Faculty Voices in Faculty-Led Programs Abroad

This study focuses on the experiences and perceptions of faculty members who develop and lead study abroad programs for students enrolled in higher education institutions. Through qualitative case study inquiry, four questions are answered. First this study explores what motivates faculty members to become involved in the development and implementation of short-term study abroad programs. Second, faculty identify what was involved in creating and leading the short-term, faculty-led program including what obstacles they encountered and how they overcame them. Third, these faculty shared their perceptions of what students gained from participating in the program. Finally, this study investigates what institutions could do to better support faculty in the development and facilitation of short-term study abroad. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory serves as the theoretical framework for this constructivist research design and provides a lens for data analysis and interpretation through this study. Interviews were held with ten participants, and interview transcripts were analyzed using in vivo and values coding. The results of this study give voice to faculty members and inform institutions on how to use policy and practice in a way that further supports faculty in developing educational exchanges abroad for students