Two international organizations released guidelines for study abroad programs last week that have students questioning their use in making study abroad experiences better, according to insidehighered.com.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization collaborated to release the Guidelines on Quality Provisions in Cross-Border Higher Education. The guidelines serve as a safeguard against low-quality programs and services when students go abroad, according to OECD and UNESCO.
"The guidelines are designed to help students get easy access to reliable information on higher education offered outside their home country or by foreign providers in their home country," according to an OCED press release.
The guidelines called for greater cooperation among countries concerning university study abroad programs. They also asked countries to recognize the importance of diversity in international higher education programs and suggested that when students go abroad they attend a school or program that is comparable to their home institution.
A large part of the guidelines are directed at developing countries such as those in Africa that do not have an established system of quality assurance in higher education, according to the OECD Web site. Recently, AU Abroad made changes to the programs in Africa to make sure students receive quality education during their time on the continent.
"AU made a determination several years ago to expand and improve upon the study abroad opportunities for its students," said Sara Dumont, director of AU Abroad. "Our goal is to provide a wide range of choices around the world that not only offer the highest caliber of academic program, but also opportunities for our students to become immersed in the host culture."
Before the changes, AU only offered enclave programs in Africa, where students were accompanied by teachers and taught together as a group rather than attending local colleges and universities. The programs in Africa recently expanded to bring students a better abroad experience, Dumont said.
"Our students now have a choice of studying in one of four top universities [in South Africa], and they can study in a wide range of subject areas at a high level," she said.
Students who attended abroad programs in South Africa are unsure that the new nguidelines are needed.
Christine Jackson, a junior in the Kogod School of Business, said she enjoyed her experience at the University of Cape Town, because it was different from AU.
"I really did get quite a lot out of the classroom and studying, but I also spent a lot of time doing all different kinds of things in South Africa," Jackson said. "It's a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone."
"I say, go somewhere different, have a new experience and maybe, just maybe, some Americans will learn just how lucky we are to have the school system we do, although it isn't perfect by any means," she added.
Rachel Shattuck, a junior in the School of International Service, recently returned from Cape Town and also had positive remarks about her experience.
"I learned things in South Africa that I could never learn at AU because we just don't have specific classes about African history, politics and development," she said. "You have to really get into these topics in depth, and that's what UCT offered me that AU didn't."
Shattuck said she did not think the guidelines would have made her study abroad experience any better.
"It would be almost impossible to place our standards on a different style of university, where students naturally come from a wider range of backgrounds," Shattuck said. "I think studying abroad is like a combined learning experience from everything you did while you were abroad."
AU Abroad does not differentiate between starting programs in "developing" countries or other areas, said Kari Miller, associate director of AU Abroad.
"Our guidelines are the same across the board from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South Africa and elsewhere, which include the presence of safety, security, organizational infrastructure, academic accreditation and a standard of academic quality that is at least equal to the quality of education at AU," she said.
