This Is Not a Vacation: The Shadow Side of Study Abroad Programs for Faculty

Abstract

Study abroad programs (SAPs) are desirable experiential learning opportunities that can enrich students and faculty alike. Faculty participate in SAPs because their immersive learning contexts offer a variety of personal and professional benefits, including the chance to meet new research contacts, tour cultural sites, and get to know students in a more informal context. Despite these benefits, SAPs contain a substantial shadow side for faculty and involve unanticipated temporal, financial, and physiological costs. Additionally, risks—some of which can never be fully avoided—also remain sources of stress and anxiety. This study uses a qualitative approach to identify and shed light on these understated issues that are typically relegated to the shadow. Questionnaires and semistructured interviews with experienced SAP faculty leaders provide evidence for these elements, which is the first step in aligning faculty expectations with the likely realities that await them abroad. The study concludes with practices and strategies to mitigate some of the costs and risks that faculty may face before, during, and after their involvement in an SAP.