Katherine A. McGuire
Office of Institutional Research Agnes Scott College
141 E College Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030 July 21, 2012 Dr. Elizabeth Kiss President of the College Agnes Scott College 141 E College Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
Dear President Kiss:
Please find attached a preliminary analysis of the issues surrounding increasing study abroad participation on our campus and how we might attempt to address them. As you know, we have recently had a major donor approach us with the idea that they might be willing to fund study abroad opportunities for first-generation students. While any funding is of course appreciated, you will see that the data indicate that ethnicity and first-generation status do not have as much negative impact on the likelihood of studying abroad as does low-income status, particularly among those students who have less than 100% of their need met by financial aid. Perhaps these data may help you to prevail upon our donors the importance of making funding available to all low-income students, and not only those whose other demographics would normally make them less likely to have an international experience.
Again, please note that these data must be considered preliminary, since I have only looked at the most recent graduating class. If you think that I am on the right track, I will most certainly look at data a few more years back, and of course feel free to suggest any other variables you think might be promising in helping us to understand this issue.
Sincerely,
Katherine A. McGuire
Director of Institutional Research
Enclosure: Executive Summary, Study Abroad Case Study Analysis
Executive Summary
Studying abroad is a “high impact” education practice that is associated with a number of positive learning outcomes.
Agnes Scott College already ranks 73rd among liberal arts colleges in percent of students who study abroad; nevertheless, almost 20% more first-year students intend to study abroad than actually have at graduation, so there may be room to improve upon the percentages already participating.
Research has shown student from several demographic groups have a lower the likelihood of participating in study abroad, including male students, underrepresented minorities, first-generation students, natural science majors, students with disabilities, and students of low socioeconomic status.
Preliminary data from the class of 2012 were analyzed to see if these participation patterns hold true for Agnes Scott students.
Natural science and social science majors at Agnes Scott appear to have participation rates lower than fine arts and humanities majors.
However, first-generation and ethnic minority students have study abroad participation rates that are actually above those of students who are not in these groups; on the other hand, Pell grant recipients and students who were “gapped” (did not have 100% of financial aid met) had participation rates lower than their peers.
We did not have any participation data on students with disabilities, but this might be a good subject for further research, since we know that a relatively high percentage of our students have disabilities.
Preliminary results suggest that it might be better to target economic barriers to
participation generally, expand the current Global Awareness program, implement some programmatic measures to make programs more inclusive for students with disabilities, and work with faculty, especially in the sciences, to create programs and partnerships that might meet the needs of more students. Additionally, it is recommended that a question be added to the senior survey to ask graduating students who did not study abroad the reasons for their non-participation.
Increasing International Experience at Agnes Scott College
I. The Issue: Increasing Study Abroad Participation at a Liberal Arts College for Women
Agnes Scott College is a small, selective liberal arts college for women in the Atlanta, GA metro area. The college has an enrollment of about 900 undergraduates, and offers 34
undergraduate majors in the fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and the natural sciences. The college prides itself on the intellectual rigor of its academic programs and
opportunities for undergraduate research, as well as having a strong commitment to diversity and equity.
Agnes Scott is currently seeking to internationalize its campus. It has made a good start in the recruitment of international students; last year 11% of the student body was made up of non- resident international students. However, there has been less success in increasing the
percentage of graduates who study abroad. Agnes Scott was at #73 in the country in number of students studying abroad in 2010, according to the US News ranking of liberal arts colleges with the highest percentage of students studying abroad. The percentage of students studying abroad has been around 40-42% for the last several years. While this rate does compare well with many of the college’s peer institutions, and very well indeed with national averages in the teens, it falls far short of the 59% of entering Agnes Scott first-year students who report on the HERI
Freshman Survey that they intend to study abroad. The almost 20% gap between student aspirations for study abroad and student participation indicates that an educational opportunity has been lost for these students.
Study abroad experiences have been demonstrated to have many benefits for college undergraduates. To begin with, Astin has identified study abroad , along with other intensive
learning experiences such as faculty-mentored research, internships, and service learning, as a
“high impact practice” (Astin, 1993.) Such practices improve learning outcomes by engaging students socially and emotionally as well as intellectually. Gray (2002) has identified key groups of benefits arising from study abroad obtained from student reflections on study abroad
experiences, including cultural and self-awareness leading to personal growth; language
proficiency; career advantage; and the development of empathy. Additionally, Franklin (2010) has done studies of college alumnae who studied abroad as students, and found that participants were more likely to be in international careers, have higher salaries, and report higher feelings of professional competence. Gains that the alumnae study abroad participants reported from their international educational experience were language skills, intercultural competence, disciplinary knowledge, and social growth.
The United States government has also realized for some time that study abroad both provides unique opportunities for global education, but also allows the best and the brightest young people to serve as our country’s ambassadors to the world. Furthermore, it is essential both to national security and to American economic competitiveness that an international perspective is part of the college experience. For this reason, there are many federal programs, such as the Boren and Gilman Scholarships, that offer financial support for study abroad to students, particularly those with special challenges. The Lincoln Commission has set a goal of one million students studying abroad annually by the year 2017 (Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship, 2005.)
Study abroad is also important to Agnes Scott because it relates to the college’s mission and strategic plan. Several parts of the current mission statement, adopted by the board of trustees in 2002, broadly address issues that relate to study abroad, such as providing a “dynamic
liberal arts and sciences curriculum of the highest standards” and allowing students to realize
“citizens of the world.” Additionally, the college’s curriculum should “[promote] respectful dialogue across differences.” The college’s strategic plan states for 2014, “Engaging a Wider World,” has as one of its goals “to promote global awareness,” and one of its signature
initiatives, the Agnes Advantage, states that “starting with the class of 2012, all undergraduates will be expected to participate in study abroad.” Additionally, a strong study abroad program fits in well with a vision of Agnes Scott as a “Center for Global Women’s Leadership.”
Some student populations tend not to choose study abroad opportunities. Students of color have typically been underrepresented in study abroad numbers, with only around 20% of students coming from underrepresented minority groups (IIE, 2011.) First-generation students also tend not to study abroad for various reasons, including lack of familiarity with college procedures and bureaucracy (Martinez, 2009; Tolan, 2006.) Low income students who are already struggling to pay for their education often cannot afford the additional expense
associated with studying abroad, particularly those who cannot afford to lose income from work study or off-campus jobs (Dessoff, 2006; Tolan, 2006.) Students in the sciences and the
professions often do not study abroad because they have courses that must be taken in a prescribed sequence, need to take courses before they take the MCAT, or must take US rather than foreign science courses for medical school admissions (NSSE, 2010; Ram, 2009; Stroud, 2010.)
Students with disabilities frequently have concerns, often justified, about being able to get the accommodations and other services they need in another country, whether these be accessible housing, textbooks in Braille, or mental health services (Twill, 2012.) In some cases, medications that students with disabilities require, such as Adderol for ADHD, are unavailable or
even illegal in other countries. Students and parent of students with disabilities may worry have safety concerns as well.
In light of this research, it is all the more imperative for Agnes Scott to understand and address the reasons for non-participation in study abroad. Agnes Scott is a very diverse environment, with 46% of enrolled students in Fall 2011 identifying as belonging to an
underrepresented minority group and 17% of students reporting themselves as a first-generation college student. Forty-five percent of students receive a federal Pell grant, meaning that they are low-income. Additionally, about 12-13% of students identify as having a disability.
In order to look at how some of the demographic factors affect study abroad participation for Agnes Scott students, some preliminary data on study abroad and student characteristics were compiled for the recently graduated class of 2012. The first factor analyzed was major:
Math and Sciences (n = 33)
Social Sciences
(n = 69)
Creative Arts (n = 12)
Humanistic Studies (n = 61)
Didn't Study Abroad 70% 62% 17% 49%
Studied Abroad 30% 38% 83% 51%
Due to relatively small n’s in some of the categories, no statistical analyses were run;
however, these data appear to support the finding by other researchers that students in the fine arts and humanities are more likely to study abroad than students in the sciences. Additionally, at Agnes Scott, social science students appear somewhat less likely to study abroad. At Agnes Scott, many students in the social sciences go on to graduate school. Thus, this phenomenon may be because, as Stroud (2010) has found, students seeking graduate education are less likely to study abroad.
Another curricular issue that might impact students’ decision to study abroad might be that the student is double-majoring and cannot fit study abroad courses into the requirements for two majors. However, this does not seem to be the case at Agnes Scott. In fact, students who were double-majoring were appeared to be actually more likely to participate in study abroad, perhaps reflecting that arts and humanities students are more likely to have a second major than students in the sciences.
