Policy and Procedures

The purpose is to enable more students to participate in College of Education and Human Sciences faculty-led study away programs by ensuring that those programs are:

1. Student-centered;
2. In compliance with standards of safety and responsibility for study away as established by recognized international education professional organizations (e.g., NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Forum on Education Abroad), the College, the CEHS Global Engagement, OSU Global, OSU Risk Management, and Student Support and Conduct.

---

• Definition of Faculty-Led Study Away Programs
  1. A faculty-led programs are short-term study abroad programs that contain academic credit. These programs are led by a faculty member who wishes to bring the classroom to life by extending the educational experience to the real world.
     1. CEHS Global Engagement Office, will help and manage the development of such programs. In the case of external travel groups or opportunities, like class or club field trips, the responsibility for managing the trip logistics falls upon the faculty and/or department/school.
• Establishment of Faculty-Led Study Away Programs
  1. Faculty interested in establishing a new or a continuation of program must review the CEHS Global Engagement website. Including; deadlines, best practices and submit a program proposal form by the deadlines outlined on the website.
  2. Faculty interested in a new program or a continuation of a program, must be approved by the Department/School Head and the Dean and the CEHS Global Engagement office. All approvals do have the authority to post-pone or decline a program with a proper cause (e.g. did not meet the deadline, faculty needs to be on campus (teach or research), safety of the location, not enough support in location)
  3. It is required that all faculty use an OSU approved third-party provider to organize the logistics of the program, unless the faculty can provide enough supporting documentation to use an unapproved provider. Approved providers can be found on the CEHS Global Engagement website.
  4. All faculty must use the CEHS Global Engagement office who will work with the approved third-party provider and obtain an official proposal and contract for all study away programs. If a faculty has previously had an established connection with a third-party provider, the CEHS Global Engagement office will work with that provider, as long as, no major changes occur from year to year and it is approved by OSU Global studies.
• Timeline of Deadlines
  1. Winter Program
  2. Faculty Proposal Form Due: January 1^st, (year before departure)
  3. Student Applications Open: April 1^st, to October 10^th, (same year as above)
  4. Spring Break Program
  5. Faculty Proposal Form Due: February 1^st, (year before departure)
  6. Student Applications Open: May 1^st, to November 10^th, (same year as above)
  7. Maymester/Summer
  8. Faculty Proposal Form Due: March 1^st, (year before departure)
  9. Student Applications Open: August 1^st  to February 10th, (year of departure)
• Faculty Accompanied by Spouse/Family
  1. Faculty and study away leaders wishing to have family members accompany them on a program must consult with the CEHS Global Engagement office. If approved, the faculty or study away leader will be responsible for all costs associated with the program.
• Contracts
  1. The CEHS Global Engagement office will work with international or domestic providers and/or vendors to establish a contract for all study away programs. Most providers request a 4 to 6-week timeframe to create a proposal. Please reference Timeline of Deadlines when proposal forms are due.
  2. All contracts will be routed through the CEHS Business Operations office for processing. No staff, faculty, or student has the authority to sign or commit to an outside contract.
• Budget
  1. CEHS Global Engagement office will confirm the provider program fee in order to develop an itemized budget. If the program was approved with a provider outside of the approved providers; faculty will be responsible for providing the program fee. All budgets must be approved by the faculty leader, department chair, college dean, the CEHS Global Engagement office, and the CEHS Business Operations office. Salary, airfare, housing, insurance, per diem and excursion costs for faculty and study away leaders on these programs are paid by the student in their overall program fee.
  2. Faculty leaders should strive to create a program budget that is reflective of anticipated expenses while keeping affordability in mind. Faculty and/or Department/School will be responsible if there are any account deficiencies.
  3. If excess funds accumulate in the provider fee, the excess will be returned to the student participants depending on the amount of funds available after the accounts have been reconciled. If the excess is $50 per student or higher, the monies will be returned to the students. Any amount below $50 per student will be retained by the CEHS Global Engagement office for use and support of faculty-led program administration.
     1. Faculty Cost
        1. Total Compensation Includes
           1. Faculty stipend, airfare, housing, local transportation, per diem, and all excursions. Please reference these detailed items below. Total compensation amount will be included in the budget approval form.
        2. Stipend only if the course is taught in over-load
           1. $3,000 for faculty leading 10 – 25 students
           2. $3,500 for faculty leading more than 25
        3. Course
           1. Faculty will be required to teach a 2 credit or higher-level course for any study away program. All participants are required to enroll in the study away course. Those non-degree seeking students must enroll in OSU prior to submitting their online study away application.
           2. Contact hour requirements must be met for credit hours earned. Contact hours can be generated prior to the study abroad experience and after the study abroad experience. Please reference OSU guidelines on contact hours.
        4. Provider Fee
           1. Provider fees should cover the cost of the faculty housing, local transportation, some meals and excursions. A contract on the agreement for faculty fees needs to be sent to the CEHS Global Engagement office.
        5. Airfare
           1. The CEHS Global Engagement office will research the average cost of airfare based on the location and time of year. This cost will be discussed with faculty prior to budget approval.
