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Community College Study Abroad: Making Study Abroad Accessible to All Students |
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By Rosalind Raby
Study Abroad and the Community College Mission
In the Community College Mission, the role of study abroad revolves predominately around a) providing opportunities for learning, cultural development and career education; b) fostering understanding and building global partnerships; and c) preparing students to take their place in an increasingly global community and world citizenship.
In adhering to this "open door" philosophy, community college study abroad programs include all ages, aptitudes and backgrounds. While some pre-requisites may exist, GPA, campus standing and disabilities do not normally figure into admission. In that community colleges are bound by their commitment to offer high-quality, low cost academic programs, they make study abroad accessible to all students and challenge the convention that study abroad is for elite students only.
Study Abroad in California Community Colleges
California Colleges for International Education (CCIE) is dedicated to the ideal of increasing international understanding through education and collaboration and helps to support the growth of all programs affiliated with international education. Specifically CCIE works to provide community college students the opportunity to study abroad, improve foreign language acquisition and fluency, and provide colleges an opportunity to internationalize the curricula, bring international students to our campuses.
According to CCIE data, 76% of the state’s districts offer avenues for their students to study abroad. In the 2005-2006 academic year, the 72 CCIE member colleges offered 29 Fall Semester, 23 Winter/Spring Break Programs; 27 Spring semester, and 108 Summer programs. While the majority of programs still are offered in Europe (111), the diversity of study abroad locations is evident with programs held in Latin America (49); Asia (13); Australia/New Zealand (13), and Africa (1). Combined, over 3,500 California community college students studied abroad. This number is comparable to the number of students sent abroad during the same time period by the UC system, which sent 5,515 students abroad, and the CSU system, which sent 3,609 students abroad.
Despite the large number of California’s community college students studying abroad, only 33% of California community college districts endorse international education in their mission and college policy document, and none highlight study abroad. Moreover, the recent ACE report (2005) “Measuring Internationalization at Community Colleges” indicates that 61% of community colleges have a “low” level of internationalization.
Barriers to Participation in Study Abroad
From 2002-2004, CCIE collaborated on Barriers to Study Abroad, a research project funded by a California Chancellor’s Office Fund for Instructional Improvement Grant to the Coast Community College District. Principal researchers Dr. Rosalind Latiner Raby (CCIE) and Dr. Gary Rhodes (Center for Global Education, Loyola Marymount University) addressed concerns by community college administrators, faculty and staff regarding barriers that were both personal and institutional in context. Their concerns were then compared to opinions of community college students surveyed throughout the state.
Prevailing beliefs by administrators, faculty and staff are that student personal barriers prohibit students from studying abroad. These personal barriers include a combination of a) inability of students to afford study abroad programs, b) conflicting work and family obligations, and c) cultural capital that allows the student to see themselves on a study abroad program. Data collected from the students, however, contradicts many of these popular beliefs. Instead, the research points to institutional barriers as being the most significant issue that prevents students from studying abroad.
Program Costs. Although students agree that costs are important, the majority of the 700 students questioned in a paper in-class survey indicated that they would be willing to pay to participate in study abroad. Finances alone would not deter 70% of the students surveyed from study abroad. However, ability to pay for study abroad programs decreases as program cost increases. While the national average of 36% of semester-long program participants receive financial aid, for many California community college, oftentimes 100% of students utilize financial aid for their study abroad. Nonetheless, for many students significant financial assistance is needed to help with both direct and in-direct costs of the programs. The cost for a summer program ranges from $180 to $5,000, and from $3,000 to $8,900 for a semester long program.
Work and Family Obligations. Students surveyed indicated that although most had part-time or full-time jobs, they nonetheless, would be willing and able to study abroad. Therefore, colleges should not assume that students are unable to study abroad because of work and family commitments. However, to accommodate the needs of working students and students with families, institutions should examine the possibility of making available both short-term and semester study abroad options for their students.
Cultural Capital. There is a sense that community college students do not want to travel abroad and are committed to their local neighborhoods. Fifty-seven percent of responding students indicated that they have previously traveled to one to three other countries, many on a regular basis.
Institutional Funding and Program Availability. Research confirmed that the predominant issue preventing California community colleges from offering Study Abroad is a noted lack of secure institutional funding that offers study abroad options to the students. More than two thirds of California colleges that offer study abroad, receive no funding to support these programs. These colleges frequently do not have full-time staffing and many do not even have a recognized office that helps to make a presence for study abroad on campus. This lack of infrastructure prevents colleges from offering programs, which in turn severely effect students’ access to such programs.
Recommendations for Educational Reform
Three major steps are recommended for all community colleges to adopt in their efforts to prepare students for success in a globally dependent society.
1) Philosophical change. Colleges need to understand and accept the benefits
of study abroad for their students and community. Support needs to be articulated in college mission statements, strategic plans and in college budget.
2) Economic change. Similar to other small academic programs that are labor intensive, the benefits of study abroad outweigh the cost of implementing programs. The benefits are not only for students, but for participating faculty and the community at large. In too many colleges, faculty and administrators continue to view study abroad programs as nonessential educational activities, and therefore offer limited support. A line-item in the college general funds needs to be secured for the development and implementation of study abroad programs.
3) Programmatic change. Colleges need to develop a centrally located office where students, faculty and community know where to obtain information on study abroad. A staff and operating budget needs to be in place to support this office. Links with college counseling services, student advising and financial aid need to be secured.
College policy needs to identify how to establish programs, define faculty selection, advertise programs, adhere to other legal, health and safety issues that are affiliated with study abroad programs, a defined risk management program to better serve the students and the colleges and secure long-range planning. Finally, colleges must develop broad-based coalitions with consortia, such as CCIE, to help support and provide resources for this academic experience.
Conclusion
Research confirms that the predominant issues preventing community college students from studying abroad is not student interest, inability to travel, or program costs. Rather, it is a shortage of program offerings, a lack of awareness of existing programs and an absence of long-term planning. Community college students do have an interest to study abroad, however, the limited or non-existing options to study abroad by must be addressed and rectified in order to provide community college students will the full educational programs that they deserve.
Despite the strong presence of study abroad at California community colleges, a third of the state’s colleges do not offer study abroad programs and even those colleges that do offer these academic programs, rarely support them to ensure maximum benefit. Moreover, there remains a critical lack of institutionalization of study abroad policy and guidelines that serve community colleges. In that California has the largest community college system and represents the most diverse population nationally, this apparent lack is a cause for action. If California community colleges do not offer sufficient opportunities in these areas, our students will look elsewhere. The limited or non-existing options to study abroad by must be addressed and rectified.
CCIE invites all community colleges nationwide to join us in addressing these issues and in providing more opportunities for all our students to study abroad. More information about CCIE can be found at www.ccieworld.org.
Rosalind Latiner Raby, Ph.D., is Director of California Colleges for International Education (CCIE) and Senior Lecturer at California State University, Northridge in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department of the College of Education.
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| Open Doors 2005 Data Tables -- Community Colleges |
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