Teaching a Spring Break Away course with a study abroad trip embedded requires rethinking many of the components and teaching strategies of your course.  As you begin your thinking, you will realize that this format is almost perfect in many ways:  you have seven(7) weeks of formal class in order to prepare your students to maximize their time abroad, one(1) week abroad, and about six(6) weeks after you return to process, reflect and produce projects, presentations, or some other kind of capstone project. 

Map-Reading Skills and Foreign Language Skills

With a travel component embedded in your course, consider that your student learning will encompass some types of new learning not possible in a traditional course.  For instance, few of our students have any map-reading skills.  How about making map-reading skills one of your learning objectives?  Few of our students have much experience in a non-English speaking country.  Consider making some rudimentary language skills and activities part of your course. 

Reflective Journaling

Many of our faculty have been developing journaling activities for their students while abroad.  The students need structured journaling questions and examples in order to engage in reflective and analytical journaling. 

Sample journaling assignments from other courses:

Intercultural Communications - Rome

Art History - Florence