Transcripting undergraduate research done abroad

Presented by: Laurie Black, Dean for External Relations

and Strategic Enrollment Management, School for

International Training Study Abroad and

Patricia Martin, Director for Off-Campus Study, Swarthmore College

Monday, April 2, 2012Session ID 381

AACRAO, Philadelphia, April 1-4, 2012

High-Impact Educational Practicesby George D. Kuh

Published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (2008)

The National Study of Student Engagement (NSSE) provides a set of metrics that enables a campus to indicate the extent to which its students are participating in various forms of active practice, such as extensive writing, integrative learning assignments, and capstone/culminating projects.

Achieving the Goals of Liberal Education:Connecting Essential Learning Outcomes

with High-Impact Practices

Fostering Broad Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Natural World

Common intellectual experiences (exploring “big questions” in history, cultures, science, and society)

•  Undergraduate research        �    Learning communities (multiple courses linked to a “big question”)

•  Diversity, civic, and global learning            �    Capstone courses

Strengthening Intellectual and Practical Skills

•  First­year seminars and experiences          �    Writing­intensive courses (across the curriculum)

• Skill­intensive courses (quantitative reasoning, oral communication, and information literacy across the curriculum)

• Collaborative assignments and projects          �    Undergraduate research           �    Internships

Deepening Personal and Social Responsibility• Common intellectual experiences (exploring “big 

questions” in history, culture, science, and society)

• Diversity, civic, and global learning         �     Ethics­intensive courses

• Collaborative assignments and projects          �    Service and community­based learning

Practicing Integrative and Applied Learning• Learning communities (multiple courses linked to a “big 

question”)          

• Undergraduate research• Service and community­based learning          �    

Internships

• Capstone projects and culminating experiences

Participation Rate of U.S. Students in Study Abroad, 2009/10

U.S. Higher Education Total • U.S. higher education system 1.4%

• U.S. undergraduates 9.5%

• U.S. undergraduates pursuing bachelor’s degrees 14.0%

Duration of U.S. Study Abroad in 2009/10• Short­term (summer or eight weeks or less) 56.6%

• Mid­length (one or two quarters or one semester) 39.4%

• Long­term (academic or calendar year) 3.9% Institute of International Education. (2001­2010). "U.S. Study Abroad at All Institutions, 2000/01­2008/09." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/opendoors

Open Doors Data

• Destinations

• Duration of study abroad

• Fields of Study/Academic Level

• Credit for internships, volunteer, or work experiences (paid or unpaid as part of academic experience)

• Participated in a non­credit internship, volunteer, or work experience (paid or unpaid)

• Gender/Ethnicity

• Financial Aid

• Disabilities

Forum on Education Abroad

Located on the campus of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, The Forum on Education Abroad is the only organization whose exclusive purpose it is to serve the field of education abroad. Recognized by the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission as the Standards Development Organization (SDO) for education abroad, the Forum's Standards of Good Practice are recognized as the definitive means by which the quality of education abroad programs may be judged.

Forum on education abroad state of the field survey 2011

What policies do you follow with respect to student research abroad? (check all that apply)

• Students working on human or animal subjects are expected to file a proposal with our Institutional Review Board (38%)

• We have formal guidelines for students who plan research abroad (34%)

• Our overseas partners or universities handle IRB approvals, instruction in participant observation, and ethical training (32%)

• Students are oriented on the ethics of field research abroad prior to departure if they are planning research or writing related to field work (29%)

• Students planning field research are instructed in participant observation (13%)

UNDERGRADUATE

RESEARCHABROAD

AACRAOPhiladelphia, PA

April 2012Laurie Black

Distinctive Features

➘ Experiential, field-based approach

➘ Focus on critical global issues

➘ Non-traditional locations

➘ Undergraduate research

➘ Homestay

➘ Local networks

Critical Global Issues

Coursework

Research Methods and Ethics

➘ Understanding fieldwork

➘ Methodology

➘ Using primary sources in a

specific cultural setting

➘ Field study ethics

➘ Human subjects review/IRB

Independent Study Project

➘ Topic development

➘ Project approval

➘ 20-40 page paper

➘ Oral presentation

Institutional Review Board

Home Institution

SIT process

Impact of Undergraduate Research

• Senior thesis• Undergraduate

research symposia• Followup work on

their own• Fulbrights• Graduate school

Transcripting Undergraduate Research Abroad

• Course= ISPR • Full title appears• Grade with credit hours• Accompanied by narrative evaluation

Transferring/Transcripting Undergraduate Research Abroad

Transferring/Transcripting Undergraduate Research Abroad

“The experience with research and the introduction to Ghana..has shaped the trajectory of my life. Because of my experience with SIT Ghana, I was able to go back..on a Fulbright after I finished my undergraduate studies and now am working on a Ph.D. on governance and the state in Ghana.”

