What is “Success” in
Education Abroad?
IFSA-Butler 2016 Conference
Connect. Collaborate. Contribute.
Indicators of Success
Brian Libby, Harvard University
Jill McKinney, Butler University
IFSA-Butler Conference
July 2016
What is success?
Good grades?
ddelete--
Positive evaluation?
Typical Indicators Used in Applications
● GPA / Transcript
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Probably the most common indicator since many programs and institutions
have a GPA requirement for consideration
Faculty Reference
Disciplinary Record
Language Evaluation (where applicable)
Class Year
Student Essay
Is this working? Can’t we all think of examples where the typical
indicators failed us?
What types of success are we looking for?
In what ways do we want students to be successful?
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Academic achievement: grades, learning outcomes, articulation of knowledge gained
Language acquisition: progress towards fluency, ability to interact in the culture
Health, wellness, and safety: mental, emotional, physical
Behavior: conduct towards self and others, respect for host culture and one’s own
Personal growth: “hard” and “soft” skills, maturity, enjoyment and fulfillment
Cultural immersion/integration: knowledge of host culture norms, practices, history, social
issues, etc.; first-hand experience living as locals do; empathy
Are there others?
How can we predict in the advising and
application stages whether or not a
student will be successful in these ways?
Case Studies
Erica is an Art History and Business double-major.
She wants to study abroad in Italy:
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3.78 GPA; does not need courses towards her
majors
2 strong faculty recommendations
One disciplinary infraction (alcohol
violation)
No previous study of Italian language
Junior
Application essay mentions a desire to see
Italian art first-hand, travel, and enjoy a
semester away from her busy schedule at
school.
Neil is a Mathematics major. He wants to study
abroad in Chile:
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2.7 GPA; needs 1-2 courses towards his major
1 strong faculty recommendation, 1
commenting on his high ability but
consistent lateness with assignments
No disciplinary infractions
Speaks Spanish fluently
Sophomore
He spends every summer in Spain because
his mother is Spanish. He is excited to go
somewhere new where he can easily interact
with locals and do well in his courses
because he knows the language.
Case Study
Questions?
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What indicators first jumped out at you?
How would you predict Erica and Neil would do studying abroad?
Who could you consult for additional information on your campus?
If you could ask one more question on the application, what would it be?
Case Study Take Away
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Worried about Neil’s inability to complete assignments in the home environment where
support services are all around. This would inform what type of program would be best for
him. Possibly wait until Junior year.
Want to know what other things are in the student’s life that would impact what we see in
the application. A job? Outside responsibilities? Family stress?
Neil is going to Chile where there is a cultural academic environment of lateness - possibly
a good fit!
It is rare for a student at a residential college to get through the first year with absolutely
no disciplinary infractions.
Concerned about Neil’s sophomore status with credits abroad being applicable
Neil has an assumption that he will get along easily with his Spanish fluency. He might
find he does not know the mathematical terms or cultural undercurrent.
Erika needs some language! She seems to have more touristy goals. Focus advising on
how to help her have a more immersed experience.
She might be less serious about academics if she does not need any credits towards her
major.
Beginner language students can go abroad and fall in love with the language for further
study.
Sometimes high academic performers in US do not do as well abroad. Why?
GPA Requirement
IES Abroad recently changed their minimum GPA requirement from 3.0 to 2.75
“This change was enacted in an effort to remove structural barriers to study
abroad participation. Our multi-year studies have concluded that GPA is not
the only predictor for success on a study abroad program. Student motivation,
flexibility, resilience, and willingness to engage with the community are very
powerful influencers of success abroad.”
GPA Requirement
IFSA-Butler has recently reviewed our minimum GPA requirements in
consultation with our international partner institutions and faculty.
“IFSA-Butler recognizes that GPA’s at the time of application are not the most
accurate indicators of academic success. We believe that academic potential is
just as important as academic achievement. The result was a lowering of
minimum GPA requirements in many locations.”
More statistics and details will be coming as the IFSA-Butler Inclusive Excellence
working groups continue to discuss and review this area.
Does a high GPA help student success abroad?
IES Abroad: Our data analyses showed no statistically significant difference
between the academic performances on our programs of those who have a 3.0
GPA versus a 2.75 GPA. Most recent research has shown that most of our
member schools encourage students to study abroad with a 2.75 GPA and many
allow students to study abroad with a 2.5 GPA.
