Develop a Faculty-Directed Program

UIC students visiting the Alexandra Hospital on the Disaster Preparedness and Global Health in the Caribbean program, led by Professor Gwyneth Milbrath.
UIC students visiting the Alexandra Hospital on the Disaster Preparedness and Global Health in the Caribbean program, led by Professor Gwyneth Milbrath.

In its mission to increase access to study abroad for all UIC students, the Study Abroad Office recognizes the critical role that faculty members play. Nationally, only about 10% of U.S. undergraduates study abroad (Institute of International Education). There are several reasons for this, including perceptions about affordability, ability to leave for an extended period of time, and concerns about traveling abroad independently. Faculty-directed study abroad programs have become an essential model for combating these obstacles. Almost 78% of U.S. students who study abroad do so on a short-term program of eight weeks or less, and many of these are faculty-directed (IIE, 2019). Given that UIC serves a student body that consists of diverse students who have traditionally been underrepresented in study abroad, faculty-directed programs are an essential component of our education abroad strategy.

The Study Abroad Office is proud to work with faculty members on the development, promotion, and oversight of faculty-directed programs. Please explore the information and resources contained within this page to learn about developing a new program.

On a faculty-directed program, UIC faculty members propose, develop, and lead a credit-bearing program for UIC students. There are several models these programs can take:

  • Stand alone: on a stand-alone program, faculty members teach coursework abroad that is not attached to a course back on campus. These programs typically occur during the summer, although there is the potential to lead a stand-alone program during a semester.
  • Embedded: embedded faculty-directed programs offer a short travel component embedded within a course offered on campus. These programs frequently occur as spring break programs embedded within a spring semester course.
  • Hybrid: the Study Abroad Office works with a variety of partners to coordinate onsite logistics and academic needs for programs. On hybrid programs, faculty members may teach or otherwise support students abroad in addition to students having an opportunity to take coursework offered by a partnering organization.

As faculty-directed programs are credit-bearing, each program must have at least one eligible UIC faculty/staff member to serve as the faculty director in addition to having approval from a sponsoring academic unit.  Individuals with a UIC appointment and the appropriate credentials are generally allowed to serve as the faculty director of a program.  Additional program leaders may also co-lead the program from either an academic or student-support perspective and may be university faculty, staff, or in select cases, graduate students.

The role of a faculty director is manifold and requires an individual who

  • is committed and engaged in the recruitment of students
  • can devote time to coordinating and promoting the program throughout the year
  • is ready to engage students outside of the traditional classroom environment
  • is open to serving as a student affairs professional and as a liaison to the home campus when there are incidents or emergencies

While direct experience in the proposed host country is not required, it is generally preferred that faculty directors have experience traveling internationally.  It is strongly recommended that the faculty director proposing the program perform a site visit. The Study Abroad Office may be able to help coordinate and connect faculty members to funding resources for site visits.

Compensation

UIC faculty and staff members who lead a study abroad program will be given a Study Abroad Program Leader appointment. In addition to having their program-related expenses covered, program leaders may be eligible for additional compensation. Program leaders of a summer program may receive additional compensation if they have a 9-month contract and no competing summer commitments; please see these guidelines for details. Program leaders of an embedded program (ex: spring break) are not provided additional compensation beyond their regular UIC compensation.

The Study Abroad Office (SAO) manages the study abroad proposal process on behalf of the University of Illinois at Chicago within the Office of Global Engagement.  SAO recognizes the central role that faculty members play in creating meaningful co-curricular international experiences for students and in expanding access to study abroad.  Accordingly, the SAO is dedicated to supporting the development and oversight of the University’s faculty-directed study abroad programs to ensure that they adhere to University policy and professional best practices as set forth by the Forum on Education Abroad[1]. Faculty members interested in proposing a faculty-directed program should follow the steps outlined here to obtain approval for their program to be offered.

  1. Eligible faculty or staff member contacts the Executive Director of the Study Abroad Office to schedule a meeting to discuss their program idea. In this meeting, all aspects of the proposal and coordination process are discussed, including:
    • Program leader responsibilities
    • Program viability/marketability
    • Logistical coordination
    • Financial viability
    • Vetted program partners
    • Risk management
    • Planning timeline
  2. With support from an assigned SAO staff member, the Faculty Director completes the Program Proposal Form by established deadlines (generally 14 months out – see deadlines in next section).
  3. Once the proposal is completed, the faculty director obtains approvals from the chair/department head and dean of the sponsoring academic unit. All program leaders affiliated with the program must obtain approval from their department head.
  4. The proposal is reviewed by the UIC Study Abroad Program Review Committee and they make a recommendation:
    • Proposal approved
    • Proposal needs specific revisions or questions addressed
    • Proposal is declined
  5. The Chair of the UIC Study Abroad Program Review Committee communicates the recommendation of the committee to the Faculty Director and the Study Abroad Office Executive Director.
  6. Proposals requiring revisions are worked on by the assigned SAO staff member and the Faculty Director. Approved proposals are permitted to proceed to the program coordination stage, where SAO staff will assist with sourcing approved program partners, creating a program budget, developing the student application process, and adding the program to the SAO website.

[1] The Forum on Education Abroad is recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission as the Standards Development Organization for the field of education abroad

Proposal deadlines are in the academic year prior to when the program would run.
Summer/Fall Programs Winter Break Programs Spring Semester/Spring Break Programs
June 1st October 31st March 1st

All faculty members interested in proposing a program are first asked to schedule a meeting with the Executive Director of the Study Abroad Office to discuss the general program idea, the proposal process, and preliminary questions. After the meeting, faculty members will be asked to begin completing the following documents:

  • The New Program Proposal Documents are currently being updated for the next proposal cycle. Please contact Kyle Rausch, Executive Director (kcrausch@uic.edu) for more information.
  • Renewal Form
    Once a program has been formally approved by the Study Abroad Program Review Committee, faculty need only submit this condensed renewal form each year they intend to offer the program. Programs that make substantial changes to the host location, changes in services, academic offerings, or overall structure of the program will require a new proposal packet and undergo the full review process.