Sciences
                  Washington University
                        in St. Louis

Institutional Structure
   6000 Undergraduates, 5000 Graduate Students
   Centralized Undergraduate College
   Study Abroad, Academic Advising Center, Honors
    Program, First-year Programs, Teacher Certification, etc.
   10 Schools, five offering undergraduate degree programs
   CGE = OISS, OSA, Fulbright, etc.

The Self-Study began with one ?
SAGE Query:

 In your own words, please
 describe the impact that study
 abroad has had on your life.

Alumni Responses
   The year abroad was profoundly enriching. It broadened me
    intellectually and socially more than all other years of my academic
    experience put together. It was not an easy year, but it stretched me
    as I have never since been stretched!
   After engaging in international study, I came back with a greater
    sense of possibility and with less trepidation about taking different
    paths in life. For me, the experience did not directly instill a sense of
    international or community activism in myself. It was more about
    pushing my own boundaries of experience in order to expand my
    perspectives and knowledge. In doing this, I became someone who
    embraces change and recognizes the complexity of our world.

More Alumni Responses
 It opened my eyes to the international world -- it really changed my
  life. Since going JYA, I've lived 10 years overseas, spent two years
  doing near constant foreign travel for work, and have gone on
  vacation almost exclusively overseas.
 To be honest, it's really hard to put into words what the study abroad
  experience meant to me. It impacted every aspect of my life. It led
  me to a career in higher education, which I continue to pursue with
  passion. It gave me a sense of independence, self-reliance, and
  self-assurance that I didn't even know were possible. It enabled me
  to be a comfortable and eager traveler. The experience made me
  stronger and made me realize that I was already a strong person to
  begin with.

And more…
   I studied my Junior Year at the University of Glasgow and I also a
    couple of months doing field work testing of children in Kenya in
    collaboration with my professor. I was going into business when I
    started my Junior Year at Tulane, but I realized while in Kenya that I
    wanted instead to become a doctor and work to improve public
    health. Much of my work medically has involved global collaboration
    on medical research or educational projects. Most of all my study
    abroad opened my eyes to a whole new world other than the US. I
    saw great needs, I gained confidence, and most importantly I
    realized that if I worked hard I could really make a difference for
    people while having a great time doing it.

Assessment
 Location: Director of Institutional Assessment in Provost’s
  Office
 Purpose: SACS Reaccreditation Review and Self-study
 Who: All academic and support units
 Timeline: 3-year period

Areas of Focus
 Student Learning
    Intellectual Progress in Key Academic Areas
    Development of Key Competencies (Intercultural)
    Long-term Impact on Life Goals

 Program Design
      Development & Delivery of rigorous academic programs
 Institutional Effectiveness
    Adherence to Mission Statement
    Student Satisfaction

Comparative Data?
 Assessment of    Major/Minor Programs with
  international focus
 Public Service/Service Learning Programs
 Faculty-led Short-term Overseas Programs
 Business School Programs
    Choose by department
    Choose by region
        English-speakingcountry
        Non English-speaking country

Tools for Assessment
 ACTFL (built into many programs: Chinese, French)
 Student Program and Course Evaluations
 Study Abroad Committee Reports and Meeting Minutes
 Global Perspectives Inventory (GPI)
 Study Abroad for Global Engagement (SAGE) Survey
 Site Visits
In addition…
 Academic Portfolios & Research
 Senior Surveys
 Focus Groups/Interviews

Impact on our office
 Underscored the efficacy of   rigorous programs
 Encouraged to play off the strengths of the office:
  55-year history of full year abroad; language
  immersion at elementary, intermediate, and
  advanced levels
 Incorporation of Service-learning pedagogy into
  JYA programs
 New program developments
 Connect more regularly with JYA Alumni

Student Responses
 Having almost never left the United States, my 20th year
  was spent entirely abroad, and transformed me fairly
  thoroughly into what I could only call "internationally
  minded". I still identify as American, of course, but i can
  fairly say I care about the rest of the world as much as I do
  about the United States.
 I became a Shakespeare scholar largely as a result of a
  Shakespeare course I took while studying in England.

Office Mission Statement
 The mission of the Center for Global Education is to internationalize the
 undergraduate experience at Tulane by facilitating meaningful academic
 experiences abroad. We seek to balance personal responsibility with guidance and
 oversight by providing Tulane students with the tools they will require to pursue a
 life-changing experience abroad. With a diverse portfolio of study abroad
 programs, we expect that every Tulane undergraduate should have the opportunity
 to study abroad. We expect students to make a significant investment in their
 program of choice through appropriate academic and logistical preparation.

 The Center for Global Education achieves this mission through the following
 means:
     Providing administrative oversight for all Tulane-administered programs, and for
      all undergraduate exchanges with foreign universities, as well as consulting and
      interfacing with all Tulane-approved programs, including consortial programs
      and those administered by other universities, for Newcomb-Tulane
      undergraduates;

Office Mission Statement
    Offering a diverse portfolio of programs, including distinctive Tulane programs,
     which promote cultural and linguistic immersion, community engagement, and
     intellectual curiosity in the host culture, and reflect existing and emerging
     geographic, linguistic, disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary areas of interest at
     Tulane;
    Ensuring equitable access to study abroad by permitting financial aid and
     scholarships to apply toward semester and yearlong programs, while also
     seeking external funds, grants and scholarships to support study abroad for
     qualified students to support all endeavors abroad;
    Fostering cross-cultural exchange and campus diversity by admitting visiting
     international exchange students for a semester or year of study at Tulane from
     partner institutions as non-degree candidates; and advising and assisting these
     students;
    Promoting environmental and cultural responsibility by mitigating our negative
     impact on host cultures;
    Integrating study abroad into the undergraduate curriculum through the work of
     the Newcomb-Tulane College Study Abroad Committee and close collaboration
     with faculty and academic departments.