Integrating Experiential Education into Faculty-Led Programs Abroad
Faculty Seminar Overview
This seminar will focus on best practices and strategies for incorporating experiential learning in the program design and implementation of successful faculty-led programs.
Using Jordan as a case study, participants will examine topics such as:
- Understanding the experiential learning cycle
- Effective curriculum integration
- Preparing students for experiential, field-based learning
- Navigating common challenges in the field
- Effective program and budget design
Through firsthand experience, participants will examine the common program elements of SIT’s field-based programs and consider how these types of activities can best be integrated into short-term, faculty-led programming.
Drawing on what they have learned throughout their time in Jordan, participants will also design a sample program.
At a Glance
Dates: January 5–14, 2020
Location: Amman, Jordan, with excursions to the Dead Sea and Petra
Cost: $2,995
Who should participate? Faculty from a variety of academic disciplines interested in the seminar theme are encouraged to apply. Participants do not need to have a specific interest in Jordan, as the knowledge participants will gain from this seminar can be applied to faculty-led programs in other locations around the world. Faculty interested in partnering with SIT on a faculty-led program are particularly encouraged to apply.
How to apply: Download an application
Application deadline: October 21, 2019
Seminar Topics
The following topics will be explored during this faculty seminar, using Jordan as a case study:
- Understanding experiential learning cycle in study abroad
- Integrating experiential learning into curriculum design
- Preparing students for experiential learning abroad
- Examining the practice of experiential learning, including:
- Orientation
- Guest lectures
- Site visits
- Excursions
- Language study
- Internships and short-term volunteer projects
- Field-based research
- Homestays
- Debriefs, reflection, and discussion sessions
- Navigating common challenges, such as:
- Understanding and overcoming cultural differences
- Managing difficult program topics
- Dealing with language barriers
- Ensuring safety, security, and health in the field
- Facilitating group dynamics
- Addressing diversity, privilege, and inclusion
- Designing high-impact programs:
- Pacing, timing, and flow of schedules
- Incorporating faculty leader class time
- Adjusting schedules for different program lengths
- Collaborating with providers and local partners
- Considering reciprocity
- Building effective budgets
Sample Schedule
January 5
- Arrival in Amman
- Welcome dinner
January 6
- Welcome and introductions
- Orientation and safety briefing
- Guest lecture: Geopolitics and the Future of the Middle East
- Amman drop-off activity
- Debrief and discussion
- Dinner with SIT Jordan staff
January 7
- Seminar workshop 1: Introduction to the Experiential Learning Cycle
- Guest lecture: An Overview of the Refugee Crisis in Jordan
- Site visit to NGO providing support to Syrian refugees
- Homestay orientation
- Dinner and overnight with Jordanian homestay family
January 8
- Debrief and reflection
- Arabic lesson and discussion on experientially focused language teaching
- Panel on internships, short-term volunteer projects, and field-based research
- Afternoon at the Dead Sea
- Depart for Petra
- Overnight in Petra
January 9
- Tour of Petra
- Lunch in Badia
- Site visit and cultural exchange in Badia
- Return to Amman
January 10
- Debrief and reflection
- Seminar workshop 2: Preparing Students for Experiential Learning Abroad
- Panel of SIT alumni/former students
- Site visit: Theme TBD
January 11
- Seminar workshop 3: Navigating Common Challenges
- Cooking class (or other cultural activity)
January 12
- Seminar workshop 4: Designing High Impact Programs
- Free time to explore Amman and work on designing sample programs
January 13
- Presentations
- Final program debrief and discussion
- Farewell dinner
January 14
- Departure
SIT Jordan Seminar Faculty
Raed Al-Tabini, PhD, Academic Director
Raed, a Jordanian national, holds a PhD in environment and sustainability from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. He is a former general director of the Hashemite Fund for Development of Jordanian Badia in Jordan and has managed a variety of development projects in the Middle East and North Africa on such diverse topics as environment and sustainability, management of scarce water resources, and developing sustainable livelihoods in pastoral communities. He is a frequent presenter at international conferences and is well-published in the field of sustainable development. He has served as an academic director with SIT in Jordan since 2007. His role as academic director is multifaceted, as he designs the various academic and field-based components of the program, administers the program as a whole, and acts as a resource and intellectual guide. He has also delivered lectures on water and environmental policy and taught a course on research methods and ethics. The SIT program is heavily research-oriented, and he ensures that ethical standards are met, and that research is thoroughly professional, academic, and topical to the program of study.
Dates
Participants in the Jordan seminar should plan to arrive in Amman on January 5, 2020, and depart on January 14, 2020.
Program Cost
The program fee for the Integrating Experiential Learning into Faculty-Led Programs Abroad seminar is $2,995 per participant. This fee includes:
- Accommodations in single rooms in tourist-class hotels
- Most meals, including a welcome dinner, farewell banquet, breakfasts, and group lunches
- Transportation for all program activities, including airport pick-up and send-off
- All program activities, including guest lectures, site visits, excursions, cultural activities, and workshop sessions
- Health insurance for the duration of the program
- Pre-departure preparation and course materials
Program fees do not include:
- International airfare to/from Jordan
- Passport or visa fees, if required (visa is required for US citizens)
- Immunizations, if needed
- Personal expenses