Advising & classroom resources

Faculty & Academic Advisors Guide to Education Abroad/Away Advising

Supporting students to speak meaningfully about their time abroad/away should begin before a student departs for their program, not just after they return.  Advisors can help students go beyond the basics by asking questions to help students better prepare, better experience, and better reflect on their time.

24/25 Education Abroad Cheat Sheet for Advisors

Students planning to go abroad for a semester or full year

About the Process

• Deadlines:  Students apply approximately nine months in advance.
• Timeframe:  Students can study at any time in their academic career for a semester, a year, a short-term program (faculty-led or research), or over breaks.
  • Students planning to go abroad their senior year or last semester may encounter more challenges with financial aid funding and/or timely transfer course completion.

General Tips

ACADEMIC CONSIDERATIONS

• Start talking to students early in their first year of study and consider when is the best time for a student to go abroad/away.
  • International students can also study abroad/away through UWL for a semester.
• All majors and fields are eligible to study abroad/away (even those with health career aspirations).  There are many options but we encourage students to plan ahead.
• Help students identify which courses, gen eds, and electives they still have to complete at UWL.
• Offer advice regarding any courses that may not or should not be taken abroad or away (if applicable) NOTE:  Students can take their last 30 credits abroad or away.
• Try to match the quality of courses abroad and replace existing UWL requirements.
• If a semester program doesn’t fit into their curriculum/schedule, suggest a summer abroad or a short-term program.
• When completing the Study Abroad Transfer of Credit Form (fillable PDF), please discuss with the student the form content and implications. Linked here is the advice given to students about transferring credits.
• Help students plan for their course schedule upon their return to UWL (if applicable).
• Don’t be surprised to get a message from a student who is studying overseas or away as the UWL registration period approaches. They may need to have their advising hold removed in order to register for courses and might need advice on next semester's courses.

EXPLORATION TOOLS

• Encourage students to check the UWL IEE website for more information and to search for programs.
• Help promote IEE Study Abroad/Away 101 sessions and individual advising appointments.
• Suggest that students prepare a list of questions before meeting with an IEE Study Abroad/Away Advisor.

FINANCES

• Refer students to IEE & Financial Aid for financial aid and financing questions.
• "Will I be able to use my financial aid?"
  • The answer is most likely YES! Federal, state, and most institutional financial aid may be applied directly to the cost of your program as long as you are a degree-seeking student at UWL and the courses you are taking abroad will applied towards the credits required for graduation.
  • For general information about Financial Aid and your education abroad program, contact Ignacio Gabbard-Rocha from the Financial Aid Office. You can contact Ignacio at igabbard-rocha@uwlax.edu or 608.785.8832.
• Are there scholarships available for study abroad?
  • Check out the IEE website for all your scholarship options.

INTERNSHIPS & UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

• Considering an international internship?  Check out tips here.
• If a student is interested in internships and/or research abroad, please refer them to IEE as there are often time-required assessments and visa issues that must be discussed with the student prior to departure.  

IDENTITY ABROAD

• Personal identity can impact a student differently while abroad/away. Identities Abroad/Away & Testimonials is a great space to help students think about their identity in choosing a location.

Conversation Starters

PROGRAM SELECTION

• Have you started searching programs on IEE's website?
• What programs most interest you?  What classes can you take in that program?
• Did you know that you can talk to an education abroad/away advisor if you have unanswered questions?

BEFORE DEPARTURE

• What led you to choose this program?
• How would you describe your feelings about going on your program (i.e. nervous, excited, unsure)?
• What are you most excited to experience in this program?
• What do you think will be one of the most challenging aspects of your time in the program?

ON PROGRAM

• What has been your easiest adjustment?
• What are you most surprised about by your host country/culture?
• How do you think this experience will complement your education at UWL?
• What are your plans upon your return?

AFTER PROGRAM

• Have you attended the IEE Eagles Re-entry Program?
• What do you feel the most accomplished about?  What's one thing you would have done differently?
• What would you tell an employer who is unsure about the benefits of education abroad?  (Hint:  check out the Eagle Advantage tips)
• How has your transition been upon your return home and campus?  Is there anything that would be helpful to you?

If questions arise, please reach out to Kim Fuerstenberg at kfuerstenberg@uwlax.edu or Emily Warnke at ewarnke@uwlax.edu or call 608.785.8016.

