Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad

The Forum's commitment to developing and promoting standards of good practice for the field of education abroad lies at the core of the Forum's mission. The ultimate goal of the Standards is to improve practices in education abroad, so that our students' international educational experiences are as rich and meaningful as possible.

 

In April, 2011 the Forum released the fourth edition of its Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad. A pdf file of the fourth edition of the Standards is available here: Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad, 4th Edition (2011). To order print copies, please visit: publications and resources .

The Forum expresses its sincere appreciation to the Forum Standards Committee, under the leadership of Michael Steinberg, to the working groups and to its members for their contributions to this edition of the Standards.

The goals of the Forum's standards work are to:

The Forum offers members two programs implementing the Standards to assess how their education abroad programs and operations meet the Standards:

 

NEW: Draft Guidelines for Comment

The Forum invites colleagues from education abroad and related fields to review the draft guidelines below, and return their comments and suggestions to info@forumea.org by March 31.

 

School of Record Guidelines

The Forum on Education Abroad (with input from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers/AACRAO) has developed guidelines for School of Record (SOR) relationships, with the goal of providing support both to institutions and organizations serving as Schools of Record, and to those who benefit from their services. These Guidelines have drawn on comments from Forum members and the general public, and on feedback received during conference sessions at the AACRAO and Forum on Education Abroad annual conferences.

 

School of Record Guidelines

 

Standards of Good Practice for Short-Term Education Abroad Programs

The Forum's Standards of Good Practice for Short-Term Education Abroad Programs recognizes the growth of student participation in short-term programs and responds to the expressed need for a more specific set of standards that apply to short-term programs. The Standards for Short-Term Programs are not a substitute for the broader Standards, but are intended to act as a companion to provide the most comprehensive guidance for short-term program development and management.

 

The Standards of Good Practice for Short-Term Education Abroad Programs are the work of the Forum Standards Committee, together with input from the Forum membership and the field at large. The Forum thanks Committee Chair Michael Steinberg for his leadership.  Forum President and CEO Brian Whalen notes that “short-term programs help to expand education abroad capacity by providing opportunities for students who are less likely to education abroad for longer periods. The new set of standards will help to assure the quality of short-term programs by increasing their effectiveness so that they accomplish their goals and benefit students.” 

 

Code of Ethics for Education Abroad

 

The Forum's Code of Ethics for Education Abroad provides direction to institutions and organizations involved in education abroad and helps ensure that students achieve the maximum benefit from their education abroad experiences. The Code assists organizations as they seek to provide services in accord with the highest ethical standards, with the ultimate goal that students' international educational experiences are as rich and meaningful as possible.

 

In April, 2011 the Forum released the second edition of its Code of Ethics for Education Abroad. A pdf file of the second edition of the Code is available here: Code of Ethics for Education Abroad, 2th Edition (2011). To order print copies, please visit: publications and resources .

 

The Forum expresses its sincere appreciation to Michael Morrison for his leadership, to the Ethics Working Group of Forum Standards Committee, and to Forum members for their contributions to this edition of the Code.

 

The Code is not meant to substitute for specific institutional and organizational policies and practices. Rather, it is intended to guide the development and review of these policies and practices.  The Forum encourages member institutions, as part of their ongoing quality improvement process, to commit to ongoing reflection about and periodic review of the extent to which the organization meets the ethical principles articulated in the Code of Ethics.

 

This Code is the culmination of exhaustive research, discussion, and consensus-building among our members to establish high standards and a uniform set of ethical guidelines. The development of the Code has involved contributions from the Forum's membership of more than 300 institutions and organizations that together represent approximately 80% of the U.S. students who education abroad. The membership includes institutions and organizations located around the world, which has ensured a balanced and culturally sensitive approach to the development of these principles and guidelines.

 

The Code should be understood as a complement to the Forum's Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad, which forms the basis for the Forum's Quality Improvement Program (QUIP). QUIP is a process by which Forum member institutions and organizations voluntarily assess their education abroad programs through a standardized self-study and peer review process that utilizes the Standards of Good Practice. Currently, more than 20 institutions and organizations are in various stages of the QUIP process.

 

The Forum is extremely proud of the work of the Forum membership in supporting and completing this critically important set of ethical guidelines.  As we move forward, collaborations among and between colleges, universities, provider organizations and host institutions will be even more essential to building education abroad capacity of the highest quality. The Forum's Code of Ethics will assist greatly in trying to realize this goal by serving as a blueprint for effective, ethical practices.

 

Related Standards Links: