Affinity From Afar: Connecting iCharleston Students to the College of Charleston

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Affinity From Afar: Connecting iCharleston Students to the College of Charleston

The percentage of first-year college students studying abroad is generally on the rise, with this group comprising about 4% of the U.S. study abroad population (Institute of International Education, 2017). Data from focus groups conducted at the College of Charleston (CofC) have shown that studying abroad helps first-year students gain maturity and independence and enriches the classroom experience on their home campus. After seeing a drop in retention rates for first-year students who studied abroad in their fall semester, CofC staff homed in on the issue of student affinity (i.e., a connection or feeling of belonging to the physical institution) as a possible contributing factor and developed the iCharleston international bridge program in response.

ICharleston provides enrollment opportunities to candidates whom CofC cannot accommodate in the fall semester because of the competitiveness of the college’s applicant pool. To date, more than 200 students have matriculated through iCharleston, which is finishing its fourth year. Incorporating these student cohorts into the campus community is important to their success once they return from studying abroad (Hausmann, Schofield, & Woods, 2007). To try to reverse the drop in retention, iCharleston has implemented affinity-building techniques to strengthen students’ connection to the home campus.

Program Overview

The iCharleston program offer goes out to a select group of CofC first-year applicants who have indicated previous study abroad experience, shown an interest in international work, or chosen an internationally focused major. Before a student receives an offer, their application undergoes a double review by the Office of Admissions and iCharleston staff to ensure their success abroad and at CofC. The goals of the program are to

• give students an enriching first-year international experience while earning academic credit toward their CofC undergraduate degree,

• provide a supportive environment that encourages development of self-awareness and enhanced cultural sensitivity, and

• build CofC affinity and orient students to the college’s culture.

Three components of iCharleston are intended to bolster this connection to the campus: (a) site directors who serve as student mentors, (b) a campus-specific first-year seminar course abroad, and (c) staff members from CofC who visit the study abroad sites. Students who complete iCharleston with at least a 2.6 GPA and 12 earned credits are granted spring admission into CofC.

Primary Contact

Olivia Ghiz

Site Director

iCharleston (London), College of Charleston

Carly Harward

Site Director

iCharleston (Dublin), College of Charleston

Katherine Scott

Site Director

iCharleston (Kelowna), College of Charleston

“As former CofCundergraduates,

site directors could

impart personalexperience tothe iCharleston

students anddraw comparisons

between theabroad site and life

on campus. ”

Site directors are staff members who are recent CofC graduates, have worked with firstyear students, and have study abroad experience. During the study abroad semester, site

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Vol. 15 | No. 3 | August 2018 6

directors mentor students, liaise between CofC and the host institution, plan cocurricular programs, and facilitate Passport to CofC, a first-year seminar. While abroad, students are integrated into the partner institution, making the site director the primary contact for CofC business and inquiries. For transitional support, site directors join their cohorts on campus during the subsequent spring semester.

Students indicate that site directors help achieve the program’s goals of providing a supportive environment and building affinity. When asked about support from CofC while abroad, one student in a focus group said:

I would say [I felt connected] because we had [the site director] who could answer anything we needed and could email anyone that we needed. We were not left [abroad] with no resources. We had some bridge between the two ... CofC still wanted to keep in touch.

As former CofC undergraduates, site directors could impart personal experience to the iCharleston students and draw comparisons between the abroad site and life on campus.

Bonding While Abroad

Passport to CofC is a weekly first-year seminar led by the site director abroad for all iCharleston students. While some academic classes may be integrated with study abroad students from other institutions, Passport to CofC allows students to bond within their cohort. The seminar covers topics including culture shock, study skills, mental health, public speaking, academics on campus, and the campuswide, first-year reading book. The course also provides a space for students to ask questions about the spring transition and the campus environment. “I liked [Passport to CofC],” a student in the focus group said. “It gives you a chance to be with everyone, and you can talk about the experience.”

