March 13, 2020
This message was sent to Spring Break study abroad program leaders and their dean.
Alternative Educational Activities
Colleagues:
I write to provide guidance for how best to support our students in these most challenging of circumstances. I appreciate your dedication to helping our students to think globally by travelling abroad and sincerely regret that your program needed to be cancelled.
This situation calls for creativity as we shift our educational activities online, and this is especially true for experiential forms of learning such as study abroad. I would ask that you do whatever you can to devise an alternative educational activity or assignment to try to simulate the experiences that would have led your students to acquire the learning outcomes or competencies that you originally had planned. This might entail utilizing Zoom, virtual reality tours, or other assignments that would allow students to obtain full academic credit even in the absence of travel. The Office of International Affairs stands ready to assist you as you consider this option. Please reach out to Leslie Bozeman (ude[dot]iupui[at]namezobl) or Stephanie Leslie (ude[dot]iupui[at]eilsells) for assistance. We will be adding additional pedagogical materials to the Study Abroad Program Leader Box folder (https://iu.box.com/s/mm8f3py5vun4o7l73o7zqonfhve0mvo2). We also invite you to add materials that you think may be helpful for other leaders. All study abroad program leaders should be able to access this site. If you have any trouble accessing the folder, please contact Stephanie Leslie.
If the course cannot be fulfilled in an alternative manner (or if the student is not able to fulfill the alternative assignment), there are three options:
- The course can be expunged from the academic record (dropped without a W).
- The student can take an Incomplete (I) and work with you on completing the objectives beyond the end of this semester. However, this option should not hinge on completing a future study abroad program due to uncertainties around when international travel can be safely resumed.
- You could review the curriculum for the course to determine if a lesser number of credits could be awarded for the non-travel portions of the course activities and assignments.
Please note that if any of these options are selected, there are apt to be significant implications for student’s financial aid, tuition rate, and academic plan. It is important that students confer with their academic advisor as well as the Office of Student Financial Services for advice and support. This is why I would urge you to, whenever possible, shift to an alternative assignment that can help approximate the original learning outcomes.
The Study Abroad Office can be of assistance to you in talking through these options, managing students choices, etc. Please reach out to Stephanie Leslie if you would like to discuss receiving support from them.
I realize that this entails additional work on your part, and during a very challenging time. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Kathy E. Johnson, Ph.D.
Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer
Professor of Psychology
