NAFSA s new issue of International Educator includes an article on Best Practices for Short-Term Faculty-Led Programs Abroad. It s a well-done, comprehensive article touching on all aspects of developing and administering faculty-led programs. After years of being part of a consortium for faculty-led programs, I especially appreciated the article starting out with the focus on the importance of putting academic integrity upfront! My Minnesota colleague Kathy Tuma says it best when she explains that the way to maintain credibility for faculty-led courses is to be sure they are unassailably academic.
It makes a lot of sense to start with the question: Why teach this course in this particular location? Without a good solid answer to this question, all other policies and best practices cannot make up for the lack of academic integrity.
The UMAIE January Term Abroad consortium, for which Seminars International is the provider, has a really well-done course proposal form that keeps the academics front and center. (Full disclosure I worked on revising and updating the proposal form, so I may be a bit biased.) You can find it on the UMAIE website under Faculty Resources.