IFSA-Butler: With a range of academic workshops and services in place, IFSAButler staff in Indianapolis and worldwide are prepared to support students to
be academically successful.
Talk back moment...
1.
Can you give of an example where a student looked good on paper but did not
succeed abroad.
2.
What could you have known ahead of time that would have predicted the student
struggling abroad?
3.
Conversely, can you give an example of taking a chance on a student who then
found success abroad?
Talk Back Take Away
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How can we tell in application stage how flexible and resilient a student will be abroad?
Strategies from Behavioral Interviewing: Have students give an example of a time they
were challenged and how they rose to that challenge. This indicates strategies they have
used in the past as well as set the expectation that there will be challenges abroad.
How does the student define their own success? And how will they know if they have
succeeded - their own assessment of their experience?
Mental health seems to be difficult to predict.
Are there questions on our petition applications that could be folded into our regular
applications? In petition, students have to convey their own buy-in to the study abroad
experience.
Should we have students write more?
IFSA recently revised Application Essay Questions
Old Essay Questions:
1. Have you traveled or studied abroad before? (yes, no) If so, where?
2. Describe yourself
3. Describe your personal interests (hobbies, sporting activities, clubs or
affiliations, etc.) and which (if any) of these you wish to continue while
abroad.
4. Please share three volunteering or leadership roles you have held during
high school or college.
5. What do you hope to achieve academically and personally during your study
abroad experience?
IFSA recently revised Application Essay Questions
New Essay Questions:
1. What do you hope to gain through this study abroad experience
(personally, academically, professionally), and how do you think the
program you selected will help you do that?
2. When you think about your study abroad experience, what excited you
most and what are you most concerned about?
3. How have your life experiences and circumstances shaped your lens
through which you see the world?
Essay and short-answer questions
We most often ask students about how study-abroad will fit into their academic plan,
and we ask them to set goals for their study abroad experience. We inquire often about
their excitement, but seldomly about about their concerns? What else can we ask?
From Janice Abarbanel, PhD (Psychologist focusing on emerging adulthood & abroad)
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Describe skills you already have that will prepare you for studying abroad.
Describe an experience you had becoming comfortable in a new environment.
Describe a time you asked for help. Who did you ask and why?
Describe a time you failed. What did you learn from this?
Describe your daily routine now. What from it do you anticipate needing abroad? What do you anticipate
you will not be able to have as part of your routine abroad?
What would you do without social media for a day?
Admissions Perspective
While the process of reviewing student applications centers around many of the same pieces (GPA,
test scores, etc), there isn't a universal predictive model used by all colleges/universities.
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HS Curriculum - We will conduct an overall assessment of the strength of a HS curriculum and strength of sending HS
HS degree awarded by state - i.e. IN determines rigor by awarding Academic Honors, Core 40, etc.
Curriculum related to intended major - i.e. when looking at applications to our COPHS programs, we will look very closely at the HS courses
in math and science.
Advanced courses while in HS - AP/IB/college credit (how many courses / letter grades earned / eventual scores awarded)
Letter grades - Overall evaluation, by subject and trends. Most schools will prefer to see very few C's. D's and F's are almost always red
flags. Success in core classes
GPA trends - How did the student start/finish? We prefer to see steady performance from beginning to end...but if that is not the case we
will be looking for an upward grade trend.
SAT / ACT - While there has always been some debate about the effectiveness of these tests when it comes to predicting college readiness
(some schools are becoming test optional), most colleges and universities still incorporate these scores into admission decisions. Both
tests offer college readiness guidelines.
Writing Sample - we will do a general assessment of a student's writing ability...making sure the essay, English grades and test scores align.
Demonstrated interest (visit / communication with Admissions)
Participation in extracurricular activities
Attendance / Disciplinary infractions
Admissions Perspective
The main takeaway from our Admissions colleagues…
Multiple indicators from various angles need to be taken into
consideration when considering admission to any program to
cross-check potential for student success.
Final Talk back moment...
1.
How do we get beyond just looking at GPA?
2.
What are the red flags and how can we use our gut?
3.
Is Education Abroad ready to broaden the profile of student we send abroad?
Talk Back Take Away
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What is “Success” in
Education Abroad?
IFSA-Butler 2016 Conference
Connect. Collaborate. Contribute.