        6. Per Diem
           1. The CEHS Global Engagement office will allow faculty to take 50% of the per diem rates for meals and incidental expenses when taking students on a study away program, which is based on the US. Department of State Meals and Incidental Expenses Allowance
        7. Insurance
           1. All faculty going abroad will be required to enroll in OSU international travel insurance; enrollment is created after travel request has been submitted in AIRS (see below on Faculty Travel).
        8. Faculty Travel
           1. All faculty will be responsible to complete a travel request in AIRS and manage their travel, if needed, they can work with their department administration. The CEHS Global Engagement office can provide a template on travel questions, but will not be responsible for preparing the travel request for faculty in AIRS.
     2. Student Cost
        1. 1. Program Fee
              1. Will cover provider fees which could include the cost of the student housing, local transportation, some meals and excursions; as well as faculty and study away leaders’ fees. A contract from the provider on the agreement of student fees needs to be reviewed by the CEHS Global Engagement office. All fees will be charged to the Student’s Bursar Account.
           2. Tuition Fee
              1. The tuition charge is based off of the university set rate for that academic year and will be the same for both in-state and out-of-state students. All fees will be charged to the Student Bursar Account when they enroll in the course.
           3. Insurance
              1. All students going abroad will be required to enroll in OSU’s international travel insurance. This fee will be part of their program fee and charged to the Student’s Bursar Account.
           4. Outside Program Fee
              1. Other fees outside the program fee and tuition will be the student’s responsibility (airfare, registration fee, meals, optional excursions, etc). An estimated budget will be created for each program; therefore, each student understands all cost associated with the program.
     3. Other Fees-Included in the Overall Program Fee
        1. Application Fee
           1. $50; a non-refundable fee charged upon acceptance into the program.
        2. Contingency Fee
           1. A 2% contingency fee that covers any emergencies or unforeseen events.
        3. Administrative Fee
           1. A 5% administrative fee that covers a bad debt fee, record maintenance fees, and marketing and support for faculty-led programs.
• Safety and Security
  1. The decision to cancel a CEHS program for any period of time can have serious consequences, and should be considered carefully in view of how the cancellation will affect other CEHS international programs and students. The CEHS Global Engagement office must be consulted in the decision to cancel a program.
     1. The Dean, Department/School head, and the Global Engagement office do have the authority to cancel a program due to low enrollment or unfeasible costs, in a timeframe for students to be able apply to other programs.
  2. Faculty leaders must notify OSU Travel Assistance and the CEHS Global Engagement office immediately when any type of emergency occurs. All faculty leaders are required to check in on arrival with the CEHS Global Engagement office. All faculty and students will be given an “orange card” with important contact information.
• Responsibilities Prior to Departure
  1. Faculty and study away leaders’ responsibilities prior to departure include, but are not limited to, working with the CEHS Global Engagement office to submit required forms, review best practices on CEHS Global Engagement website, establish a budget, attend workshops, prepare for emergency situations, provide a site-specific orientation, and recruit and maintain an appropriate student/leader ratio.
     1. One leader for 10 – 14 students
     2. Two leaders for 15 – 29 students
     3. Three leaders for 30 or more students
  2. All leaders are required to attend a mandatory training held by OSU Global, those dates will be sent by CEHS Global
• Responsibilities During the Program
  1. Faculty and study away leaders are responsible for reviewing best practices during a program, which can be found on the CEHS Global Engagement website.
  2. Faculty and study away leaders’ responsibilities during the program include, but are not limited to, arriving with students or being on location in advance of their arrival, remaining on location for the duration of the program, behaving in a manner that conforms to OSU policies (see Guidelines, Policies and Procedures in Faculty Resources) and is consistent with local laws and customs, and diligently utilizing program funds.
  3. All CEHS faculty and study away leaders taking students away must have a cell phone with which to communicate with the CEHS Global Engagement office during the program or have an alternate method of communication in locations where cell phone coverage is not available.
  4. Faculty and study away leaders are responsible for establishing acceptable behavioral norms for students participating in their programs that are consistent with the OSU Student Code of Conduct and local law and custom.
  5. The CEHS Global Engagement office responsibilities include, but are not limited to, responding to emergency situations and supporting faculty with advice and resources to address non-emergency issues that may arise. The CEHS Global Engagement office is the point of initial contact for any emergency that occurs during a program.
• Upon Return
  1. Faculty and study away leaders are responsible for reconciling their travel account according to OSU travel policies and CEHS Business Operations.
     1. Evaluations
        1. To better serve CEHS students, each program should provide an opportunity for students to evaluate the program in terms of content, location, excursions, value for money spent, etc. The CEHS Global Engagement office will provide a voluntary evaluation within the online student application system. The results of the voluntary student evaluation will be shared with the faculty leader(s) following the completion of the program. The faculty leader(s) should also consider implementing an evaluation process to gather feedback that should be used to inform future programmatic decisions.