Study Abroad/ Domestic Study Program
Submit Request for Proposal (RFP)Individual Course Designation Request for Proposal (RFP)
Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) is committed to offering global and international learning experiences that support student’s understanding of the complexity of international and global issues, processes, trends, and events including learning about culture, language, religion, race/ethnicity, geography, and/or social issues. In a recent joint publication by NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Hovland (2014) defined global learning as:
Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world…focused by engaging with big questions; intellectual and practical skill…practiced across curriculum; personal and social responsibility…anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges; [and] integrative and applied learning…demonstrated in new settings and in the context of complex problems.
The Engaged Learning Office at SLCC supports faculty who engage in high-impact pedagogies. The program accepts quality proposals from full-time faculty. This document provides an outline for curricular study abroad or domestic study away trip proposals.
The learning goals of the program are as follows. Trips should address as many goals as feasible.
- Provide students with theoretical, and/or analytical frameworks, and practical knowledge for living and working in a global society in order to help students to understand how to interact across boundaries and in diverse contexts with a range of people.
- Expose students to different cultures and languages in order to gain a richer, more nuanced worldview, appreciate difference, and gain cultural humility.
- Help students develop and use intercultural communication and language
- Encourage students to examine the dynamics of power and how it shapes such issues as knowledge, privilege, gender, economics, religion, environment, and/or race relations.
- Employ discipline-specific approaches/methods in critically examining international and/or global issues, processes, trends, events, structures, etc.
Program Guidelines
Eligible Applicants
The program is open to full-time faculty members in all departments/programs. Staff and administrators can serve as additional trip leads.
Categories of Supported Projects
New Course Development
Faculty should follow the existing guidelines for the development of a new course as outlined in SLCC’s curriculum handbook, with the following modifications:
The new course proposal must be accompanied by a domestic study/study abroad proposal, following the guidelines in this document.
The new course should initially be approved by the relevant department and school curriculum committee, and then by the Study Abroad/Domestic Study (SA/DS) Committee before being submitted to the college-wide curriculum process.
Modification of an Existing Course
For courses that have already been approved by the curriculum process, faculty can use them as the basis for a domestic study or study abroad experience. The following steps are required:
Seek initial support from the Associate Dean and the Dean for the broad concept. Support at this stage does not imply final approval later.
Develop a SA/DS proposal, following the guidelines in this document.
The Associate Dean approves the proposal, asks for it to be revised and resubmitted, or rejects the proposal. If the proposal is rejected, the faculty member can submit a formal appeal in writing to the Dean addressing the concerns.
The Dean approves the proposal, asks for it to be revised and resubmitted, or rejects the proposal. The faculty member can submit a formal appeal to the Dean as needed.
SA/DS Committee reviews the proposal and either accepts it as written, asks for it to be revised and resubmitted, or rejects the proposal. The faculty member can submit a formal appeal to the committee addressing concerns.
SA/DS courses can be anchored in special topics.
Other items
Faculty must re-apply to the SA/DS Committee to have their trip renewed each year. Just because a trip ran the previous year, does not guarantee an offering in the future. The application must have an updated version of the proposal—signed by the Associate Dean and Dean—and a letter from the most recent trip leader explaining what worked and what did not work. Student evaluations and ePortfolios from previous trips are considered during the review process.
There is limited capacity regarding the number of trips offered each year due to, but not limited by, student interest and enrollment, administrative capacity, risk and liability concerns, as well as support structures and funding.