Evaluation and Study Abroad: Developing Assessment Criteria and Practices to Promote Excellence

The process of accrediting institutions of higher education in the U.S. embraces two principles: the system provides for self-regulation conducted by peers; and the starting point of the procedure is the institution’s academic mission and goals. In practice, the principle of peer assessment means that an institution “must demonstrate that it meets the collective standards of its peers” (Braskamp, Poston, Wergin, 1). With the framework of the process being the institution itself, the operative word is “standards” rather than standardization. The principle of institutional autonomy thus protects the individuality of the institution and allows for a wide variety of colleges and universities. The evaluation of a study abroad program might be designed according to these same principles, but international and cross-cultural program components introduce three specific challenges. First, we must articulate the program’s academic mission and goals in terms of cross-cultural learning experiences, among them, language facility, field study and guided field trips, and access to