IDEAS Capacity Building Initiatives

The IDEAS Program offers a variety of in-person and virtual trainings for faculty and staff at U.S. colleges and universities with the goal of helping to increase their institutions’ capacity to administer study abroad programs. As the field continues to adapt and evolve in response to the global pandemic, the IDEAS Program is committed to offering initiatives and activities that address the most pressing needs of our country’s varied higher education institutions and key U.S. foreign policy goals.

IDEAS Virtual Institutes

The U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) Program is pleased to announce the 2025 Virtual Institutes Series: Expanding U.S. Study Abroad through Virtual and Hybrid Programming. In connection with the year-long webinar series, Expanding U.S. Study Abroad Destinations: Connecting American Students with the World, this free series will provide training, networks, and resources for U.S. institutions to develop sustainable new virtual and hybrid international programs and partnerships.

IDEAS Virtual Institutes are free cohort-based opportunities for faculty and administrators to engage with experts and each other around a common topic and develop study abroad resources for their institutions. Over a period of four to six weeks, approximately 30 participants will engage in asynchronous and synchronous content developed by host institutions.

The winter and spring 2025 institutes will focus on expanding international education opportunities to more U.S. students in more global destinations through innovations in virtual and hybrid international programming. From COIL to virtual international internships and service learning, online opportunities for international engagement have grown exponentially in recent years. While virtual opportunities cannot replace in-person study abroad, they may serve as an access point for underrepresented students who would not have otherwise considered an in-person program. Similarly, virtual programming may provide opportunities to study in destinations typically less common for U.S. students, connecting more students with a larger number of host destinations, languages, and cultures. These institutes will equip participants with critical tools and networks to successfully and sustainably develop new virtual programming and/or expand current offerings.

Registration is limited to 30 attendees per institute. Should registrants exceed that number, the following considerations will be taken into account to select the final 30 participants from among all registrants: 1) time and date of application (priority will be given to those who register first); and 2) variety of institutional types, states, and faculty/staff roles among registrants to promote an inclusive training that represents the breadth of study abroad stakeholders.

Winter Institute

Winter Institute
New Students and New Destinations: Institutional Strategies to Increase and Expand Study Abroad through Virtual and Hybrid Programming
Hosted in partnership with Alabama State University

View Schedule Here
Synchronous Training – 8 hours total on the following dates*:
• January 31, 2025 1pm – 3pm EST
• February 7, 2025 1pm – 3pm EST
• February 14, 2025 1pm – 3pm EST
• February 28, 2025 1pm – 3pm EST
Asynchronous Training – 6 hours total

*Confirmed participants must attend at least 75% of synchronous sessions and complete all asynchronous readings and projects

Are you hoping to develop, expand, and innovate virtual and hybrid study abroad programs in new locations? Seeking resources to develop a sustainable, high quality virtual and hybrid study abroad experience? Hoping to expand your professional network and identify potential U.S. and international partners?

Alabama State University will host the first IDEAS Virtual Institute focused on integrating underrepresented students and destinations in study abroad, with a spotlight on developing sustainable and mutually beneficial programs with partners in East Africa. Institute content is specifically designed for institutions underrepresented in study abroad and/or those who may be new to virtual international programming. Training will focus on leveraging virtual and hybrid modalities to expand to less common study abroad destinations.

Register by December 10, 2024. Final institute participant selection will be determined in mid-December, and participants will be contacted to confirm their attendance.

Register for the WINTER institute if you or your institution are new to or have little experience with virtual and/or hybrid programming. Faculty and staff in any role at their institution may benefit from this institute.

Spring Institute

Save the date for the Spring Virtual Institute!
New Partners and New Disciplines: Virtual and Hybrid Program Design to Broaden Access to Study Abroad
Hosted in partnership with University of San Francisco and University of South Alabama

Date: May-June 2025 (Registration opens in March 2025)

Register for the SPRING institute if you or your institution are already somewhat familiar with virtual and/or hybrid programming. Staff in senior leadership roles and faculty looking to internationalize their courses may especially benefit from this institute.

IDEAS Webinars

IDEAS Webinars are hosted virtually and open to study abroad stakeholders from accredited U.S. colleges and universities and other organizations who are involved with or interested in expanding study abroad for U.S. students at their institution.

Please see materials from previous webinars in the Past Initiatives section below and in our Library of Resources.

Upcoming IDEAS Webinar Series

The U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) Program is pleased to announce “Expanding U.S. Study Abroad Destinations: Connecting American Students with the World.” This year-long series of webinars will provide practical advice and resources from a range of higher education and State Department experts on how to safely pursue new academic partnerships and U.S. study abroad programs in destinations around the world, including those which are less common. As U.S. student mobility continues to resume, it is important to ensure that U.S. students can learn global skills, build relationships, and share U.S. values in countries throughout all world regions in support of our U.S. foreign policy goals.

The series will mark the launch of a Higher Education Partnerships toolkit and include the following:

International Higher Education Partnerships 101 – March 25, 2024 (Recording)
Managing Risk and Prioritizing Safety When Expanding to New Destinations – April 25, 2024 (Recording)
Developing Partners and Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa – August 14, 2024 (Recording)
Additional region-specific seminars on exploring and establishing U.S. study abroad programs around the world – three subsequent webinars to be announced throughout 2024 and 2025

All registered attendees will receive copies of the webinar series materials when available. These materials will also be posted on the IDEAS website in the Library of Resources. All sessions will include live ASL interpretation and be closed-captioned, recorded, and ADA-compliant.

