(10) 11.00 Brian Whalen (Louvre III, 25.04)

Using Standards of Good Practice to
Expand Education Abroad Capacity
Brian Whalen
President and CEO
The Forum on Education Abroad

www.forumea.org

© 2012, The Forum on Education Abroad

Workshop Outline

• Overview of the Forum on Education Abroad
• The Context for the Standards
• How Were the Standards Developed?
• What do the Standards of Good Practice Encompass?
• The Structure and Content of the Standards


• Not-for-profit global membership association, founded
2001

• Recognized as the Standards Development Organization
(SDO) for education abroad

• Members are institutions and organizations committed to
the Forum’s Standards of Good Practice for Education
Abroad

• 25% of members are located outside the U.S.

Goals of the Forum

1. Establish Standards of Good Practice

2. Conduct research to assess outcomes of education
abroad and collect useful data

3. Promote excellence in education abroad
programming

4. Advocate for education abroad at all levels


1. Establish Standards
• Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad, 4th
edition, 2011
• Standards of Good Practice for Short-Term Education
Abroad Programs, 2009
• Code of Ethics for Education Abroad, 2nd edition,
2011
• Education Abroad Glossary, 2nd edition, 2011


2. Conduct research & collect data
 A Guide to Outcomes Assessment in Education Abroad,
2007
 State of the Field Surveys
 Preliminary Report: The Forum Education Abroad
Incident Database Pilot Project, 2010


3. Promote excellence
 Quality Improvement Program (QUIP)
 Guided Standards Assessments
 Annual Forum Conference
 Chicago, April 3-5, 2013

 Workshops and Webinars
 Standards Institutes
 Online Toolbox of Best Practices
 European Conference
 Dublin, Ireland, December 5-7, 2012


4. Advocate for education abroad

 Pathways to the Professions Survey, 2009

 Advocacy resources to assist members in critical areas
such as visa regulations, funding, and government
policies


Membership
• Over 600 institutional members that collectively
represent over 90% of U.S. students that study abroad

• Members are primarily U.S. colleges and universities,
program provider organizations, overseas host
institutions and programs, and affiliates that provide
services to the field

• Members enjoy a wide range of benefits and services
that help them to meet the Forum’s Standards of Good
Practice for Education Abroad

Why are Standards needed?
 Lack of regulation of the field
 Institutions have limited resources
 Variety of players
 Increasing number of students participating
 Risk and liability concerns
 Universities promising global learning outcomes
 Accreditation commissions requiring assessment of promised outcomes
 Increasing cost of higher education
 Raises the question of value on investment
 Scrutiny of the industry


How were the Standards Developed?
 Openness: meetings, presentations, web site,
announcements, newsletters, publications
 Transparency: full explanation of processes to
membership and to the public
 Balance: welcome all points of view and diverse
perspectives, respect differences and various
approaches
 Consensus: process of moving forward based on
consensus
 Due Process: possibility for appeals

Standards Content
 Statements of Good Practice
articulate the core Forum Standards that serve as
guidelines;
 Queries
relate to each Standard; these are designed to foster
analysis and assessment of how well an organization meets
the Standards; and
 Toolbox
documents to which Forum members may refer as models
of good practice and discuss or adapt them to their
institutions or programs, as appropriate.


1. Mission:
The organization, with respect to education abroad, has a
formally-adopted mission statement for its overall operations
and for its individual programs that is known to and accepted
by its faculty and staff.

a. Mission and Commitment: The organization has mission
statements appropriate for each program.
b. Assessment of Mission Achievement: The organization regularly
analyzes the degree to which it is achieving its overall mission
and its mission statements for each program, and utilizes these
findings to assure continuous improvement.


2. Student Learning & Development:
The organization has stated educational objectives that
foster student learning and development, and has
established, and regularly utilizes, internal and external
review processes for assuring that its programs accomplish
these objectives.

a. Inter-Cultural Understanding
b. Language and Communication
c. Academic Growth
d. Student Development


3. Academic Framework:
The organization maintains clearly stated and publicly
available policies on academic matters related to
education abroad.
a. Academic Credit
b. Academic Coursework
c. Internships and Field Research
d. On-Site Advising
e. Academic Integration
f. Academic Planning
g. Career Planning


4. Student Preparation for the Learning
Environment Abroad:
The organization provides advising and orientation
support that is consistent with the program’s mission
and student needs.

a. Pre- and Post-Departure Advising and Orientation: The
program provides appropriate orientation and advising
support to meet student needs as they evolve
throughout the term of education abroad.
b. Returning Student Support: The organization and
program staff provide support for students returning
from abroad.


