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Faculty Pre-Departure Guide

What is "pre-departure" and why is it important?

Pre-departure is the period before students leave the U.S. in which they prepare for their study abroad experience. Pre-departure is important to frame the study abroad experience, set and manage expectations, and answer students' various questions about studying abroad. Faculty leaders are responsible for developing and implementing pre-departure programming for their students. 

Implementing a robust pre-departure program allows students to hit the ground running when they arrive and can result in a more successful experience abroad, especially for short-term programs. Pre-departure preparation aligns with the Standards of Good Practice issued by the Forum on Education Abroad, the standards organization for the field of international education. 

Partnering with the GEO

The GEO can support your pre-departure efforts and facilitate sessions on a variety of topics, including health and safety, scholarships and financial aid, intercultural competence, personal development, travel tips, and more. Contact vtabroad@vt.edu for more information.

The GEO holds Pre-Flight Orientation for students participating in non-faculty-led programs in April and November. Students hear from GEO staff about health and safety and from study abroad alumni about their experiences. They also participate in a variety of activities designed to promote personal growth and intercultural competence. If you or your students are interested in attending, contact vtabroad@vt.edu.

Content

The information below should be discussed during pre-departure, in addition to your regular academic preparation. Some of these topics might be straightforward and familiar to you, while others might seem more abstract or unfamiliar. Many of the topics overlap. All of them are important to successfully prepare students for study abroad. Where possible, interactive activities are recommended because they increase engagement and require students to take ownership of their study abroad experience.

Logistics

Logistic preparation topics might include the program itinerary, booking flights, packing, travel preparation, communication while abroad, etc. Students generally have many questions about these topics, especially if they have never traveled independently. It is important to share information with students while encouraging them to do their own research.

Immigration

Immigration preparation topics might include passport and visa applications, regulations, etc. Depending on the host country requirements and the passports your students hold, these topics may or may not be pertinent.

Financial Matters

Financial preparation topics might include program costs and billing, using money abroad, scholarships and financial aid, etc. If parents/guardians are supporting students financially, students should be encouraged to share this information with them.

Student Conduct

Conduct topics might include behavior expectations, relevant rules and expectations, consequences for not following regulations, etc. Particularly in group settings, it is important to set expectations to mitigate conflict.

  • Activity ideas

    • Develop a group behavior contract together.

    • Talk through what to do in specific scenarios in which intergroup conflict occurs.

    • Research local expectations, norms, and laws that could impact student behavior.

  • Student-facing resources:

Health and Safety

Health and safety topics might include insurance, emergency contacts, physical and mental health abroad, etc. Students should be aware of risks specific to the program location and think ahead about how they can be safe and sound.

  • Activity ideas

    • Provide specific scenarios relevant to the program location. Students discuss how to mitigate risk and what they would do in each situation.

    • Research emergency numbers in the host country.

  • Student-facing resources:

Inclusion and Diversity

Diversity topics might include promoting an inclusive environment among the group, introducing local resources, race and identity in the host country, etc. It is important to create an inclusive, welcoming environment and to prepare students for how diverse identities may be viewed abroad.

Personal Development

Personal development topics might include recognizing skills, setting goals, reflection, etc. Priming the students for introspection can lead to greater development while abroad.

Intercultural Competence

Intercultural competence topics might include the host culture, language learning, intercultural knowledge/skills/abilities, etc. Students can learn about the host culture specifically, but more importantly, they can learn attitudes and behaviors that allow them to interact effectively with others, no matter the culture. By learning to accept and appreciate differences, students will be more open to cultural learning while abroad.

  • Activity ideas

    • Students research and present an aspect of the host culture and history.

    • Describe-Analyze-Evaluate activity.

    • Chatter activity. (download PDF here)

    • Intercultural empathy activity (What is Culture? video).

    • Stereotypes and generalizations activity.

    • Students learn basic language phrases.

  • Student-facing resources:

Group Cohesion

Group cohesion topics might include introductions, team building activities, etc. Building connections so students are comfortable with each other can increase learning (both academic and personal) during the program.

  • Activity ideas

    • Potluck or dinner at a local restaurant together.

    • If at a distance, play an online game together.

    • Ice breaker games.

Considerations

Support

You can partner with the following suggested groups to utilize their expertise and introduce your students to resources.

Meeting with students

As the faculty leader, you will determine when and how often to meet with your students pre-departure. Faculty have used the methods below in the past. 

The GEO recommends that all students participate in pre-departure in the same manner (for example, all students take a required for-credit course). If some students participate in a for-credit course and others take the course not-for-credit and come to only a few meetings, you may risk increased intergroup conflict, lack of understanding of course goals, and mismatched expectations among some students.

