So you've taken Photography 101, you've got that really cool, used, SLR camera from the pawn shop and you've always dreamed of being good enough to hold your own exhibition where patrons will praise your genius and bid four- and five-digit figures for your "Introspective on Inner-City Potholes. Why not consider studying abroad in the birthplace of photography? Bonjour, Paris!

A great example is our Photography & Film Development in Paris course at our CEA Global Campus in Paris. The 300-level course is taught in English, worth 3 credits, and introduces students bursting with creative potential to the exuberance of Paris's landscapes, city scenes, intellectuals and art.

Our photography course offers something for beginners, intermediate or advanced photographers – all you need to bring is your passion. Passion for experiencing life. Passion for art. Any artist favoring any form of media will tell you the two go hand in hand. So what better place to awaken your inner Annie Liebowicz or Andy Warhol than a study abroad program in Paris?

Here's a snippet of the course description:

"This class has been designed to familiarize you with the basic technical, aesthetic and thematic concerns of photography while using Paris, the birthplace of the medium itself, as the perfect backdrop. Straight photography, with an emphasis on self expression and the development of a personal vision, will serve as the basis for much of your work. Through visual lectures, museum excursions and film screenings, you will gain exposure to a wide variety of international photographic work, thus providing you with a rich and varied visual vocabulary. Shooting on location throughout this inspirational city will give you hands-on technical experience in conjunction with individual attention and guidance from the instructor. Class critiques of ongoing work will instruct you how to read and edit your photographic portfolios as well of those of your peers. Such open forums foster critical and analytical thinking while cultivating a vision of your own. At the end of the semester, your more creative work will be included in an exhibition that you will help plan, organize and execute."

An exhibition in Paris? You know your friends back home won't be able to top that next semester. Look at it this way, even if your photos aren't up to Vanity Fair standards, a bad photo in Paris has to be more fun and memorable than a great photo taken back home of that pothole in front of the Physics building on campus.

A recent survey of more than 300 employers shows only 1 in 4 believe colleges or universities are doing a good job of preparing students for the challenges of a global economy. Two-thirds of the survey group said colleges should place a greater emphasis on teaching students the ability to understand the global context of situations and decisions, while 71 percent said students need to develop teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diverse group settings ("Raising the Bar," Hart Research Associates, January 2010).

International understanding is important for the stability and future of the United States. Through international education, students can gain exposure to the knowledge needed to be globally aware and to succeed in a globally engaged society. Colleges and universities must consider their role in helping to build a citizenry of more internationally informed, connected, concerned and responsible individuals. One way that colleges and universities can address these issues is by promoting study abroad opportunities through curricular integration of internationalization initiatives.

1) Add a course or set of courses for students to take abroad into your university’s general education requirements.
Reason: International understanding is important for college graduates. As indicated by many studies, including the recent Hart survey, exposure to diverse environments is a critical outcome desired by future employers. Adding a course or set of courses in the general education requirements also clearly demonstrates institutional commitment to international education.

How CEA can help: CEA Global Education can provide assistance in reviewing required general education curriculum or competency areas. CEA’s academic team also can provide specific recommendations for current CEA courses that match your existing curriculum or work with your faculty to develop appropriate courses that will align with your universities’ general education or major-specific requirements.

2) Add education abroad graduation requirements in key majors.
Reason: There are several majors for which international exposure is critical for success (i.e., business, language, global studies or area studies, etc).

How CEA can help: CEA offers robust curriculum for a wide variety of academic disciplines and can partner with your university to identify certain destinations that lend well to the requirements of particular majors and/or tailor curriculum to meet the needs of your major requirements. CEA offers standard curriculum or can develop customized faculty-led and group program options to help fulfill any such requirements.

3) Develop and offer freshmen programs abroad.
Reason: Use education abroad as a tool to differentiate your institution in student outreach and recruitment. First-year students interested in study abroad are often independent, adventurous and open for a challenge. Freshmen are likely to have more freedom in course selection before being locked into their major of study, and have yet to establish their routines on campus that may get in the way of studying abroad later in their college career. As a university sending students abroad during their first year, you will build a pipeline of internationally minded students early in their college career. Preliminary research findings suggest that participants in freshmen abroad programs are more likely to go abroad again later in their college career.

How CEA can help: CEA offers specially designed early-college models, including freshmen semester abroad programs at multiple Global Campus locations. These programs are strategically designed for first-year college students and offer freshmen a safe and structured opportunity to challenge themselves and enjoy a semester abroad during their first year of college.