IDEAS current grantees and alumni – look for exclusive virtual training opportunities, as well as an in-person event, on these topics in 2024!

IDEAS Workshops

Upcoming IDEAS Workshops

IDEAS workshops are open to study abroad stakeholders from accredited U.S. colleges and universities, including but not limited to study abroad advisors, faculty, and other staff involved with or interested in broadening study abroad for U.S. students at their institution. Workshops will take place either virtually or in-person on Fridays. Registration will open one to two months before each event. See below for more information on workshop topics and registration details.

College of Staten Island
Increasing Participation in Study Abroad through Faculty Engagement and Training
Date: Spring 2025, exact date to be announced
Format: In-person

The College of Staten Island will host a day-long workshop in the Train-the-Trainer style, giving participants the opportunity to develop their own skillsets to guide faculty through the process of developing and implementing short-term faculty-led programming abroad. Participants will leave the workshop with the tools and the skillset to assist faculty in new program development on their campuses. A full agenda will be available in January 2025, when registration opens.

Past Initiatives

See below to explore past IDEAS Initiatives and recordings. Check out the Library of Resources for resources from these events and more.

2024

Webinar: Managing Risk and Prioritizing Safety When Expanding to New Destinations (Recording)
Webinar: International Higher Education Partnerships 101 (Recording)
Webinar: Developing Partners and Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa (Recording)
Workshop: Building Bridges in Global Health: Establishing Collaborative Partnerships (Day One and Day Two Recording)
Workshop: Career Catalyst: Developing Impactful Study Abroad Programs to Prepare Students for their Future Careers (Recording will be available soon)

2023

Webinar: Campus Engagement in Refugee Resettlement: Perspectives from the SHERR Program (Recording)
Workshop: Disturbing Stereotypes and Single Story Narratives: Expanding Inclusivity and Belonging in Global Programming
Webinar: Preparing a Globally Competent STEM Workforce through Study Abroad (Recording)
Webinar: Transcripts, Translations, and Transfers, Oh My! A Registrar’s Perspective on Study Abroad (Recording)
Workshop: Fighting Climate Change Through Connection Between Study Abroad and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Resource Hyperdoc)

2022

Webinar: Rural Students Across the Globe: Recruiting and Supporting Rural U.S. Students Abroad (Recording)
Workshop: Developing More Impactful Experiential Learning: Best Practices for Faculty-led Study Abroad (Resource Hyperdoc)
Workshop: (Re)creating a Campus Culture of Study Abroad After a Global Programming Pause (Resource Hyperdoc)
Workshop: Jumpstarting Education Abroad at Community Colleges in a COVID-19 World (Resource Hyperdoc)
Webinar: Expanding Access and Inclusion: Developing Holistic Strategies for Recruiting and Supporting Students from Underrepresented Groups (Part I, II, III, IV)
Webinar: What do institutions need to know about the updated U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories? (Recording)
Webinar: Priorities for a Return to Student Mobility: IDEAS Resources for Supporting Underrepresented Students (Recording)
Webinar: Incubator Session: When One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Analyzing Data for Diverse Student Populations (Recording)
Webinar: When One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Analyzing Data for Diverse Student Populations (Recording)
Webinar: Priorities for a Return to Student Mobility: Financial Strategies to Maximize Your Office’s Budget (Recording)

2021

Webinar: Assessing Student Growth and Development Abroad (Recording)
Webinar: Theory of Change: Translating Study Abroad Program Goals and Priorities into Assessments (Recording)
Webinar: Priorities for a Return to Student Mobility: Working with Partners to Assess and Manage Risk (Recording)
Webinar: Building Diverse Programs to Support Diverse Students: Best Practices from St. Cloud State’s Cultural Heritage Programs (Part I, Part II)
Workshop: Best Practices in Study Abroad Program Assessment and Evaluation – A 2-part workshop with Mount Holyoke College
Webinar: What the State Department and U.S. embassies can and can’t do in a crisis (Recording)
Webinar: Virtually Abroad: Expanding our idea of what study abroad looks like (Recording)
Webinar: What do institutions need to know about U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories? (Recording)

2020

Webinar: The Future of Study Abroad: Risk mitigation in a COVID world (Recording)
Webinar: The Future of Study Abroad: How to decide when it is safe and ethical to begin again (Recording)
Webinar: Maximizing your study abroad resources: Faculty-led best practices for program flexibility (Recording)
Webinar: Maximizing your study abroad resources: Supporting underrepresented students in study abroad (Recording)
Workshop: Faculty-led Study Abroad Best Practices: Addressing Grand Challenges in Faculty-led Study Abroad at UGA
Workshop: Faculty-led Study Abroad Best Practices at UNC, Charlotte
Workshop: Study Abroad Campus Outreach and Recruitment at CSU, Bakersfield

If you have questions about any of these IDEAS Initiatives, please email [email protected]