Prospective Course Leaders

Thank you for your interest in leading UNI students abroad! Faculty-led programs are a popular way for students to experience study abroad without spending too much time away from home.

Developing a new program is a collaborative effort between faculty leaders, their academic department, their academic college, and the UNI Study Abroad Center (SAC). Program ideas should be discussed with SAC staff and the faculty's home department head prior to proposal submission. To get the process started, feel free to reach out to the Study Abroad Center Director and/or Assistant Director to request a meeting!

Faculty-led Program Proposal Application

In order to lead a summer faculty-led program abroad, a completed proposal application must be submitted by May 1 of the year prior to the intended program travel dates in order to be considered for approval. For winter break programs, a completed proposal application must be submitted by November 1 of the year prior to the intended program travel dates.

If you are interested in submitting a program proposal application, contact the Study Abroad Center. You will then be sent information on next steps to follow.

Prospective course leaders are also encouraged to review the Faculty-led Program Handbook for more information regarding leading a program.

Proposal Components

Faculty who are interested in submitting a program proposal application should contact the SAC. They will then be sent an email with directions to follow.

Step 1: Complete the Faculty-led Program Proposal Questionnaire. This is a form that collects basic information about the proposed coursework and program design.

Step 2: Provide supporting documents to the SAC. These supporting documents are:

Proposed Itinerary (template will be provided)
Course syllabus (including the student learning outcomes, readings, assignments, grading scale)
If not included in syllabus, the Course Calendar (that includes any pre- or post- trip expectations)

Note, faculty are strongly encouraged to hold a preliminary consultation with their department head regarding the proposed program prior to completing the program proposal process.

Aligning the Program with the UNI Calendar

Course leaders should refer to the UNI academic calendar and take into consideration semester dates when establishing their program travel dates and course schedule. Study abroad courses will be arranged to coincide with program travel dates abroad. For example, if a program travels during the month of May, the study abroad course will be set up as a 4-week, May session course. The program should depart after the spring semester is complete, and grades will need to be submitted according to the grade submission deadline for May session.

If a course leader has a specific request regarding how their course is set up, this should be communicated during the proposal process. Please refrain from assigning graded work before or after the course term, since this work will not be reflected on the students’ enrollment.

Characteristics of a Successful Course Leader

A successful course leader must enjoy working with students and possess strong administrative skills. They must be comfortable in providing basic student counseling and in taking disciplinary action, if necessary and with the guidance of UNI administrators. Additionally, the course leader should be familiar with the host country and its culture. A basic understanding of the native language is highly recommended. Course leaders must wear many hats throughout the program, including Program Developer, Recruiter, Administrative Manager, Advisor, Crisis Manager, and Institutional Representative.

Salary & Travel Expenses

The course leader will receive compensation at the part-time (adjunct) rate for teaching this study abroad course, which will be paid in accordance with UNI payroll procedures for faculty members. Program travel expenses such as airfare, housing, transportation, activities, per diem, and international cell phone coverage will be covered by the SAC. Please see the Course Leader Reimbursement Guidelines.

Assessing Program Marketability & Viability

Prior to proposing a program, a course leader should ask the following questions to assess the marketability and viability of their program. It is essential that enough students enroll to sustain the program, since low enrollment will result in program cancellation. Does the program design:

Appeal to students in terms of program length, activities, and academic structure?
Compete with an existing study abroad program?
Have a specific reason why it should take place in the specified location? What is that reason?
Minimize cost? Two itineraries to the same destination can be at drastically different price points, depending on certain factors. Tips to minimize cost: limit travel, maximize travel days, allow for flexibility, fly on weekdays rather than weekends, travel during the “off” season for the program destination.
Allow for student accessibility? A program’s design should allow for all students to participate in activities required for the course. Activities deemed inaccessible cannot be included in the program design but can be offered as optional and paid on-site by interested students.

When selecting the course(s) to be taught with the program, consider these questions:

What are the current enrollments in related courses?
Will the program attract students outside the course leader’s home department?
Are there language or other course prerequisites?