Erin Metz McDonnell, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology, Northwestern University

“I can't begin to express how much I learned--both academically and personally--during my time on this program. I applied many of the concepts that I learned to my senior thesis—recently awarded the Johns Hopkins' Arthur Kouguell Memorial Prize— and my experiences on the Durban docks continued to serve as a major asset during all of my job interviews. My time spent interacting with members of the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union truly changed my life, and there is no doubt in my mind that my stories from within the Port of Durban will continue to help me as I work in America's labor movement.”

Benjamin Mays, SIT South Africa, Johns Hopkins University

International Undergraduate Research

Laurie Black

Dean for External Relations and Strategic Enrollment Management

Laurie.black@sit.edu

802-258-3273

888-272-7881

Where are we in terms of transcripting undergraduate research done abroad?

If part of a study abroad program, there will be a transcript and it will be reviewed by the appropriate department. It will appear as the other abroad courses do: 

SOAN XXX Course Title

If research is done abroad, not for credit, it will not be noted.

Other possible rubrics when not part of a study abroad program?

The following possibilities are not concurrent with the research done abroad, but are independent courses in which the student might incorporate the research done abroad:

• Independent Study

• Directed Reading

• Thesis

Institutional Review Board

Difficult for students to go through the IRB process prior to study abroad because they don’t know enough about what their research might entail.

Students who obtain research funds from the College to go abroad in the summer to do research and who are the primary investigator must go through this process (it takes up to 2 months).

Training on ethical, cultural, and legal concerns would be useful for all students going abroad.

Transcripts: what counts and what matters

What would we like to know?

• Number of students who study abroad with or without credit

• Number of students who study abroad and do research with or without credit

• Number of students who do research domestically (on campus and elsewhere)

• Number of students do research abroad with home institution or with another institution (many of those students are on their own while conducting their research)

Current examples

Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW). The RISE to the IUPUI Challenge encourages undergraduate students to include into their Bachelor’s degree program at least two RISE experiences in Research, International Study, Experiential or Service Learning.   After successful completion of at least two of the four possible experiences, a notation will be placed on the student’s official transcript recognizing this milestone once the student graduates from IUPUI. 

Utah State University. The Undergraduate Research Scholar Transcript Designation is given to more fully recognize the accomplishments of USU’s undergraduate researchers.

Georgetown University. Rising junior and senior majors in the Chemistry Department are invited to apply for a Summer GRUOP­Abroad  award to conduct research at Fudan University for summer 2012. Upon successful completion of the summer research project, students will receive following notation on their transcripts: "Undergraduate Research Abroad Fellowship, Summer 2012." 

Oregon State University OSU students who have engaged in significant research/creative activities that meet the criteria below can be recognized for these efforts by designation on their transcripts as a “Research Fellow” or an “Arts Fellow” as appropriate.

MIT Undergraduate Research Notation (21F.URN)  URN is a transcript notation that is awarded for pay and volunteer UROPs.   This notation is not registered and does not count toward graduation requirements.   Rather, it is awarded by faculty at the end of the term to students who successfully complete 80 hours or more of UROP research in a given semester.   This particular notation (21F.URN) is awarded for pay and volunteer UROPs in Foreign Languages and Literature (21F). 

Brandeis. Transcript Notation is one of the ways that Brandeis officially recognizes student internships.   It is an official note at the end of your Brandeis transcript that describes where and when you completed your internship.

Why Apply for Transcript Notation• Brandeis students may apply to receive transcript notation 

for a variety of reasons, including:

• To receive official University recognition for your internship

• To alert future employers and graduate schools that your internship was sanctioned by the University

• To enable the University to advocate for you should you have concerns at your site

• To help evaluate your internship site for future Brandeisians

discussion

FROM YOUR INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE:

• How do you keep track of research experiences and is the transcript the appropriate place for this?

• Is research done abroad (other than as a part of a study abroad program) counted for credit (if yes, how)?

• If not for credit, is research done abroad considered a noteworthy activity on the transcript? (If yes, when and how is it noted?)

•   Can these notations be easily summed up for institutional research purposes?

In summary

• Undergraduate international research activities are highly likely to increase in number.

• Institutions should determine ways to keep track of the students undertaking these activities and should prepare them for this experience (e.g., IRB). Transcript notations may be one way forward.

• Many members of the campus community should work together to develop appropriate procedures to support a robust set of opportunities for students (keeping in mind best practices for conducting research and for the health, safety, and security of the participants). These offices include international education, registrar, institutional research, IRB, and academic departments.

Q and A

Thank you!Laurie Black, Laurie.Black@sit.edu

Patricia Martin, pmartin1@swarthmore.edu

Please complete the class evaluation form

Session ID 381