VI. Program Facilitation

Pre-Departure Tasks

Early arrival

The Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office typically arranges for leaders to arrive on site approximately 5 days before the program start date so they may familiarize themselves with the host country, host institution(s) and in-country staff.

Leader guidebook and in-country resources

The Overseas Office creates a Google Drive folder for each program, containing documents and student information that will be useful while on your program, including:

• Leader & Student passport copies
• Information regarding iNext supplemental travel insurance
• Student health information
• Faculty Leader Toolbox
• Program travel itineraries
• Student travel log
• Student program application information
• Leader and Student program evaluation information
• Accounting spreadsheet and other financial documents including a program budget

Last minute details

Near the end of the semester preceding your program, the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office will email a document outlining last-minute details for all participants. This document includes logistics that students should attend to before departure.

Coordinate student arrival

Make sure that you have access to all student itinerary information including connections - the Overseas Office will upload student itineraries to your Google Drive folder. Work with in-country staff to meet the students when they arrive at the airport or soon after their arrival.

Facilitate and encourage intercultural interaction

One of the foremost responsibilities of a program leader is to encourage and guide participants’ intercultural learning experiences. Make sure that you set a good example from the moment you arrive in the host country. Maintain positive relationships with in-country staff and do not speak disparagingly of them in front of students. Spend time interacting and working with local communities and provide opportunities for students to do the same.

Communicate your own past and present learning experiences with the students. Let them see what you find interesting and why. Join students in trying to recognize connections between (sometimes seemingly disparate) people, events or themes either within the host country or between the host country and the U.S. Discuss your experiential learning discoveries along with those of the students often and incorporate them into outings, lectures and assignments as often as possible to help focus an experience that participants may otherwise find overwhelming.

In-country orientation meetings

An in-country orientation meeting should be held as soon as possible after arrival in the host country. The meeting should cover a tentative program calendar for the first week; introductions to in-country assistants and staff; local directions and amenities; reiteration of health and safety advice, local independent travel rules and contact methods and information. This is typically managed by the in-country provider.

Local travel rules

Local travel rules include curfews and buddy systems where appropriate. They may also include a designated radius beyond which students may not travel on given days/times or prohibited areas for travel.

Follow up group meetings

You should hold group meetings with participants regularly throughout the program to have a general check-in, survey student group dynamics, remind participants of rules, health and safety issues and assignment guidelines and due dates, make announcements and discuss issues affecting the group. These meetings should be held once weekly.

In-country staff

In-country staff are your colleagues in facilitating programs and every effort should be made for leaders and in-country staff to cooperate fully. In-country staff and leaders are expected to discuss with one another any issues they may be having with program organization and logistics, task sharing and student participation and behavior. The Overseas Programs office should be in the loop on program issues as well.

Health

The leader is expected to regularly remind students of precautions that they should be taking regarding their health. Leaders should monitor students’ health closely and immediately address severe or persisting injuries or illnesses by taking the student to the nearest medical provider or hospital.

It is common for students to fall ill during Overseas & Off-Campus Programs. Most illnesses are minor respiratory or digestive problems that are alleviated by over the counter cold or anti-diarrheal medicines. However, more serious issues do sometimes arise and it is the leader’s job to immediately accompany any student experiencing persistent or serious illness or injury to a local health provider or hospital. In-country staff or assistants will inform you of the best places to go for medical care and will accompany you when possible.

All students will be enrolled in a supplemental travel health insurance plan, should their primary health care provider not have adequate international coverage. Remind students to keep receipts from all care and medications to file a claim with their insurance provider. Contact the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office for assistance with iNext coverage and claims.

Program leaders will be covered under the iNext policy for the duration of the program.

Mental health

The challenges of overseas and off campus study can be especially difficult for students with mental health issues. Students are asked to disclose any mental health issues when they confirm their participation in a program, but sometimes students do not disclose a condition and a leader finds out either by student disclosure on the program or student behavioral indications. As soon as you become aware of behavior that may be indicative of a participant’s mental illness, document your observations or conversations and contact the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office for assistance. Please refer to the Faculty Leader Toolbox in your Drive.

Homestays

Many of our programs provide participants with homestays in which students can experience day-to-day family life in the host culture. Homestays provide students with wonderful learning experiences and life-long friends and extended family members. Most program participants rate their host family experiences very highly. Nevertheless, problems do occasionally arise. Encourage students with less serious difficulties and offer them ways in which they can view challenging aspects of a homestay more positively. Check in with students regularly to ensure that they are not experiencing any major issues such as inadequate number of meals, largely absent host families or feelings of being in an inhospitable or threatening atmosphere. Address any serious issues by speaking to in-country staff and the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office.