Marketing Your Program

Course leaders must make a strong commitment in the program promotion in order to attract students to their program and retain them. Personal experiences, enthusiasm, and expertise about the program are the strongest marketing tools! The course leader not only teaches the program’s coursework but also guides students through a new experience. Students must have the opportunities to interact with the person who will be guiding them abroad prior to committing to participation in the program.

Course leaders should:

Give information sessions and presentations to classes and relevant student organizations on campus
Attend SAC promotional events, including the Study Abroad Fair held in September each year
Distribute the program flyer (provided by the SAC) in their classes/academic department as well as other targeted classes/departments and bulletin boards on campus
Host information tables in campus buildings
Email prospective participants
Meet with prospective participants and approve applicants for acceptance in the program.
Stay in regular contact with program applicants/participants prior to the start of the program. Course leaders who keep in contact with students prior to departure have better retention rates and less behavioral incidents during the program.

Traveling with Family Abroad

If a course leader is planning to bring an accompanying individual on the program with them, the SAC strongly encourages them to consider the intense nature of a faculty-led program and the amount of time they will need to spend with students. The primary goal of a faculty-led program is to provide a quality academic experience for UNI students and, therefore, the SAC can not expend additional resources on non-student participation in programming. If the course leader chooses to bring an accompanying individual (e.g. family member) on the program, they must be at least 18 years of age and enroll in the course. The accompanying individual will audit the course and therefore pay tuition and all study abroad fees.

The course leader must inform SAC of any proposed accompanying individual in writing by October 15 for summer programs or July 15 for winter programs. After the program's application deadline, the accompanying individual will be considered an official participant of the program and the SAC will begin incurring costs on their behalf.

The accompanying individual will pay for expenses just as a student participant. All expenses incurred relating to the accompanying individual are the responsibility of the accompanying individual or the course leader. The SAC will not be responsible for any costs incurred by the accompanying individual’s withdrawal during any point leading up to or during the Faculty-led Study Abroad Program.

The SAC has the right to approve or not approve an accompanying individual’s travel with the Faculty-led Study Abroad Program. If the SAC receives negative feedback from students or vendors regarding the accompanying individual’s participation, this individual will not be allowed to participate in future programs. In addition, if the SAC receives information relating to conduct by the accompanying individual that is disruptive of the program, or violates applicable law or UNI policy, then the SAC or UNI may immediately remove the accompanying individual from the program, and any related costs shall be the responsibility of the accompanying individual and/or the course leader. SAC also reserves the right to decline to permit the course leader to lead any future study abroad programs.

Reservations Abroad

The SAC will arrange all program logistics, including housing, transportation and activities abroad through third-party providers. The SAC manages the contracting process from start to finish in order to ensure that the provider adheres to all established requirements, such as requirements for living arrangements.

Students are billed on their U-bills for most in-country expenses related to the program itinerary (housing, transportation abroad, group meals, and cultural program).

Course Creation & Enrollment

The SAC will work with the course leader, the Office of the Registrar, and appropriate academic departments in order to set up the course(s) for the study abroad program and enroll students. Please note that the SAC enrolls study abroad program participants into their respective courses. Students need only to ensure that they can be enrolled (e.g. do not have outstanding U-bill charges or another type of hold that would prevent enrollment).

Some course leaders wish to use eLearning for their study abroad course(s) in the months prior to the program travel dates. However, eLearning courses will not be made available to students until just prior to the course session start date. Early population of a course by eLearning support staff is not possible. Course leaders should plan accordingly and share information related to the program with students via other means in advance of the program (for example, share a Google drive folder).

Pre-Departure Meetings

The course leader is responsible for providing program-specific information during pre-departure meetings held in person. A minimum of 4 meetings (or total of 8 contact hours) with the student group, is required prior to travel. A sample agenda for these meetings in in the Faculty-led Program Handbook.

As many students have never left the country before, these sessions help them stay excited, get to know their course leader and the host country culture(s), and give the course leader an opportunity to get to know the group and respond to any student questions or concerns on an on-going basis.

Since students are not enrolled in a credit-bearing course at the time of the pre-trip meetings, please refrain from assigning graded work for the course at this time.

Course Leader Training Sessions

The SAC will arrange a series of training sessions for course leaders on an individual as well as group basis, covering information such as program itinerary and marketing, budget, developing group dynamics, and emergency management.