No second major (n = 149)
Second major (n = 17)
Didn't Study Abroad 58% 29%
Studied Abroad 42% 71%
To examine the typical demographic trends that research have found tend to impact study abroad participation, percent of ethnic minorities, first-generation students, and Pell grant
recipients studying abroad were compared to the percentage for all students, as well as for students without each characteristic:
All graduates Ethnic Minorities
Non- minority students
42% 44% 41%
All graduates
First-generation Students
Non First- generation
Students
42% 59% 40%
All graduates
Pell grant recipients
Non-Pell grant recipients
42% 39% 45%
As can be seen, underrepresented minorities and first-generation students were actually more likely to go on study abroad than other students. The rate for Pell grant recipients was 6%
lower than that for non-Pell grant recipients, however. The study abroad rate for non-minority, non-first-generation students with Pell grants was only 21%, one of the lowest rates observed in this study. Either these students are being left out of grants targeted to minorities and first- generation students, or they are not being made aware of study abroad scholarship opportunities for Pell grant recipients.
Because anecdotal reports from the international education office suggest that the students with the most difficulty financing study abroad trips, because they cannot finance their trip themselves and have “maxed out” their financial aid, the effect of having a financial aid
“gap” (i.e., a gap between total need and financial aid awarded) was examined. There were 90 students who had a financial aid gap one of their last two years at the college; of these, only 31%
went on a study abroad trip, versus 55% for students who did not have a gap. Of the non-study abroad students who were non-minority, non-first-generation, and had a Pell grant, 23 out of 26 also had a financial aid gap. These are students who probably would likely be able to get a Gilman Scholarship, targeted at Pell grant recipients for study abroad, but might not be able to afford giving up work-study or off-campus employment to do so.
One very simple thing that might be done to gain information about why students do not study abroad is to add a question about reasons for not studying abroad on the Senior Survey.
This survey already ask a question about whether or not students had an international experience, so if they report that they did not, it is a simple matter to ask in the next question, “If you said you did not study abroad during your time at Agnes Scott, please indicate the reasons why.”
Because it is required in order to get commencement tickets, the senior survey gets over a 90%
response rate from graduating seniors, and thus could be a rich source of information on students’ choices.
II. Exploring Alternatives
The Institute for international Education, in its White Paper on increasing student abroad
capacity in the U.S. has outlined several ways in which colleges can encourage study abroad and increase study abroad opportunities for students:
“1. Building support at the departmental and senior administrative levels.
2. Leveraging institutional support and commitment for increased funding.
3. Creating and encouraging opportunities for faculty involvement and curriculum integration.
4. Establishing an institutional culture of study abroad and increasing awareness of its importance at a variety of institutional levels.
5. Offering a wider set of program opportunities, including more short-term, faculty-led programs.” (Blumenthal, 2009)
Several of these kinds of initiatives have already been in place at Agnes Scott, but could be expanded. Some alternatives that might be considered for the college are:
1. Do not make any changes in current programs, course offerings, or financial support for study abroad. This is an option in an era of shrinking budgets. It is unlikely that there will be a spontaneous increase in the study abroad participation rates, however, as they have been static for a number of years at this point.
2. Expand the current Global Awareness short-term study abroad program. This program offers students the opportunity to combine preceding on-class study in a multidisciplinary course with a 2-3 week experience abroad. Past locations have
included Benin, Cuba, England, France, India, Japan, Jordan, and Spain, and New Zealand, among other nations. Students and faculty use the semester-long course to prepare for their travels by learning about the culture, politics, and language of the country they will travel to. They follow up their on-campus study with several weeks of research and/or journaling projects in their country of study, often taking
advantage of the opportunity to live with host families. There may be additional follow-up opportunities for them to present their research or other projects on campus on their return.
This is an Agnes Scott signature program, and one of the most popular study abroad opportunities. However, it is also very demanding on the time of faculty, and also requires additional faculty stipends, as the study abroad portions of the trip take place in the summer or over the winter break. It would be necessary to determine how many more such courses it would be possible to add to the curriculum, based on the cost involved to induce faculty to add to their already very full workloads and on how much it might increase student enrollment in study abroad. There is already some endowment funding for Global Awareness, and this might be a good future fundraising target for Development.
3. Work with science and social science faculty to determine opportunities where study abroad can be woven into the curriculum
Currently, most study abroad programs for science majors are done in the summer so as not to interfere with science students’ needs to take sequential courses. However this is also problematic, because students often have difficulty getting financial aid for summer. Additionally, since science faculty members frequently rely on their
summers off to get research projects completed, this is not always optimal for them, either. Science faculty may additionally value study abroad less than other faculty.
