Convention Program Spotlight: Can “Study Away” Achieve The Same Outcomes As Study Abroad?

Convention Program Spotlight: Can “Study Away” Achieve The Same Outcomes As Study Abroad?

Students seek out a global experience for many reasons. While some believe their sojourn abroad will help them mature and grow more resilient or provide a competitive edge in a globalized economy, others hope simply to find freedom and adventure overseas as a break from or prelude to postsecondary studies. While study abroad programs offer the opportunity for global experience, many students are increasingly selecting study away programs -- domestic campus- or community-based programs of varying duration -- as an alternative route to acquiring intercultural competence. While some argue that study away is a poor substitute for more immersive international programs, others suggest that well-planned and executed programs can deliver equivalent learning and developmental outcomes. We hope you will join us -- a panel of university practitioners, doctoral students, and faculty members from the U.S. and Canada -- for a robust discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of "study away" as an alternative to study abroad. 

Program Information:

Date: Monday, March 7, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Location: Palais des Congrès de Montréal - 512B

About the presenters:

Robert Coffey, Ph.D. is a Project Manager for University Housing at the University of Michigan (USA). A recent graduate of the Higher Adult Lifelong Education program at Michigan State University, Robert’s dissertation investigated the experiences of international students who hired education agents to assist them in applying to college or university in Canada. Robert has worked for over fifteen years across multiple functional areas, including conflict management, multicultural/LGBTQ student services, residential life/housing, and undergraduate research. Robert holds a B.A. in Canadian Studies from the University of Vermont, a M.A. in History from the University of Maine, and an M.P.A. (Public Administration) from the University of New Hampshire.

Paula DiNardo, M.A., CAGS  is the Coordinator for State & National Exchanges at the University of New Hampshire (USA). Paula has nearly thirty years experience in higher education administration across multiple functional areas, including serving on the Leadership Council of the National Student Exchange and Liaison Advisory Board of The Washington Center in Washington, D.C. Paula is currently a doctoral student in Educational Policy and Leadership at the University of New Hampshire. Her research interests include high-impact off-campus programs and legal issues in higher education. She holds a B.A. in sociology from Worcester State University, and a M.A. in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University.

Léna Kavaliauskas Crain, M.S., is a doctoral candidate and Special Assistant to the Director of Student Conduct at the University of Maryland (USA). Her dissertation examines the relationship between culture, pedagogy, and cognition as it pertains to international student transition. Léna has ten years of experience in higher education, including residential life, first-year and senior year experience programs, student conduct, and international education. She has worked in France and instructed short-term study in six countries. Her research interests include students in transition, global competence, assessment and learning outcomes, and professional socialization. Léna holds a B.A. in International Studies from Baldwin Wallace University and a M.S. in College Student Development from Oklahoma State University.

Elizabeth Niehaus, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (USA). Her research focuses on the ways in which educational environments facilitate learning and development for students, faculty, and staff in institutions of higher education. For the past four years she has also served as the principal investigator for the National Survey of Alternative Breaks, a study of students across the U.S. who participated in short-term, service-learning immersion experiences. The data from this project have allowed Elizabeth to compare student experiences in similarly structured domestic and international service-learning experiences and to explore the relative importance of program design and location (domestic or international) in facilitating student outcomes. She holds a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in American Culture Studies from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Ph.D. in College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland - College Park.

Marie-Hélène L'Heureux, M. A., works as an Exchange Program Coordinator at the Office of International Relations of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) in Québec, Canada. Over the last ten years, she has been in charge of outgoing and incoming students on a mobility scholarship and a merit scholarship program for graduate foreign students. In addition to contributing to the development of management tools for student mobility at the Office of International Relations, she has successfully implemented the National Student Exchange (NSE) program at UQAM in 2009. First trained in Public Relations at La Cité collégiale in Ottawa (1996), she holds a Bachelor's degree in Art History from UQAM (2001) and a M.A. in Art Studies (UQAM) obtained in 2009. As part of her graduate studies, she received a scholarship to conduct a research internship in Senegal, in West Africa.