by @Courtney Kroll (McGill University)
It should not be news to those of us working in international education that faculty-led programs (FLPs) are becoming the most popular education abroad option for students (Bowman and Toner 2023). FLPs can be directed by varied higher education professionals including professors, instructors, and academic or administrative staff (referred to here as “faculty”). The accessible nature of FLPs allow students to participate in shorter, often more cost-effective programs in which they are supported by faculty whom they already know. On paper, this seems ideal. However, FLPs do have their flaws. For one thing, faculty are required to be equal parts teacher, cultural liaison, risk and safety officer, therapist, local expert, and coach while abroad with students, and often are expected to fill these roles with little to no preparation. Even veteran faculty or those who are very well-prepared struggle because of the intense, unpredictable nature of the role.
Given all the parts that faculty members are asked to play in this context, how do they prioritize identity and positionality to create awareness of how these complex topics impact students? In 2022–23, 33.6 percent of students who studied abroad identified as students of color (Institute of International Education 2024). Unfortunately, these students often experience discrimination and microaggressions while abroad (Willis 2012). One would hope that faculty program leaders would support students through these situations. Knowing how to hold space for dealing with such situations in FLPs is particularly complicated given that 72 percent of U.S. faculty members identify as white (National Center for Education Statistics 2025) and may feel uncomfortable talking about racism. Consequently, faculty who lead study abroad programs often do not understand how identity and positionality impact students’ experiences abroad and limited access to in-depth preparation can result in severe harm for both faculty and students (Marie and Sanders 2018).
We, as a field, must acknowledge that having more diverse students participate in study abroad does not automatically create equity. As more diverse students participate in FLPs, I fear they will continue to be less supported than their white peers. Research demonstrates that students of color participating in programs with majority white students can feel “othered,” negatively impacting group dynamics and creating very different experiences for students of color compared to their white peers (Chang 2015). Equally, when faculty inadvertently conflate racism with cultural difference, it can halt student’s progress in processing discrimination and negatively impact the student/faculty relationship (Shallenberger 2015).
Think about the faculty you know who lead study abroad programs. What kind of identity and positionality training have they had? Have they deeply reflected on how identity plays a role in privilege or oppression? Have they considered the fluidity of these power structures in a vastly different cultural context? Are they able to engage in challenging conversations with students about what it means to be Black in Spain or Asian-American in Vietnam? Can they identify the strengths that students of color bring and help them thrive in a study abroad experience? If the answer to all or most of these questions is “no,” I implore you to challenge yourself further and ask why. How is it that we have overlooked this incredibly important preparatory measure? Clearly these complicated questions must be addressed to better support students.
To begin, I ask you to respond by commenting below:
In what ways are you ensuring that your faculty are prepared?
What’s working and what’s not working?
Some institutions and resources are already tackling this issue. The University of Washington Tacoma (UWT), for example, has spent many years making sure student identity is embedded into FLPs. While at UWT, I revised their FLP application to ensure that that faculty began to think about identity and positionality from the beginning. The application includes questions like:
- “As you plan your program, what kind of opportunities will students have to learn about the lived experiences, knowledge traditions, and assets of marginalized and Indigenous communities in the host country?”
- “How is your program relevant to the lived experiences, knowledge traditions, and assets of UWT students, including those from historically marginalized communities?”
UWT also requires all faculty leaders to participate in a 1.5-hour social identity training in which they: reflect upon their own identity, privilege, and disadvantages; participate in role play scenarios; and prepare for host-country specific situations that may arise related to their own identity and the identify of their students.
In addition to university-related programming, both The Forum on Education Abroad and DA Global offer online courses which provide many identity-based reflection activities that have been very impactful in my personal experience. NAFSA’s “Experiencing Your Identity Abroad: Authentically Living and Learning in a New Place” is also a good resource. Study abroad administrators could also consider having faculty engage with academic research on intersectionality theory (Crenshaw 1991) or culturally responsive teaching (Larke 2013). By requiring faculty to engage with some of these resources, you will make certain that they take identity-based preparation seriously.
To close, I am calling on you, particularly those like me who identify as white, to ensure that conversations about identity become the cornerstone of preparation, for both faculty and students. The onus is on us. If we believe in making study abroad more accessible for all students, we need to consider how to make it more equitable for all students. One way to do this is to ensure that faculty engage in identity and positionality reflections long before they depart for their host country. They must be given the opportunity to think through the fluidity of their identity and that of their students, and how these identities may impact all participants. Faculty need to understand the challenges and assets that their students’ identities bring with them into their study abroad experiences in order to help them thrive while abroad. It is my hope that everyone can see this issue through others’ eyes, and I look forward to future conversations on this topic (here in the comments and beyond this blog).
References
Bowman, Karen Doss, and Mark Toner. 2023. “Evaluating Education Abroad Partnerships.” International Educator, October 3.
Chang, Aurora. 2017. ““Call Me a Little Critical If You Will”: Counterstories of Latinas Studying Abroad in Guatemala.” Journal of Hispanic Higher Education 16, 1: 3–23.
Crenshaw, Kimberle. 1991. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color.” Stanford Law Review 43, 6: 1241–99.
Institute of International Education. 2024. “Open Doors 2023.”
Larke, Patricia. 2013. “Culturally Responsive Teaching in Higher Education: What Professors Need to Know.” Counterpoints 391: 38–50.
Marie, Jakia, and Kimberly N. Sanders. 2018. “Diversity Competence within Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs.” Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity 4, 2: 91–111.
National Center for Education Statistics. 2025. “Fast Facts.”
Shallenberger, David. 2015. “Learning From Our Mistakes: International Educators Reflect.” Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 26, 1: 248–63.
Willis, Tasha Yvette. 2012. “Rare But There: An Intersectional Exploration of the Experiences and Outcomes of Black Women Who Studied Abroad through Community College Programs.” (EdD dissertation). California State University, Long Beach.