Instructor & Advisor's Guide for Working with International Students

Teaching & Advising

• Connect with International Education & Engagement (IEE) if specific concerns arise.
• Get to know your international students– how to pronounce their names, what brought them here, and what their interests and strengths might be.
• Recognize that language proficiency is not always the primary barrier to academic success; most international students struggle more with academic writing and the volume of reading assigned. Help international students to prioritize readings and refer students to resources on campus.
• Students may have accents and be willing to be patient for students to say what they need. 
• A fast pace of lecture makes effective note-taking difficult for students, particularly for non-native speakers of English.
• Add visuals and close captions for recordings whenever possible to support understanding and comprehension.  This is even helpful for native speakers.  Reinforcing content by modeling/showing visuals can be helpful for retention.
• Be observant of the usage of American jargon when addressing international students. While colloquialisms are common to American students, international students may have no frame of reference for some phrases.
• Repetition is key; Speak slowly and repeat often.
• Encourage students to utilize office hours, explain what office hours are for, and send follow-up emails to provide information in writing.
• Each student has different immigration and visa requirements and restrictions, including rules on course selection.  The wrong advice can have serious implications.  Please contact the International Student & Scholar Advisor with any questions.

Groups/Among Students

• Promote smaller conversations among students in the classroom; for example, talk to your neighbor for a few minutes, or use writing prompts to give all students time to compose their thoughts.
  • Consider assigning groups in class as to avoid international students being challenged to find a group.  Other students may unintentionally assume that an international student doesn't understand and will need support.
• Be observant of what students say and yourself and how they might be based on cultural stereotypes/ assumptions.
• Do not group international students’ experiences altogether; remember that each student has unique culture and thoughts.
• Do not expect one student to have the answers to what life is like for an entire culture/race/ethnicity/nationality.

Assignments

• Distinguish between assignments where the thinking/process issues are most important (and grammar is less important), and those assignments that need to be polished/summative/final where grammar issues are important.
• Academic integrity norms are different in some cultures. International students are not necessarily aware of the American norms in how to paraphrase or the mechanics of how to translate things into their own words, especially if English is their second language.
• International students do not always learn US English in their home countries; British English is frequently taught in many countries.

If any questions arise, please contact the International Student & Scholar Advisor, Miranda Panzer at mpanzer@uwlax.edu or 608.785.8016.

Goinglobal logo

GoingGlobal

FACULTY:  For a faculty login access to GoinGlobal & Handshake, please contact UWL Career Services at career@uwlax.edu or call 608.785.6950. 

• Please note:  If you have Handshake access, Goinglobal is imbedded in the Handshake app.  Log in, click on RESOURCES, select the GoinGlobal resource link, again click on the blue GoinGlobal link, and start exploring!
• ALL students have access to GoinGlobal via their Handshake accounts.  

GoinGlobal is the leading provider of both country-specific and USA city-specific career and employment information. Our unlimited access subscription database features 38 Country Career Guides, 53 City Career Guides for the United States and Canada, corporate profiles and more than 16 million internship and job listings within the USA and around the world.

Both the GoinGlobal Country Career Guides and the City Career Guides provide professional advice and insider tips on such topics as:

• Job search tools - online and face-to-face resources
• Employment trends in major industries - learn more about growing industry areas and focus your job or internship search!
• Executive recruiters and staffing agency contacts - great contacts for students and alumni/professional job seekers
• Work permit regulations - clearly explains the important details for international students and professional job seekers
• Salary ranges and cost of living data - take the guesswork out of planning for career moves and relocations
• Professional and social networking groups - get a head start on making connections for career development
• Résumé/CV writing guidelines
• Interviewing and cultural advice

Each Career Guide contains more than 500 employment resources, all with detailed explanations and hot links directly to the latest information. All USA City Career Guides include links to H-1B visa employers for every state!

The Key Employer Directory features corporate profiles for 450,000+ companies in industries such as consumer goods, consulting services, finance, and information technology. A mixture of local and multinational employers for more than 190 countries are featured and include data on sales, revenues, brands, officers, key contacts and more. Use the profiles to prepare for interviews or find business intelligence facts on specific companies.

Cultural Wizard

Available in GoinGlobal & Handshake

Become more effective in your communications across cultures and interact more successfully with friends and colleagues from around the globe - compliments of GoinGlobal in partnership with CultureWizard by RW3 LLC.

CultureWizard, created by created by RW3 LLC, is an online and mobile platform designed to enhance your global mindset through videos and webinars, articles on global business skills, quizzes, self-assessments and more.

With CultureWizard you can:

• Graphically compare your culture profile to 160+ other cultures.
• Prepare for study abroad, international internships or a global career by learning how to adapt your style according to culturally-acceptable norms.
• Increase team effectiveness – manage, lead and communicate more successfully with people from different cultures and countries.

When you access CultureWizard by RW3 LLC below, you will be required to set up a personal account on their website. Watch the "What is CultureWizard" 30-second intro video!

A great place to start your journey with these unique, interactive tools is to select Global Mindset from the homepage menu and then Culture Calculator Suite. This assessment tool is an engaging way to graphically compare your preferences with other cultures and provide insights on how to bridge differences.

So log on via Handshake & GoingGlobal today and get started!