Leader Handbook

How to Prepare your Students

Your Pre-departure Orientation
OSA's Pre-departure Orientation
Your On-site Orientation
Group Expectations

Basics for Faculty-led Programs (step by step instructions for students)

Your Pre-departure Orientation. Faculty-led programs are intense group experiences, whose success depends on good group dynamics and clear expectations. Accordingly, you are required to schedule at least one pre-departure orientation with your student participants.

You must provide students with information on safety, health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in the host country(ies), as well as planning logistics in your host countries.

Health Services is more than willing to come to your pre-departure orientation to discuss vaccinations and other health/safety issues of your particular location. You just have to call them and make a request: 581-3013.

Be real and discuss preventable accidents and illnesses that can happen in the areas you will be traveling and with the activities you'll be doing, such as traffic patterns, night time dangers, dangerious transportation methods, etc. Get specific and use examples like student deaths that have occured in the UK from looking the wrong way when crossing the street.

Create an emergency action plan which includes a communication tree and buddy system and share this pan with students. For more information about how to create this plan or other crisis management resources, review the Crisis Management Handbook (SAFETI). Also, read the following articles and share this information with students also:

Communicate regularly with students through informal gatherings, social media, and orientation sessions, to build the preparedness and cohesiveness of your group. Be proactive about your expectations, as well as group expectations, and address behavior issues quickly and efficiently. At the beginning of a program, students will test your limits; it's best to send the message right then and there that such behaviors will not be tolerated.

Do NOT provide medical advice to students about medications, vaccines, etc. Just send them to Health Services. According to the law, providing medical advice is practicing medicine without a license.

OSA's Pre-departure Orientation. While your students will receive communications directly from the Office of Study Abroad (OSA), you should inform them that they are required to attend an OSA pre-departure orienation. At this 2-hour orientation, we will provide them with general information about traveling abroad to different areas of the world. While we will NOT focus on a particular country; we will provide solid advice and facilitate a panel discussion composed of students who have already participated in faculty-led study abroad programs. This panel is usually the most valuable and enjoyable part of the orientation and quite worthwhile for students looking for answers.

Your On-site Orientation. In addition to the pre-departure orientation, your program must have an on-site orientation, conducted during the first two days after arrival to acclimate your students to the new surroundings. Information about navigation, transportation, housing, banking, ATM withdrawals, food and restaurants, pharmaceuticals, and other necessary information to daily living should be a part of the orientation. Areas to avoid, known risks, and other general safety precautions should also be clearly identified. Be sure to ask students if they have their emergency cards completed. Advise students to leave the site only with money and ID (and never without it), to inform you of any independent travel they are conducting on their own (as well as contact information), and to avoid travel to or through any dangerous locations. Plan frequent and structured opportunities during your program for students to process and reflect on their experience.

GROUP EXPECTATIONS

Seasoned study abroad leaders know that most of the challenges are not emergency situations, but rather student behavior. It is important to discuss student conduct expectations and behavior-related problems during your pre-departure orientation. Reinforce the message that your program is not a "trip" or a "blow-off" opportunity; it is a serious academic experience. Help students understand that they are no less than "cultural ambassadors" of the USA, Illinois, and EIU.

Individual commitment to the group is very important. Students need to understand that their program is as viable as they make it. Consider creating a "group contract" by asking students to identify and agree upon acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, write it up in the form of a group contract, and have everyone sign it. For example, students can agree that everyone arrives to functions on time and anyone who does not will experience some consequence. In this sort of contract, it is often better to emphasis what students should do, as opposed to what they should not.

Ask students to discuss how cliques, complaining, getting drunk, roommate conflicts, etc. can undermine the atmosphere of the program. By having the students come up with expectations rather than your imposing them, you'll get more buy-in from the students. Alcohol abuse tends to be one of the primary sources of behavior problems and personality conflicts between group members. By being proactive in your approach and addressing this problem before it falls upon your program, you will reduce the number of alcohol-related problems.

Consider rotating roommates (if applicable) to avoid cliques, mix up students and stimulate full-group interaction. Also, meet with students regularly to discuss non-academic issues.