Open AccessStudy Abroad and the City: Bringing the Lessons Back Home
Author(s) -
Elizabeth Brewer
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
frontiers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2380-8144
pISSN - 1085-4568
DOI - 10.36366/frontiers.v20i1.299
Subject(s) - study abroad , psychological intervention , experiential learning , variety (cybernetics) , medical education , psychology , pedagogy , public relations , political science , medicine , artificial intelligence , psychiatry , computer science
In 2005, Beloit College launched its Cities in Transition project, intended to strengthen learning outcomes for students studying abroad at several of its exchange partner universities. The College greatly valued its exchange partner relationships. However, a variety of factors, including living in foreign student dormitories and taking classes for foreigners, made it difficult for students to achieve hoped-for language gains and increased country knowledge. This article discusses the obstacles to learning that students face when studying abroad and how faculty development initiatives have helped Beloit College develop curricular interventions to improve study abroad learning outcomes. Furthermore, these interventions, which have involved experiential learning in the cities in which the students study, have led to curricular innovations in Beloit that have the potential to positively impact both students who study abroad and those who remain in Beloit throughout their undergraduate studies.