Free time

Ground rules

Establish a set of ground rules for use of free time. We encourage you to require that students do not travel anywhere alone (i.e. not without at least one other participant) and that they carry a mobile phone with them at all times if possible. You should also establish other independent travel rules, including checking in every couple of days with the leader.

Reflection

Students will need time to reflect upon what they have learned, discuss it with their peers and try to put it into a larger context experientially as well as academically. Keep this in mind when creating program schedules and think about creating assignments that focus on this type of reflection as well as academic analysis. Online applications and tools can be creatively put to use in creating assignments synthesizing experiential and academic learning.

Independent travel

Some programs include opportunities for students to conduct independent travel in their host location. You must receive and keep track of all student itineraries for independent travel in the event that a travel complication or emergency arises. Typically, students will use their stipend to cover costs during this portion.

For students who decide to do other free travel during the program, please set check in expectations with the student before they depart. You will also need to collect information for the Student Travel Log (in your Google Drive guidebook). This includes getting their mode of transportation, departure time/date, return time/date, as well as information on who they will be traveling with.

Group dynamics / conflict resolution

Student groups will eventually develop at least one dynamic in which subgroups are formed. Try to encourage interaction amongst all program participants by placing them in different study/assignment/accommodation groups as often as possible.

Since overseas programs can be emotionally and physically challenging, students and leaders may get on one another’s nerves at different points of the program. Remind students to try to maintain perspective and place given situations in context. This means that students should not allow minor frustrations to create tensions or build into larger problems. They should also, to the best of their ability, allow one another adequate space when needed. Try to create and maintain a positive atmosphere of mutual respect and concern.

When conflict does arise, encourage students to resolve their issue(s) as quickly as possible. Conflict resolution takes work, but it also brings greater understanding and cohesiveness to your group. Consider introducing and practicing Non-Violent Communication methods during orientation.

Budget and record-keeping

We know record-keeping is one of the least rewarding parts of your overseas program experience. However, we greatly appreciate your assistance in accurately tracking expenses. This important task ensures we can give our students the best experience possible by giving us visibility into program budget needs. Your program budget is maintained via the accounting spreadsheet in your daybook. Our office will walk you through the procedures for filling out the daybook in your pre-departure meeting.

All leaders will be issued a Lewis & Clark purchasing card for use to facilitate their overseas program. This p-card should be utilized as the payment method for all program related expenses either by direct payment to vendors or to facilitate an ATM/bank cash withdrawal if cash is needed. Use of the p-card as a direct payment to vendors (rather than cash) is preferred and should be used in all cases reasonably practical. Use of the p-card is restricted to program expenses. All personal meals or other personal expenses should be handled via your own personal credit card. You will need to track your p-card and program cash transactions through use of a detailed log in your leader Google Drive.

Addressing issues of student misconduct

When a student applies for program participation, s/he signs a Release and Agreement contract, which states that, “in addition to Participant’s usual responsibility to the College to comply with its rules and regulations, Participant must assume added responsibility to the group and to comply with the laws and customs of the country in question. The College reserves the right to terminate participation of a Participant in the program, either before or after going abroad, for any of the following causes: a) failure to prepare conscientiously for the program, including irregular attendance at orientation sessions, inadequate study of assigned materials, and unsuccessful completion of program prerequisites; b) being placed on academic warning or probation; c) failure to perform at a satisfactory academic level during the program; d) possession or use of narcotics or hallucinogenic drugs; e) intemperate or illegal use of alcoholic drinks or public intoxication, or f) participation in black market activities.”

“The College is not able to assist students who break the law in a foreign country and is not responsible for legal fees or other costs while attempting to secure the release of Participant from foreign custody. Lewis & Clark students are subject to the law of their host country and community. Neither the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs Office nor the US Government has the ability to protect Participant from punishment with respect to drugs or other criminal offenses.”

When an act of student misconduct occurs, students are subject to disciplinary measures as described in part VI the Student Code of Conduct, which can be found in the LC Pathfinder Student Handbook. You are required to consult with the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office and the Dean of Students prior to taking official disciplinary measures

Grading

Faculty leaders are often the instructors of record for their programs, and will submit grades (received from in-country providers for all classes not taught by the leader) on Self Service. Work with in-country staff to determine overall student grades in the two weeks following completion of the program.

Leader and program evaluations

All student evaluations are completed online via a custom Google form. Program leaders are expected to allocate some time at the end of the program for students to fill out the form. Our office will provide a link to the evaluation form via your Google Classroom page. Additionally, you’ll be asked to fill out a report summarizing the program. A blank template for the form can be found in your Faculty Resource Drive. Please submit the report to the Overseas Office before you meet to debrief the program with staff in person.