Faculty opportunities for global learning

Undergraduate students gain lifelong skills and experiences by adding study abroad to their degree — skills sought after in industry and graduate programs. They also tend to graduate faster and have a positive view of the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) and its faculty.

Faculty can engage in study abroad along a continuum — from simply encouraging interested students to developing new study abroad or COIL courses.

Any student expressing interest in studying abroad should be directed to the CSE Abroad team. Study abroad advising appointments can be requested online.

 A group of students and a faculty member pose on a cliff in Tanzania, holding a College of Science and Engineering flag.
A group of people standing together on a dock, holding an empty picture frame in front of them. Several boats are docked behind them, and houses line the shore in the background.

Teaching and Learning Off-Campus

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Courses abroad and the course equivalency process

When CSE students spend a semester or a full year abroad, faculty members and academic advisers play an essential role in helping them plan the courses they will take. Long-term planning is often required. While abroad, students may fulfill core degree, elective, and liberal education requirements. In addition to working with the CSE Abroad office on planning, students will also seek advice and approvals from their departments.

Students in CSE-sponsored exchange programs receive transfer credit. Courses from exchange partners that need to be evaluated must be entered into the TES system, even if they have been informally reviewed via email or discussion. View previous course decisions.

Students in all other UMN semester study abroad programs receive resident credit, and course review requests should not be submitted through TES. Students may use email, meetings, or other means of communication. Previous resident credit decisions for study abroad students can be found in the U-Credit system.

This process takes time and patience and can be confusing. CSE students can always be referred to the CSE Abroad office for one-on-one advising and support. Most study abroad students meet with the CSE Abroad team multiple times before and after their study-abroad experience. Study abroad advising appointments can be requested online.

Student Exchange Programs

CSE maintains several bilateral student exchange programs, offering undergraduate students the opportunity to study for a semester or a full year at a partner university. Exchange programs are among the most affordable study abroad options for our students, with past participants paving the way by having courses evaluated. In addition to direct exchange, CSE is a member of the multilateral exchange consortium, the Global Engineering Education Exchange, which gives students access to additional schools around the world. New exchange proposals are evaluated at the college level, with support from the GPS Alliance.

Developing a Faculty Led Study Abroad Course

Faculty in the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) have led study abroad classes around the world. Travel terms typically take place during winter break, spring break, or the May session. Credits are applied either to a semester registration (winter break, spring break) or to summer registration (May session). Faculty interested in offering a course to a broader audience, including all University of Minnesota students, must submit a proposal directly to the Learning Abroad Center, the university’s main study abroad office. Most faculty leaders in CSE offer courses specific to the college or a discipline within it. The Learning Abroad Center refers to this as a Global Campus Partner program. In this process, faculty work closely with the College of Science and Engineering Abroad office, while the Learning Abroad Center provides support.

As you brainstorm, consider your specialization, your colleagues abroad, industry connections, recent developments in your field and previous experiences abroad. A draft itinerary and syllabus should be created at least 12 to 14 months before the course is offered. A new course will require departmental permission to use a course designator (usually a special topics course code), so it’s best to start this process early. Syllabi and itineraries from past seminars are available for review, and you can also read student blogs from previous CSE faculty-led programs. You may begin the process solo or collaborate with a colleague to form a leadership team. Additionally, you may be eligible for funding from the university’s central international office, the GPS Alliance, as you develop a new study abroad course.

To begin exploring a new study abroad course, email [email protected].

Teaching and Learning On-Campus

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Developing an Online Collaborative Global Course (COIL)

The faculty of the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) are already collaborating virtually with colleagues across the globe. Providing a framework for these networks can help bring the world into the classroom for CSE students, whether or not they study abroad.

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is an innovative way to internationalize your teaching. To COIL a course means to work together with an international partner to co-create a learning activity in which your students collaborate with your partner's students to pursue a common learning goal. These projects typically involve active, project-based learning; they usually last between three and eight weeks; they take place within existing courses; and they can include synchronous or asynchronous activities, or both. COIL is an intentional way to help students deepen their international, intercultural, and global learning, preparing them to become globally ready graduates. This approach to international learning can be integrated into a wide variety of fields of study. To learn more about COIL, please watch the Center for Educational Innovation's 3-minute video, 'COIL: Collaborative Online International Learning,' and visit the University of Minnesota COIL webpage.

Internationalizing Teaching and Learning Cohort Program

Are you interested in strategies to bring the world into the classroom? The Internationalizing Teaching and Learning Cohort Program is a 10-week online program in which participants design or redesign a course to deepen global learning for University of Minnesota students across the system. Additional resources can be found on the Office of Curriculum Internationalization webpage.

Contact us

Would you like someone to visit your classroom? Email the CSE Abroad team to request a staff member or student advocate to speak to your class about study abroad opportunities.

Feel free to contact us:
Lind Hall, Suite 109
612-624-5091
[email protected]