  • For-credit course

    • Consider: What are the student learning outcomes? How can I ensure all students are able to attend and understand the importance of the course? How can I add a course to my teaching load and is my department supportive? What timeline considerations should I take into account to align with the course request process and my program’s admissions time frame?

  • Meetings (non-credit)

    • Consider: What if students don't attend? How will they get the pre-departure information? Can I require attendance?

  • Video conference

    • Consider: How can I make a virtual pre-departure program engaging? How can I include students who are unable to attend in-person meetings?

  • Pre-departure material distribution

    • Consider: How can I distribute materials to students? (Canvas, Google Docs, etc.) Are some documents (such as those requiring signatures) better distributed through the Terra Dotta application management system?

Resources

Logistics

Logistic preparation topics might include the program itinerary, booking flights, packing, travel preparation, communication while abroad, etc. Students generally have many questions about these topics, especially if they have never traveled independently. It is important to share information with students while encouraging them to do their own research.

Immigration

Immigration preparation topics might include passport and visa applications, regulations, etc. Depending on the host country requirements and the passports your students hold, these topics may or may not be pertinent.

Financial Matters

Financial preparation topics might include program costs and billing, using money abroad, scholarships and financial aid, etc. If parents/guardians are supporting students financially, students should be encouraged to share this information with them.

Student Conduct

Conduct topics might include behavior expectations, relevant rules and expectations, consequences for not following regulations, etc. Particularly in group settings, it is important to set expectations to mitigate conflict.

  • Activity ideas

    • Develop a group behavior contract together.

    • Talk through what to do in specific scenarios in which intergroup conflict occurs.

    • Research local expectations, norms, and laws that could impact student behavior.

  • Student-facing resources:

Health and Safety

Health and safety topics might include insurance, emergency contacts, physical and mental health abroad, etc. Students should be aware of risks specific to the program location and think ahead about how they can be safe and sound.

  • Activity ideas

    • Provide specific scenarios relevant to the program location. Students discuss how to mitigate risk and what they would do in each situation.

    • Research emergency numbers in the host country.

  • Student-facing resources:

Inclusion and Diversity

Diversity topics might include promoting an inclusive environment among the group, introducing local resources, race and identity in the host country, etc. It is important to create an inclusive, welcoming environment and to prepare students for how diverse identities may be viewed abroad.

Personal Development

Personal development topics might include recognizing skills, setting goals, reflection, etc. Priming the students for introspection can lead to greater development while abroad.

Intercultural Competence

Intercultural competence topics might include the host culture, language learning, intercultural knowledge/skills/abilities, etc. Students can learn about the host culture specifically, but more importantly, they can learn attitudes and behaviors that allow them to interact effectively with others, no matter the culture. By learning to accept and appreciate differences, students will be more open to cultural learning while abroad.

  • Activity ideas

    • Students research and present an aspect of the host culture and history.

    • Describe-Analyze-Evaluate activity.

    • Chatter activity. (download PDF here)

    • Intercultural empathy activity (What is Culture? video).

    • Stereotypes and generalizations activity.

    • Students learn basic language phrases.

  • Student-facing resources:

Group Cohesion

Group cohesion topics might include introductions, team building activities, etc. Building connections so students are comfortable with each other can increase learning (both academic and personal) during the program.

  • Activity ideas

    • Potluck or dinner at a local restaurant together.

    • If at a distance, play an online game together.

    • Ice breaker games.

Considerations

Support

You can partner with the following suggested groups to utilize their expertise and introduce your students to resources.

Meeting with students

As the faculty leader, you will determine when and how often to meet with your students pre-departure. Faculty have used the methods below in the past. 

The GEO recommends that all students participate in pre-departure in the same manner (for example, all students take a required for-credit course). If some students participate in a for-credit course and others take the course not-for-credit and come to only a few meetings, you may risk increased intergroup conflict, lack of understanding of course goals, and mismatched expectations among some students.

  • For-credit course

    • Consider: What are the student learning outcomes? How can I ensure all students are able to attend and understand the importance of the course? How can I add a course to my teaching load and is my department supportive? What timeline considerations should I take into account to align with the course request process and my program’s admissions time frame?

  • Meetings (non-credit)

    • Consider: What if students don't attend? How will they get the pre-departure information? Can I require attendance?

  • Video conference

    • Consider: How can I make a virtual pre-departure program engaging? How can I include students who are unable to attend in-person meetings?

  • Pre-departure material distribution

    • Consider: How can I distribute materials to students? (Canvas, Google Docs, etc.) Are some documents (such as those requiring signatures) better distributed through the Terra Dotta application management system?

Resources