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International Exeter
annual report
2013/14
study abroad
study abroad
Working with colleagues in the College of Social Sciences
and International Studies (SSIS) and Legal Services, we
have developed a template agreement to be used
where Exeter students receive language teaching from
a non-university partner, and have now signed a formal
agreement with the Qasid Arabic Institute, a prestigious
language school in Jordan, where we will send our
Year Two Arabic students in 2014/15. A partnership
approach to Arabic language teaching is already bearing
fruit; the Director of the Qasid Arabic Institute visited
Exeter in June 2014 to meet students and staff from our
Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies, and the Outbound
Student team of the International Office.
During 2013/14, we welcomed visitors from partners
in the US (Emory & Henry College, Rice University,
Colorado State University, Villanova University, Augustana
College, UT at Austin, San Jose State University, Towson
University, The College of New Jersey); France (École
de Management Grenoble, École de Management de
Normandie, Université Paris-Sud); Germany (Hochschule
Reutlingen, Universität Mannheim); the Netherlands
(Radboud University Nijmegen); Italy (Università degli
Studi di Trieste); Australia (University of Tasmania); Japan
(Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts); South Korea
(Ewha Woman’s University); and Jordan (Qasid Arabic
Language Institute).
As part of our review of partner universities, we have
reviewed carefully the full extent of our partnership links,
and as a result, terminated 35 Erasmus agreements
(out of a total of over 200) which were not productive
in terms of generating Exeter student mobility. During
the year we submitted successfully our application for
Erasmus+ Charter status to the Education, Audiovisual
and Culture Executive Agency of the European
Commission.
In 2013/14, we received 42 fee-paying Study Abroad
students from 13 institutions in four countries, the
majority of whom were in the College of Humanities.
Since 1975/76 the Department of English has hosted
a group of Kenyon College students for a year of study
abroad, with 21 Kenyon English majors on campus in
2013/14, and a number of US institutions have recently
expressed interest in developing a similar programme.
With colleagues in English, we also hosted visits from
Dartmouth College, Villanova University, Iowa State
University and John Carroll University, and continue
to work closely with English to take these forward
as appropriate.
Finally, responding to student feedback, we redesigned
our pre-departure event for 2014. Replacing previous
years’ separate briefings, the International Office and
Employability and Graduate Development (EGD) worked
together to provide, in May 2014, a comprehensive
Pre-Departure Conference for students on outbound
study and work placements. This event was designed
to be a ‘one stop shop’ for outbound students to ask
questions and gather information, bringing together
colleagues from across the University including Study
Abroad Coordinators, EGD and Wellbeing, speakers
from the Students’ Guild and returning students. The
event was very well-attended, with a full house for
the opening plenary session in the 400-seater Alumni
Auditorium, and student feedback was extremely positive.
Again working with EGD and other University services,
we will host a re-entry event “Unpacking Your Year
Abroad” in early October 2014. As well as helping
students to settle back into life at the University of Exeter,
this event is designed to help returning students capitalise
upon their year abroad experiences in order to ensure
that they enhance their future employability prospects.
A key development for 2014/15 will be the production
of a new Study Abroad Strategy for the University.
Changes in demand on the part of our students, with
shorter periods of time abroad becoming increasingly
popular, will need to be considered, as will working with
colleagues in EGD and the Guild of Students to consider
alternative study abroad options, including voluntary
work overseas.
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