4) Identify experiential learning opportunities that can be fulfilled by participating in specifically designed service-learning, volunteer and/or internship programs abroad.
Reason: Research shows greater learning when students actively engage in their own learning process. Experiential learning offers students opportunities to better understand the meaning of their experience through direct involvement in active learning. More emphasis is placed on student skill development and involves critical higher-order thinking skills in this model of learning.

How CEA can help: CEA programs offer universities the chance to structure service learning or volunteer opportunities within faculty-led or group programs; or you may choose from our existing internship offerings that offer students practical experience toward their degree and future career.

5) Internationalize your faculty experience base.
Reason: Faculty members are key to internationalizing curriculum. By providing your faculty with opportunities to travel and teach abroad, they will gain a better understanding of and bring ideas about how to internationalize their teaching back home to their campuses.

How CEA can help: CEA can support faculty-led program development at any of our Global Campus, Global Alliance or Global Partner locations in 16 countries around the world. CEA Global Education’s academic team will assist U.S. faculty on the curricular planning of their courses by providing specific suggestions and making arrangements for related lectures, resources, site visits, and more.

Dr. Paige Sindt is the Director of Custom Programs at CEA Global Education.

As the Forum conference in Charlotte approaches, I thought I would recall the active discussion last fall regarding School of Record partnerships between study abroad providers and colleges and universities. This was a stimulating exchange and certainly got us thinking at CEA Global Education. Moreover, as Forum and AACRAO have announced a joint working group on standards of good practice for school of record relationships - with an initial report due in June - this topic gains in relevance at this time.

As I mentioned in the course of the discussion last fall, CEA was planning on offering a session at FORUM on this very topic. The session, "Assuring Academic Value through Multiple Perspectives: The Creative Tensions among Home Office, Onsite Dean, and University of Record," - sorry for the long-winded title - will be held on Friday, March 26, 1:45 - 3:00 p.m. in the Tryon Room at the Westin Charlotte.

The session will focus on the necessary tensions among key partners in such an arrangement. How do these players navigate the waters of student demand, academic integrity, faculty oversight, and standards of good practice and accreditation between the U.S. and overseas programs? CEA and the University of New Haven are eager to share their experience in this area and welcome commentary and critique of our approach.

We hope to see you in Charlotte!

Dr. John D. Heyl
Vice President of Global Education

Nicole Sapiro studied abroad in Buenos Aires in Spring 2009. An accomplished photographer, one of the photos she shot in Buenos Aires was selected from more than 1,300 photos as a runner-up for Glimpse.org, a partner website of National Geographic. Here are her experiences.

Prior to going abroad, many people told me that spending six months in another country would “change” me. I often heard that I would gain invaluable skills and characteristics that would shape me into a stronger and more independent person, more capable of facing the world. What I didn’t hear was that spending six months in a foreign country would allow me incredible time for self-reflection and the opportunity to express it artistically. And the funny thing is, that is exactly what happened. My semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina encouraged me to funnel my real life experiences into capturing the beauty of my surroundings. As I became more comfortable in the city, the quality of my photos exponentially improved. Thanks to my academic classes and experiences with CEA, my connection to the city grew, and as a result, my photography improved.

Additionally, any photographer will tell you that a huge part of taking a picture is being in the right place at the right time. By incorporating what I learned in my classes and the suggestions of the CEA advisors, I was able to go on photographic excursions through the city to capture some incredible moments and objects. The opportunity to relate to and understand a city transcended into my photography, and I will take that lesson with me in all of my future photographic journeys.

Glenda Jordan is studying abroad for an entire year at the CEA Global Campus in Paris. Here is her story.

Where this story should begin is a mystery to me, as a million factors have led me up to this point in my life. I suppose I could start with when I first stepped onto the streets of my new home. I had made an incredibly long journey from England over to Paris by bus, train, bus, ferry, bus, train, métro, then on foot. I emerged from Rambuteau métro station onto the city streets, burdened down with all my stuff for the year. Exhilaration and pure euphoria can’t really describe the emotions that were running through me. A little scared of getting lost, I eventually made it to the CEA Global Campus in Paris. After another taxi ride to my dorm (AEPP), I found myself in my new room. I (sort of) unpacked my things and went outside to the courtyard to do what would shape my entire experience while in Europe: hoopdance. I am a professional hoopdancer and I do performances with LED and fire hoops. I have done many shows, but none in a metropolis like Paris. Over the next few days, I got acquainted with my new roommates, CEA, and of course, the city.