5. Student Selection & Code of Conduct:
The organization maintains, and makes publicly accessible,
its commitment to fair and appropriate policies regarding
student selection and code of conduct.

a. Student Selection: The recruitment and selection
processes are transparent and fair.
b. Code of Conduct: The organization makes explicit its
student code of conduct and its disciplinary processes.


6. Policies & Procedures:
The organization has in place policies and procedures
that govern its education abroad programs and practices.

a. Policies
b. Personnel
c. Advising
d. Communications
e. Marketing
f. Affordability and Financial Assistance
g. Program Assessment


7. Organizational & Program Resources:
The organization provides adequate financial and
personnel resources to support its programs.

a. Academic Personnel
b. Administrative and Support Personnel
c. Financial Resources
d. Learning and Academic Support Facilities
e. Student Housing


8. Health, Safety, Security and Risk
Management:
The organization assures continuous attention to the
health, safety, and security of its students, faculty, and
staff, from program development stages through
program implementation, by way of established
policies, procedures, student orientation, and faculty and
staff training.

a. Health, safety, security and risk management in program
development
b. Health issues for program students, faculty and staff
c. Safety of students, faculty and staff at all locations
d. On going risk-management review
e. Adherence to applicable laws and regulations
f. Risk assessments are conducted throughout

9. Ethics and Integrity:
The Organization educates its employees in and
adheres to its own code of ethics and/or to the ethical
principles of the Forum’s Code of Ethics for Education
Abroad.

a. Operations: The organization operates its programs in
accordance with ethical principles.
b. Student Life: The organization conducts its activities
and advises students in an ethically responsible
manner.
c. Intercultural Relations: The organization respects the
cultures and values of the countries in which it
operates or sponsors programs and from which it
draws students.

The Code of Ethics for Education Abroad
The purpose of the Code of Ethics is to provide a guide
for making ethical decisions to ensure that those in the
education abroad field provide services in accord with
the highest ethical standards, with the ultimate goal of
ensuring that students’ international educational
experiences are as rich and meaningful as possible.

Format: 1. Ethical Principles
2. Ethical Guidelines
3. The Forum Compass


Ethical Principles
1. Truthfulness and Transparency are essential to ethical education
abroad practices. The fundamental premise is that education abroad
practices should be open and clear, and that decision-making processes
should be appropriately disclosed and periodically reviewed.
2. Responsibility to Students
As an educational endeavor, education abroad should keep students’
academic objectives, personal growth, and best interests foremost in mind.
3. Relationships with Host Societies
By its very nature education abroad engages host societies in myriad ways.
4. Observance of Law and Good Practice
In all administrative, business, and financial arrangements, all applicable
U.S. and international laws should be observed and principles of good
practice followed.


Ethical Principles
5. Conflicts of Interest
All potential conflicts of interest involving education abroad should be reviewed
by an appropriate third party to determine whether such conflicts exist, and if
so, whether they may or may not be cured. A potential conflict of interest exists
when the financial or non-financial interests of an institution or organization (or
an employee of either) may be seen as competing with the interests of the
student. Those conflicts that cannot be waived or appropriately managed after
full disclosure to all concerned parties must be eliminated.
6. Gifts, Gratuities, Discounts, Rebates and Compensation
Provider organizations and institutions should neither accept nor offer
compensation (such as honoraria and consulting fees), gifts, gratuities,
discounts, and rebates if it could be reasonably inferred that they would impact
either party’s ability to make objective and fair decisions about any aspect of
education abroad operations, including but not limited to affiliation, approval of
study abroad programs, and student enrollment in such programs.

The Forum Compass:

Is it true, fair and transparent?

Does it reflect
Does it foster
the best
international
practices of
understanding?
the field?

Does it put the interest of the students first
and contribute to their intellectual and
personal growth?

Standards of Good Practice for Short-Term
Education Abroad Programs
 More specific set of Standards that apply to short-term
programs
 The Forum has a concern that short-term programs are
the fastest growing programs, and are often organized as
ad hoc ventures led by faculty and staff who may not
have experience with how to develop and manage
education abroad programs
 Are meant to be used together with the more general
Standards to assess and improve programs


Brian Whalen
President and CEO
whalenb@dickinson.edu

www.forumea.org


(10) 11.00 Brian Whalen (Louvre III, 25.04)

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