Honors Program Theses

Award/Availability

Open Access Honors Program Thesis

First Advisor

Lori Johnson

Keywords

Foreign study--Iowa--Cedar Falls; International education--Iowa--Cedar Falls; Educational evaluation--Iowa--Cedar Falls;

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the outcomes of participating in a short-term study abroad program. This study outlines experiences of undergraduate students from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) who completed a three-week study abroad course in Southern Italy in May 2015. Data for this study were collected through the use of three online surveys. I compare and contrast survey results in order to provide a model for analysis such that study abroad programs like this provide both rigorous and relevant content and structure which increases the well-roundedness and global awareness of students. According to past studies, and findings from this study, the importance of studying abroad includes an increase in independence, self-awareness, intercultural skills, overall satisfaction with curriculum, and linking learning goals and objectives to the university’s mission and learning objectives for UNI students. These results suggest that short-term study abroad programs better develop students’ well-roundedness and global awareness, and lay groundwork for future change in curriculum.

Year of Submission

2015

Department

Department of Communication Studies

University Honors Designation

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors

Date Original

2015

Object Description

1 PDF file (34 pages)

Language

EN

File Format

application/pdf

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