Passport to Change

“This book is a much-needed practical guide that covers the nuts and bolts of short-term faculty-led study abroad programs. The focus is on programs that provide an outcomes-based curriculum in one or more academic disciplines and are deliberately designed for a specific cultural context. The framework of all the programs described in the book encompasses experiential learning, specifically the facilitation of such learning prior to, during, and after the study abroad experience.

As much as this book guides faculty through the development, delivery, and marketing for short-term study abroad programs, it is also about the student experience – of encountering oneself in another culture, from another perspective, and seeing oneself and others anew.

Short-term faculty-led study abroad programs are an important high impact practice for college students, and Passport to Change is an indispensable guide for all who believe in long-term student success.”

Hilary Landorf, Associate Professor, International & Intercultural Education; Director, Office of Global Learning Initiatives, Florida International University; and Executive Director

Comparative & International Education Society

“Passport to Change: Designing Academically Sound, Culturally Relevant, Short-Term, Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs, edited by Susan Lee Pasquarelli, Robert A. Cole, and Michael J. Tyson, is a welcome arrival to the field and a much-needed catalyst for the further development of study abroad programs at institutions of higher education. In an era when the threat of closed borders, extreme nationalism, and a rising fear of culturally complex, globally-minded perspectives looms large for many academics, this well-developed project offers advice and encouragement with significant potential to enhance international programming across the spectrum of academic disciplines. Although billed as a much-needed practical guide, the volume effectively incorporates theory to support such guidance.

The focus of Passport to Change is short-term, faculty-led programming, although as a scholar with 20 years of experience facilitating various international programs, I found many elements of this book to be applicable beyond this intended scope. However, given that more than half of all U.S. students who study abroad do so through short-term programs, this focus is both welcome and warranted. While the contributors acknowledge several challenges inherent to short-term study abroad programs, they do not frame these as deficits.

Passport to Change approaches the field of education abroad as one that is central to the academic mission of higher education. Through the lens of experiential learning and teaching, the book offers timely perspectives on how to ensure academic rigor is at the core of any study abroad program, especially those faculty-led, short-term experiences that historically may not have emphasized learning as much as travel. This is a must-read resource for any team of faculty and personnel considering developing or enhancing such a program."

Teachers College Record

"Passport to Change will become an indispensable handbook for individuals and institutions developing faculty-led study abroad programs.The volume provides outstanding, clear, practical guidance for planning, implementing and assessing an academically sound, culturally relevant program. The volume’s exhaustive array of useful topics is informed not only by the best scholarship in the discipline, but also by the first-hand experience of seasoned faculty directors. With a keen eye to both detail and diversity, the volume also addresses a wide variety of program paradigms and destinations. Written in an accessible voice, the volume will be a welcome resource for experienced and aspiring study abroad directors alike.

Rebecca S. Thomas, Professor of German

Wake Forest University

"Pasquarelli and her colleagues offer a brilliant resource, helpful to anyone from the expert to the novice, from the scholar to the practitioner. The handbook provides a start-to-finish guide that outlines considerations for planning and realizing an experience abroad, yet each chapter is a standalone resource. The authors cover practicalities and intricacies of pre-planning, execution, and post-experience, and provide a solid grounding for building powerful curricular – and co-curricular – experiences abroad."

Michael R. Beazley, Ph.D., Dean of Rome Student Life

John Felice Rome Center

"Passport to Change is a thorough and interesting handbook to the expanding endeavor of short term faculty-led education abroad. This book is grounded in solid theory and best practice; it also provides relevant examples and stories that bring this topic to a useful, personal level. This book is worthwhile to read, whether you are an international education veteran or new to the field. It should also serve as an appropriate guide for university leadership, including presidents and provosts, as well as deans and curriculum committees. Its practical programmatic advice, combined with respect for rigorous academic design and integrity, make it a welcome contribution to our collective body of international education literature. The study abroad field will be better for this timely and well-presented work.

Joshua S. McKeown, Ph.D., Associate Provost for International Education and Programs

State University of New York at Oswego