I began contacting all the major clubs in Paris, sending out my resume and some journalist photos. In the meantime I would go out at night on the weekends and street perform, my favorite locations being: in front of the Pompidou, the Bastille Opera house, and the magnificent Notre Dame. Other than having the incredible experience of busking in front of the most iconic buildings in the world, I began to make friends with other Parisian street performers and other denizens of counter-culture. Eventually I was invited to an underground venue, which was a graffiti art-covered, abandoned, underground parking lot that had been turned into a practice center on Monday nights. A DJ plays techno-trance music while jugglers, poi dancers and other circus-like artists practice their routines for the streets.

This was the Paris that I was looking for, where I wanted to live every second in its entirety. Eventually Club Queen, one of Paris’ biggest clubs on the Champs-Elysées, contacted me. I did a couple shows there and it was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. I even had my own costumer and makeup/hair artist. The crowd (consisting of several hundred people) went crazy and cheered the whole time while I performed. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Although the performances paid very well, I needed some more money on a day-to-day basis, so I walked into the Irish pub across the street and asked for a job. I got the job in the first few weeks I was there, but my French was still not very good at that point. Working that first night taking food and drink orders in English and French while running to and from the kitchen, trying not to break anything and avoiding basically spontaneously combusting was one of the most stressful moments of my life. It also accelerated my French. If I didn't know what to say or if I couldn't understand what the customer was asking, I would mess up whatever order they wanted. My vocabulary augmented profoundly, and I quickly learned essential French phrases that I've relied on ever since. Plus, it made me feel like I was actually living in Paris.

At the CEA Global Campus in Paris, I'm taking classes in Haute Couture in Paris (a fashion history course), Introduction to Drawing, Modernist Art History, and French Conversation. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my classes! I honestly can't wait to go to school. My professors are amazing, the courses are incredible and extremely challenging without being daunting, and I learn so much every day. The classes are small, so I feel I can get extreme individual attention. I've had classes before where I feel like the professor is just going through the motions and has a monotone syllabus that never changes. I feel like here, they honestly care if you're learning and expand the course with outside reading, museum visits, lectures, etc. It's really a hands-on experience. Did I mention I love my classes?

I can't even compare how I was when I first stepped foot onto French soil. I remember not being able to understand one word in French, and struggling to think how to say simple things like, "How much does this cost?" and "Can you tell me where _____ is?" Now I can hold a fluent conversation with pretty much anybody. I understand about 3-4 out of every 5 words, but obviously it depends on the subject I'm discussing and who I'm discussing it with. I still have moments where my mind goes blank, and I can't quite express myself fully, but I feel I do pretty well.

I just had an audition yesterday to open a new soirée party at a large club close to my apartment. I really feel like I belong to this city. It's become such a huge part of me. I’m not just spending a year abroad here; I’m living here; working, meeting new people, taking care of my own place, and generally becoming ‘one with the city.' Wow, could that have sounded more cliché? Coming from a farm, I never pictured myself becoming comfortable in a concrete jungle, but Paris is just one of those places that can imbed itself deep in your heart and spirit if you let it. In a way, it’s also very sad. I know I have to leave one day, and I will never really feel satisfied in just one place. I miss home very much and I want to go back at some point, but Paris has just become a part of me, and feels as much like a real home as anywhere else. I will certainly miss it.

Find more information on programs at the CEA Global Campus in Paris online.

Every so often, we hear a student question what a particular topic in class has to do with the real world. The savvy professor or instructor addresses that question at the beginning of the semester – not only identifying what students should expect to learn and demonstrate by the end of the semester, but also how they will use their new knowledge when they leave the classroom.

When it comes to study abroad, parents, faculty or even students can overlook the potential career development benefits from a semester in a foreign country. After all, what can wandering the cobblestone streets of an open market or sampling tapas in a restaurant teach students?

A great deal.

Aristotle once said, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." The successful study abroad program creates opportunities for active learning, identifies what students should expect to learn and demonstrate by the completion of their program, and spells out how he or she can demonstrate those outcomes on their resume, in a job interview or when applying to a graduate studies program.

To do so, we first must build on what the research conducted by scholars, study abroad program administrators and program providers shows us:

• Students who study abroad show gains in those skill sets that are valued by employers seeking to hire workers with specific competencies such as: increased intercultural sensitivity, language acquisition and problem solving skills;
• Study abroad impacts career development and influences career direction in the years after graduation (even for students who may not have considered an international career at the time they were abroad);
• Study abroad creates a strong foundation for future employment in an international context and can lead to further international experiences that strengthen intercultural competencies.

CEA’s study abroad programs lead students beyond simple, passive observation and engage them in their surroundings. They're not just shopping, they're learning how to barter a fair price in another language. When they visit a restaurant, they're learning to adapt to the social norms of the host culture's society. Interviewing international executives and touring their offices yields insight into how businesses conduct themselves across cultural and political boundaries.

Those very real benefits are all too often missed when the study abroad student returns home and adds his/her experience to a resume as only an afterthought: "Spent semester in Rome."

What does that mean?

The reviewer of the resume may translate that cryptic expression as “Partied in Italy.” Images of the college social scene abroad overshadow the tangible outcomes students should be prepared to articulate upon completion of a superior study abroad program. Those tangible outcomes can include such desirable job skills as:

• Language proficiency – even short of true fluency
• Ability to approach obstacles and problem-solving with respect to multicultural differences in the workplace
• Comfortable working in diverse, foreign and changing environments
• Ability to work independently and without much direction or oversight

How can advisors – including career advisors - help?

• Talk to your students pre-departure about what expectations they have for study abroad.
• Outline your own expectations for your students following their study abroad experience, including how you expect students to demonstrate those outcomes (could include increased language skills, cross-cultural awareness, and independent/critical thinking skills).
• Talk to your students following the study abroad experience and assess together which expectations have been met and which have not.
• Identify with the student how he/she can articulate those outcomes on a resume, in a job interview, or in applying for graduate programs. Go over sample resumes that outline some outcomes, or practice role-playing a job or graduate school interview.
• Identify steps students can take to share those outcomes with peers on campus, including blogging, speaking in front of students at study abroad fairs or new-student campus visits, etc.

By laying the groundwork for a successful study abroad experience and following up with the student at program completion, students and their advisors can affirm the kind of cross-cultural skills employers are seeking today. The result will be graduates better-equipped to meet the demands of tomorrow's job market and on the path to true global competence.

Dr. John D. Heyl is the Vice President of Global Education at CEA.

CEA Global Education is pleased to welcome Mr. John Hudson as the Campus Director and Associate Academic Dean for our ninth and newest Global Campus in Buenos Aires. CEA is currently accepting applications for Fall 2010, but Mr. Hudson graciously agreed to take time away from campus preparations to answer a few questions about why universities and students should look to Buenos Aires for study abroad.

Why a Global Campus in your city?
(Mr. H) Buenos Aires is one of the 10 largest cities in the world. Traditionally known as the “Paris of South America," Buenos Aires is a hotbed of culture and activity and an exciting place that literally “never sleeps." Like many U.S. cities, Buenos Aires is a “melting pot," its citizens descending from different waves of immigration originally from all over Europe and in recent years from Asia as well as other Latin American countries.

What does your city offer U.S. educators that is unique to your location?
Buenos Aires is known throughout Latin America for its human talent, particularly in the educational world. Argentine professors and trainers are well-respected and in demand throughout the region, and Argentina has an academic tradition beginning in the 17th century when Jesuits established the first university in the country. The country continued its tradition with excellent higher public education in the 20th century and the growth of private universities in recent years. As a result, Buenos Aires is an attractive destination for college students not only from Latin America, but also from the U.S. and Europe. Students will benefit from the Buenos Aires culture, thus learning not only from what they see in the classroom, but also what they will discover throughout the city.

What are the advantages of sending students to this Global Campus?
The CEA Global Campus in Buenos Aires incorporates active and reflective learning across the curriculum, encouraging students to draw connections between their classroom experiences and the daily life of their host community. Students will have the opportunity to better understand a major city in a region sometimes referred to as “America’s back yard” and of strategic significance to the U.S. By increasing students’ familiarity with Latin culture and language, it also helps contribute to understanding the culture and language of many Hispanic Americans, the fastest-growing minority in the U.S.

In addition, the Global Campus operates on a U.S.-style academic calendar, improving student access to this important region.

What can U.S. universities expect from students who return from studying abroad at your campus?
Students returning from Buenos Aires will have gained the invaluable experience of living and learning in a major developing country, and will have acquired a greater awareness of the cultural differences and the challenges of communicating, interacting and doing any kind of business with people in this part of the world. Buenos Aires possesses the tremendous advantage of offering students the familiarity of a European culture but with the challenges they will find in any foreign location throughout their lives.

What can students expect to learn at this Global Campus?
Students will have the opportunity to learn our culture and customs, including our fascinating history, delicious food and proud traditions. Of course, students have an excellent opportunity of learning or improving their Spanish, as well as getting to know our diverse geography. Argentina goes from tropical jungle in the north to Antarctic ice in the south, and offers all kinds of variety in between!

Why should students consider studying at a Global Campus in Buenos Aires over other locations?
Buenos Aires offers a great opportunity to combine academic achievement along with all the factors that have made the city an attractive destination for people from all over the world: a fascinating culture, great food and many entertainment opportunities. In addition, Buenos Aires in 2010 will be hosting many events in celebration of Argentina’s bicentennial.

Mr. John Hudson is the Campus Director and Associate Academic Dean for CEA's ninth and newest Global Campus in Buenos Aires, Argentina. To learn more and apply for the inaugural class of Fall 2010, check out the Global Campus in Buenos Aires.

CEA Global Education is pleased to welcome Mr. John Hudson as the Campus Director and Associate Academic Dean for our ninth and newest Global Campus in Buenos Aires. CEA is currently accepting applications for Fall 2010, but Mr. Hudson graciously agreed to take time away from campus preparations to answer a few questions about why students should look to Buenos Aires for study abroad.

Why a Global Campus in your city?
(Mr. H) Buenos Aires is one of the 10 largest cities in the world. Traditionally known as the “Paris of South America," Buenos Aires is a hotbed of culture and activity and an exciting place that literally “never sleeps." Like many U.S. cities, Buenos Aires is a “melting pot," its citizens descending from different waves of immigration originally from all over Europe and in recent years from Asia as well as other Latin American countries.

What does your city offer students that is unique to your location?
Buenos Aires is known throughout Latin America for its human talent, particularly in the educational world. Argentine professors and trainers are well-respected and in demand throughout the region, and Argentina has an academic tradition beginning in the 17th century when Jesuits established the first university in the country. The country continued its tradition with excellent higher public education in the 20th century and the growth of private universities in recent years. As a result, Buenos Aires is an attractive destination for college students not only from Latin America, but also from the U.S. and Europe. Students will benefit from the Buenos Aires culture, thus learning not only from what they see in the classroom, but also what they will discover throughout the city.

What are the advantages of studying abroad at this Global Campus?
Students will have the opportunity to better understand a major city in a region sometimes referred to as “America’s back yard” and of strategic significance to the U.S. By increasing students’ familiarity with Latin culture and language, it also helps contribute to understanding the culture and language of many Hispanic Americans, the fastest-growing minority in the U.S.

What else can students expect to gain from studying abroad at your campus?
Students returning from Buenos Aires will have gained the invaluable experience of living and learning in a major developing country, and will have acquired a greater awareness of the cultural differences and the challenges of communicating, interacting and doing any kind of business with people in this part of the world. Buenos Aires possesses the tremendous advantage of offering students the familiarity of a European culture but with the challenges they will find in any foreign location throughout their lives.

Students will have the opportunity to learn our culture and customs, including our fascinating history, delicious food and proud traditions. Of course, students have an excellent opportunity of learning or improving their Spanish, as well as getting to know our diverse geography. Argentina goes from tropical jungle in the north to Antarctic ice in the south, and offers all kinds of variety in between!

Why should students consider studying at a Global Campus in Buenos Aires over other locations?
Buenos Aires offers a great opportunity to combine academic achievement along with all the factors that have made the city an attractive destination for people from all over the world: a fascinating culture, great food and many entertainment opportunities. In addition, Buenos Aires in 2010 will be hosting many events in celebration of Argentina’s bicentennial.

Mr. John Hudson is the Campus Director and Associate Academic Dean for CEA's ninth and newest Global Campus in Buenos Aires, Argentina. To learn more and apply for the inaugural class of Fall 2010, check out the Global Campus in Buenos Aires.

CEA has been looking into a much-reported connection between study abroad and the future careers of participants. We will be reporting on our findings in a series of blogs over the next month.

There is no disputing the fact that, for the foreseeable future, students will graduate into a world where globalization will greatly influence the nature of the workforce they enter regardless of whether they work in the U.S. or abroad. The current global economic crisis is likewise reshaping workplace realities in all sectors. Students must be prepared to cope with fast-changing local and global economies and the shifting expectations of employers.

This issue first came to my attention in 2000 when I received a report by several faculty at Texas A&M who had surveyed a wide range of employers in Texas - Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, state agencies, school districts, etc. Among the findings that stood out to me was the consensus – especially among private sector employers – that applicants for jobs at their companies who could demonstrate their “global mobility” were preferred over others. The report noted that too few Texas graduates had acquired this sense of their own mobility.

Many students who study abroad take this dimension of their experience more or less for granted. But the ease – indeed, the enthusiasm - with which one travels internationally, is actually an experience-based skill and outlook. Study abroad returnees should find ways to include this aspect of themselves in the next resumes they send out. It can make a difference!

Dr. John D. Heyl is the Vice President of Global Education at CEA.