The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE, 2010) found that only 35% of biology faculty, for example, thought that study abroad was valuable to students. Ram and Wainwright (2009) point out that it is important that faculty should appreciate the fact that scientific research is an international pursuit.
However, Ram and Wainwright have also identified another option for science students studying abroad: doing independent research in international laboratories or in the field. This kind of international experience not only avoids the problem of sequential course requirements entirely, it also gives students a valuable hands-on experience that will make them more attractive candidates to medical schools and graduate research programs.
4. Create partnerships with colleges and universities outside the U.S. to create study abroad opportunities for students. Some institutions, such as Washington and Lee University in Virginia, have developed partnerships with universities in other countries so that their students can take the sequential science courses they need off- campus during their study abroad trip. Washington and Lee, in their partnership with St. Andrews in Scotland, have also approved the courses in the abroad sequence (organic chemistry and cell biology) for W&L transcript credit, rather than St.
Andrews credit. This is critically important for students planning to apply for medical school, because U.S. medical schools typically will not accept foreign basic science credits for their science course requirements.
This alternative would require the input of faculty to determine for each discipline what types of partnerships might be the most advantageous. Ideally, there might be a group of faculty who could agree to form a partnership with an institution that might also like to send students to Agnes Scott. If such an institution were willing to offer courses for Agnes Scott students in multiple disciplines, it would be especially advantageous. Hulstrand (2012) has also written about the many advantages of consortia for increasing study abroad opportunities, as well how to select the best one for your institution, and whether or not you should have a memorandum of
understanding.
5. Create institutional financial aid supports for students with financial aid gaps who are not eligible for outside funding for underrepresented minority, low- income or first-generation study abroad scholarships. This alternative is attractive, but may not be feasible financially. Even if $1,000 per student were enough to enable those students to study abroad, for the 62 students with financial aid gaps that did not study abroad, that would represent an additional financial aid
investment of $60,000. Furthermore, it would be discriminatory to specifically assist low-income students who are not minority or first generation. Additionally, it is not good politics to “advertise” to students that they have financial aids gaps that others may not by targeting them for special study abroad assistance. Therefore, it is probably preferable that general efforts should be made in expanding study abroad opportunities for all students. Financial aid and international studies personnel should be made aware that low-income students who are not first-generation or minority may not have knowledge of funding opportunities for study abroad. Additionally, it may
be helpful for the Development Office to tell donors that there is a need for some study-abroad scholarships that are targeted to all low-income students, regardless of their first-generation or minority status.
6. Improve study abroad services to students with disabilities. Twill and Guzzo (2012) have described a variety of types of preplanning that can be done to aid the inclusion of students with disabilities in study abroad courses. Such preplanning includes careful screening to make sure that the program of choice can accommodate the students’ needs, as well as coordination between international education offices and disability services offices. The Twill and Guzzo program also included an experiential travel weekend locally several months before the abroad part of the course, which allows study abroad faculty as well as disabled students to determine if a student has needs that were not anticipated or needs to learn self-care or other skills before being immersed in a foreign culture without parental support.
III. Recommendations:
At this time it is not recommended to implement programs specifically targeted at ethnic minorities or first-generation college students, since these student groups seem to have adequate representation in study abroad programs. It is recommended that the college consider expanding short-term study abroad; implementing better outreach to non-minority, non-first-generation students with economic need who might not be aware of opportunities like the Gilman
scholarships for students with Pell grants; expanding the Global Awareness program; creating partnerships, along with faculty, with international institutions and consortia to expand the range of offerings and better serve science students; and examining the role of disability in study
abroad decisions, as well as urging international education and the office of disability services to coordinate to do preplanning for inclusive trips for students with disabilities.
References
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Astin, Alexander W. 1993. “What matters in college.” Liberal Education. 79:4, 4-15.
Blumenthal, Peggy, and Gutierrez, Robert. 2009. Expanding study abroad capacity at U.S. colleges and universities. Institute of Educational Education. Accessed on 7/18/12 at
http://www.iie.org/en/Researchand-Publications/Research-Projects.
Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship. 2005. Global Competence and National Needs: One Million Americans Studying Abroad.
Dessoff, Alan. 2006. “Who’s not going abroad?” International Educator. 15:2, 20-27.
Franklin, Kimberly. 2010. “Long-term Career Impact and Professional Applicability of the Study Abroad Experience.” Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad. 19, 169- 190.
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Hulstrand, Janet. 2012. “Expanding Horizons: Opportunities and Challenges of Consortia.” 21:3, 110-113.
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