Cohort bonding helps achieve the college’s goal of building affinity to the campus, as the students share an interest in their desire to matriculate into CofC after their semester abroad. The responses to the Likert-style survey questions used to assess Passport to CofC indicated that the course helped set academic expectations and prepare students for the transition to campus:

• 95% of respondents agreed that “the discussion on academics at CofC helped me understand the expectations at CofC compared to the expectations at my [abroad] location.”

• 78% of respondents felt that “each Passport to CofC session was important for my success this semester and at CofC.”

[Passport to CofC] “gave me that small connection back to Charleston,” one student wrote in the free-response section of the survey. “Even though I am not at the college yet, it still made me feel connected to where I will soon be in January.” This campus connection is tied to the goal of building affinity to CofC and is a central component to iCharleston.

“The opportunity to discuss aspects of course registration with these staff members while abroad helps students understand academic expectations, while also introducing them to campus resources … ”

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Staffers’ Role

At least two CofC staff members, including an academic advisor, travel to each study abroad site annually to meet with iCharleston students. The opportunity to discuss aspects of course registration with these staff members while abroad helps students understand academic expectations, while also introducing them to campus resources and making them feel part of the campus community. Responses from a Qualtrics survey affirmed this intention: “The topics about Charleston and when [the academic advisor] came in to talk about classes [for] the upcoming semester helped a lot,” a student stated in the free-response section. [The academic advisor] “coming in made me feel the most connected to Charleston. I just realized that Charleston will be much different than Dublin academically, so it prepared me in that way.”

Lessons Learned

College administrators annually gather program feedback from the current iCharleston cohort and implement changes. Staff with iCharleston assessed the connection students felt to CofC while studying abroad during the Fall 2017 semester. Of that cohort (n = 61), 92% of students completed a survey on their experience, along with a focus group that included 20% of that same cohort. Students indicated that the program components helped them feel connected to the college while abroad. That connection has translated to a four-year program average of 94% of students matriculating to CofC for the spring semester and 86% returning in the subsequent fall.

These results show the approaches that allow first-semester students abroad to feel bonded to CofC and what can be done to strengthen that connection. To further develop affinity to CofC during the abroad semester, iCharleston staff plan to

• create a peer mentor program with iCharleston alumni currently on campus;

• use Skype sessions with faculty and staff to discuss the first-year seminar all students will enroll in for the spring semester, along with a StrengthsQuest requirement and CofC course expectations;

• expand communications that CofC students receive while abroad, including emails about activities and athletics updates;

As first-year study abroad programs become more common, connecting students to the home campus should be a structural priority for institutions. Data from the iCharleston focus groups showed that spending the semester away can lead to a disconnect between student and campus, and a common goal of these programs is to integrate students into the campus community upon their return. While other programs have implemented a common first-year seminar course, the use of a site director and staff visits is more unique to iCharleston.

This program has implemented strategies that have shown success in establishing institutional affinity for students. By ensuring a smooth and successful transition when students return from abroad, like-minded study abroad programs can help students grow while also forming a strong bond with their institution.

References

Hausmann, L. R. M., Schofield, J. W., & Woods, R. L. (2007). Sense of belonging as a predictor of intentions to persist among African-American and White first-year college students. Research in Higher Education. (48)7, 803-839. Retrieved from doi. org/10.1007/s11162-007-9052-9

Institute of International Education (2017). Profile of U.S. study abroad students, 2004/05-2015/16. Open Doors report on international education exchange. Retrieved from https://www.iie.org/opendoors

Contact

Carly Harward harwardcn@cofc.edu

Related Articles in E-Source

NguyenVoges, S., Stelzriede, D. D., & Lyons, L. (2017). Global citizenship in the first year: Making a world of difference. 15(1), 13-15.

Presnall, B., & Hodges, L. (2007). Making study abroad accessible for ALL students. 4(5), 8, 10.

Skipper, T. L. (2009). Resource spotlight: Exploring the impact of study abroad on college student development. 7(1), 11-13.

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