May 2013

American Institute For Foreign Study

Internationalization: What Are Students Learning?

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently featured an article, Rethinking the Bottom Line for Internationalization: What Are Students Learning? by Madeleine F. Green, that examines the idea of "internationalization" and how to define and measure what students, both those who study abroad and those who don't, are learning about the world.

Regarding study abroad students, Green states, "It is no longer deemed acceptable to cite the 'it changed my life' argument as the self-evident truth of its impact." Institutions should identify learning experiences and outcomes in order to determine what (and how) students are learning when they study abroad. Because the vast majority of college students do not study abroad, it is also important to create learning experiences in U.S. classrooms that help students to develop intercultural skills and become "globally competent."

From our perspective, the benefits of international experience are sustainable only if institutions assist students to purposefully integrate their experience both into their academic studies and their career development. There is now ample research that supports the linkage between international education and employability; campus policy-makers should take that into account in how they assess whether or not their students are "globally competent."  

What do you think? Read the article and add your own comments.

Best Practices: Career Resources for Study Abroad Students

The University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center has a helpful website with information for study abroad students about linking their study abroad experience with their future career plans. This site offers an excellent example of how to provide students with an integrated  framework for viewing international experience in the context of personal, academic, and professional development. Click on the link "Getting the Most of Your Experience Abroad Through Career and Curriculum Integration" for a great PowerPoint presentation with tips for helping students to highlight their international experience as they prepare to enter the job market.

Culture at Work: The Value of Intercultural Skills in the Workplace

The British Council recently released a report, titled Culture at Work: The Value of Intercultural Skills in the Workplace, based on research that found that employers place intercultural skills as high in importance as formal qualifications when it comes to hiring employees. Based on responses from employers in nine different countries, researchers discovered that employers value employees with intercultural skills including "the ability to understand different cultural contexts and viewpoints; demonstrating respect for others; and knowledge of a foreign language."

The report confirms that graduates need to be able to present "evidence of strong communication skills, foreign language abilities and international experiences when competing for jobs." Study abroad is one way to gain international skills; according to the report, "although employers do not actively screen for certain intercultural skills, they do see international experiences – such as study abroad, internships abroad or international work experience – as indicators of intercultural skills."

Download the report (PDF)

Article: Students, Employers Get on the Same Page on Higher Education

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, along with the Institute for Competitive Workforce and the Young Invincibles, a youth advocacy organization, recently hosted an event named Getting to Work: What Students and Employers Need from Higher Education. At this event, college students and business leaders met to discuss issues in the higher education system that make it difficult for students to obtain jobs after college. Among the challenges that students face are escalating education costs, complicated financial aid systems, and courses of study that do not adequately prepare them for employment.

One solution to that last issue is for universities to provide more specific and detailed information about education outcomes, such as the salaries of graduates. In February, the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act was introduced and would "build transparency in the post-secondary system in ways that allow students and educators to get a better sense how academic programs align with labor market demands."

According to Margaret Spellings, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, "We need learning to lead to relevant skills that meet labor market demands. We need to know where the jobs are, what skills are needed to do the jobs of today and the future, and which institutions are producing graduates who can compete for those jobs."

New AIFS Program Options in Florence and Rome

AIFS has two new program options for students in Italy:

Rome Internship Program
On this program, students complete a 6-credit unpaid internship in communications, media, education, international business, international relations, politics, history, or social science. In addition, they take Italian language classes and one other course on a topic related to the internship, for a total of 16 credits.

Florence Fashion Internship
AIFS gives students the unique opportunity to study fashion in Florence, the center of the global fashion industry. Students intern in marketing, merchandising, international business, production, or promotion. They also visit: the headquarters of well known Italian brands such as Gucci or Cavalli, the Gucci Museum, the Ferragamo Museum, the Costume Gallery at the Pitti Palace, and the Textile Museum in Prato. Students earn up to 16 credits and gain first-hand experience in the fashion industry. Students who would like to study fashion can also take fashion-focused courses through the regular Florence semester program.

New AIFS Publications

AIFS has recently released new publications that highlight some of the work we have done over the past year as a part of our continuing effort to improve the quality of our program offerings. They include:

• Women in the Global Economy: Leading Social Change, the eighth report in a collaborative series with IIE, explores the landscape of women’s participation in the economy and the key role that women play in fueling economic growth by creating stable societies.
• Innovative Approaches highlights the academic features of AIFS programs, the assessment process that has been established, and the support AIFS has provided to the field of International Education over the past 50 years.
• AIFS Study Abroad Outcomes: A View from Our Alumni 1990-2010 is a report on a broad-base survey conducted in 2012 on the impact of study abroad on intercultural development, personal growth, and career and professional development.

Copies of these publications will be available at the AIFS booth at NAFSA (#1507). Stop by to pick them up!

Meet AIFS at NAFSA

We here at AIFS are looking forward to seeing you in St. Louis! Please stop by the AIFS booth (#1507), where you can:

• Meet with AIFS representatives from our Stamford, London, and regional offices
• Learn about new AIFS programs and initiatives
• Discuss ways that AIFS can assist your school with customized, faculty-led programs
• Learn about becoming an AIFS Affiliate
• Pick up AIFS materials

We hope to see you at Booth 1507!

How Study Abroad Can Impact Career Development

As international educators know, students who study abroad gain an advantage over their peers as they compete for jobs after college; employers are increasingly seeking to hire candidates with global experience and international language skills.

In an effort to provide students with a framework to understand the impact and added value of study abroad for their career development, AIFS and Martin Tillman have created the AIFS Student Guide to Study Abroad and Career Development.

The free publication covers a range of related topics, including making career connections while abroad, effectively marketing the study abroad experience to employers, and articulating newly acquired skills and competencies. Interested educators can request copies of the guide for themselves and their students at www.aifsabroad.com/order/.