It is not effective for either the student, nor the program to have a student participating in a Study abroad program that is not a good match for the individual student. Thus, although a specific study abroad program may have been a good fit for a previous student, even an outstanding program is not necessarily appropriate for every student.Thus, the role in advising students about study abroad programs is essential on any campus that encourages students to study world wide. Effective advising must be based on standards that allow us to apply established criteria in matching individual student needs and education abroad program options. It is important that the advisor has the tools and the skills to guide a student in the process of finding a relevant and meaningful program that fits the students needs and characteristics. We must ask if the advisor understands the criteria for approving a relevant and meaningful program.
To encourage students to Study abroad before the institution has built a foundation and infrastructure for education. We see internationalization efforts rallied by a few well-meaning and passionate staff and/or faculty, but the vague project is then dropped into the hands of people who love travel, but may not have the professional qualifications to build an effective study strategy.
Unfortunately, it is not only those new institutions that are not utilizing appropriate standards for advising students about relevant and meaningful international experiences. Thus, I encourage every institution of higher education to convene an audit of study abroad policies and procedures to ensure that your students will not experience capricious, ill-informed, and/or irrelevant obstacles to participation in quality international academic programs.
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