Course Approval

It may be that the course that will have the international travel component built into it is a course that already exists (e.g., ENG 202), and a special section will be offered that includes the education abroad experience.  Or, it may be that the course in mind is a completely new course offering that the faculty leader will design and offer for the first time as an embedded course.  In either case, it is essential that the faculty member communicate with the leadership of his or her academic department, college, and campus concerning the process for course approval.  Please note that in addition to administrative leadership, each college and campus also has a designated representative for education abroad program support.  That representative may be able to provide support during the embedded course development process.

Academics

The embedded course must be approved by the sponsoring department and either the relevant Associate Dean of the college or the Director of Academic Affairs at the campus.  An online approval from the Associate Dean or DAA is required as part of the embedded course proposal process. The academic unit holds the responsibility of assuring that the course meets the academic standards of Penn State and contains sufficient contact hours to warrant the number of credits assigned to the course. 

Programs abroad are an extension of the Penn State campus.  Students are expected to attend and participate in classes, academic excursions and/or site visits and to complete homework. Students must also be assessed on their learning through exams, final papers/projects, or other assessment methods.  Grades must be assigned for work completed and students may not register for coursework abroad as Pass/Fail or as an Audit. 

Programs should make good use of their host environment, should support students in broadening their understanding of the host culture(s), and ideally will incorporate guest lectures from local experts familiar with the subject matter or its application.  EA reminds collaborators that Penn State is a leading member of the Forum on Education Abroad and, as such, is required to abide by the Standards of Good Practice for the field of education abroad.  We encourage all program leaders to carefully consider Forum’s piece on leading short-term programs and the Standards.