If you are an O’Neill faculty member on the IU Bloomington or IUPUI campus, we are thrilled to talk with you about the possibility of creating an international course to call your own.
Our faculty led programs give students the opportunity to study abroad with O’Neill faculty, on O’Neill courses, with students from across the IU campuses. We currently offer a wide range of program models, but we are also open to exploring new types of overseas experiences for students.
Winter Break
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Summer
Please note - Planning for a new overseas program should begin roughly 1.5 years before you hope to run the program. The proposal / approval process can take up to one year and the application for students cannot be opened until final Overseas Study Advisory Council (OSAC) approval is received.
If you are thinking about proposing an international course - please come speak with us. We are excited to hear your ideas and we can share tips and timelines that will help make the process as smooth as possible.
We can also help you to identify an area of unmet need, as programs that fulfill an unmet need are often more likely to get approved.
You can schedule an appointment to discuss your new program idea with our Assistant Director of International Programs and Engagement by emailing oio@iu.edu.
Time frame: 2+ months
After you have talked through your options with the O’Neill International Office, you will need to submit a mini-proposal (two-pages) to be formally reviewed by the O’Neill Overseas Faculty Committee. This mini-proposal will also be reviewed by the directors of each degree program at O’Neill.
This review process will specifically consider the following:
The length of this initial approval process largely depends on the timing of committee meetings (the committee generally meets twice a semester).
Several outcomes are possible during this process:
Time frame: 2 - 8 months
The OSAC proposal writing process is extensive and time-consuming, but the reward of developing a new overseas course is worth the effort! Our office is here to walk you through every step of the process.
An OSAC Proposal will include the following:
In addition, OSAC will want the following supplemental materials:
You are encouraged to visit your proposed program location during the proposal writing process to enhance your knowledge. This trip could include meetings with academic partners, vendors (housing, food, transportation, etc.) and networking with potential guest lecturers and organizations you wish for the students to visit.
You will likely find this trip to be crucial to the OSAC proposal process as you work through building the syllabus / itinerary for the program.
Funding may be available through IU Global to support this exploratory trip: Overseas Study Program Development Grants.
Time frame: 1 month
Staff in the O’Neill international Office are responsible for the two-step submission process.
The first step is to send a draft of the proposal to IU Overseas. Trained staff will look over the proposal with a fresh set of eyes and will let us know of any issues they foresee. You/we will then be given the opportunity to make changes before our formal submission to the IU Overseas Study Advisory Council (OSAC).
Once the proposal and all supporting documents are submitted - we typically get a response within a few weeks (although this timing varies throughout the year).
Time frame: 1 week
It is very common for OSAC to respond to the proposal submission with a list of questions. These are often things like: "I see you are visiting a peanut farm. How will you deal with students who have a peanut allergy?" or "You are taking the students camel riding - will the students be required to wear helmets?"
We generally try to respond to these questions within one week - however, some questions may involve more in-depth research that can take some time.
Time frame: 1 week - 1 month
If OSAC is happy with our response to the questions, we will generally receive official approve within a week or two.
With this approval comes a list of post-approval requirements - including various trainings, procedures, and ongoing update reports we must complete. Our office will work with you to confirm who holds responsibility for which items on the post-acceptance list.
It is important to note: OSAC approval does not guarantee the program will run. O’Neill has a financial responsibility to ensure the program meets its budget. When we design the budget, you will be given a minimum and maximum number of students. If you are unable to get enough student interest to reach the minimum number, the program will likely not be allowed to run.
Now that we have official approval - we can start the process of confirming all the vendors and partners you have outlined in your proposal!
You will work with O’Neill International's Assistant Director of External Relations to manage all of your bookings, vendors, housing & travel plans, and program finances.
If significant changes are made throughout this process, we will notify OSAC of the changes in an addendum.
The O’Neill International Office holds a variety of marketing events throughout the year to build student interest in all of our overseas opportunities. However, you are encouraged to do some of your own marketing as well (directed emails to students you have had in class, emails to faculty from across campus, class talks, etc.).
The more you help us "sell" the program - the higher the likelihood that it will get enough student interest to meet budget and be viable.
The selection of participants generally happens during the fall semester. You will be given access to review all applications for your program and can interview the applicants if you wish.
Once you have made your selections, the O’Neill International Office will send out official acceptance letters and will work with students to collect all required documents (medical information, passports, liability forms, etc.)
We highly encourage you to get in contact with your accepted students immediately after they receive notice of their acceptance. Staying in contact helps with student excitement and generally leads to less students withdrawing before a program begins.
All students will be required to complete an online Health and Safety Course. In addition, you are required to host at least one program specific orientation for your program (many program directors hold several sessions before departure).
The O’Neill International Operations and Compliance Specialist will work closely with you to determine some of the location specific content that needs to be included in your orientation sessions.
As a program director there are a variety of trainings you are required / encouraged to attend.
The whole process has built up to this!
You will be supported by our office the entire time you are on the ground with students. Depending on the size of your program, you will likely receive at least one (maybe two) staff support who will live with the students and help manage the day-to-day issues so you can focus on the academic components of the course.
Within one month of the close of the program, you will be required to submit a summary report to the Office of Overseas Study (OVST) that addresses the topics below. The O'Neill International Office will review the report and handle the formal submission on your behalf.
The report should be at least 3-4 pages long. For an exemplary report, see: IUSB Belize 2014 Director's Report.
You should expect to include the following:
Attach copies of the following:
