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Find out more about study abroad at UW-Eau Claire by visiting the Center for International Education's Web site.

Click here to view national statistics about study abroad from the Institute of International Education's annual Open Doors report. 

Study abroad turns toward non-traditional programs

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The study abroad opportunity isn’t what it used to be for nearly 400 UW-Eau Claire students who head overseas each year.

They have a greater variety of options – nearly 50 countries to choose from – with a growing emphasis on non-traditional destinations.

And it’s not just about locale, as more study abroad programs are being tailored to specific curriculum needs, said Colleen Marchwick, study abroad coordinator at the UW-Eau Claire Center for International Education.

“At Eau Claire, and nationally,” Marchwick said, “the movement has been away from destination, and focused on curriculum integration.”

It’s just one of many ways Eau Claire’s study abroad is mirroring national trends aimed at getting more students to experience the benefits of overseas study.

Nearly a quarter of all UW-Eau Claire students will study abroad at some point in their academic career, Marchwick said, versus a national average of about 10 percent. Almost 75 percent of Blugolds who study abroad go for a full semester, versus less than half nationally.

Study abroad participation is on the rise across the country, according to a report from the Institute of International Education. According to its annual “Open Doors” report, more than 205,000 students studied abroad for credit in 2004-05. That’s double what it was just eight years before that.

Locations experts term “traditional” – mostly Western Europe – remain the most popular, both here and across the country. The Open Doors report shows that the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain are the top three locations for study abroad students.

But increasingly, students are seeking so-called “non-traditional” locations, Marchwick said. UW-Eau Claire is one of many schools looking to meet the demand through a variety of programs.

“Since I’ve arrived at Eau Claire,” Marchwick said, “we’ve had new programs in Scotland, programs in Greece, the (International Student Exchange Program) Direct program, which allows students to go to – I think – 20-some countries, from Ghana to Thailand to Bulgaria to the Czech Republic.”

UW-Eau Claire student Kristi Doucette, 21, studied abroad in Harlaxton, England in the spring of 2006. She opted for a more traditional study abroad option, but Doucette wishes she’d had some of the choices now offered.

“It makes you sort of jealous,” she said with a smile, “that I didn’t get to do one of those. A lot of them just opened up.”

Two Eau Claire students spent last semester teaching in Thailand, Marchwick said, and the university’s first student will study in Ghana this fall. They’re just two examples of the non-traditional study abroad trend.

But that’s not the only way school officials are looking to increase the appeal and feasibility of study abroad.

Whereas previously, students often chose study abroad options based solely on location, many more are choosing destinations based on curriculum.

Recent additions at UW-Eau Claire have included overseas nursing and teaching programs. Those are two majors that often take five years to complete, so students can be dissuaded from taking time to study abroad.

“We try to get people to focus on what works for them academically first,” Doucette said, “and then choose the destination.”

A nursing program to Costa Rica offers courses in comparative health care and medical Spanish, Marchwick said, and a global student teaching program sends students abroad for 10 weeks. The remaining eight weeks are completed in Wisconsin.

Doucette, an English major, didn’t have that opportunity. But studying abroad did inspire her to acquire a TEFL minor. Short for Teaching English as a Foreign Language, the TEFL program will take her abroad as in intern next summer.

With only two-and-half study abroad coordinators, there are limits to how fast Eau Claire’s program can grow. And while there are no immediate plans for additional new programs, Marchwick says she’s always thinking about the future.

“It’s always kind of the balancing act for us,” Marchwick said. “I would love to see a program in the Middle East.”

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