In celebration of International Education Week, The Forum is pleased to announce the 2018 recipient of the Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Curriculum Design: Markus Crepaz of the University of Georgia, for his course “The Politics of Development,” which is part of UGA’s South Africa Study Abroad Program in Stellenbosch.
Noel Fallows, Associate Provost for International Education at the University of Georgia, stated:
It is a great honor for the University of Georgia that Professor Markus Crepaz has been selected as this year’s recipient of The Forum’s Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Curriculum Design. The program in Stellenbosch, South Africa, integrates substantive core classes with a unique after-school program in the Kayamandi Township on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, thereby bridging the gap between theory and praxis, as our students become fully engaged in meaningful and impactful service learning projects. Markus’s work underscores the fact that the faculty-led programs at UGA are underpinned by our firm commitment to curriculum innovation and academic rigor.
The course, which has run for ten years, has strong ties to Stellenbosch University and to local NGO, Vision Afrika, enabling the students to form connections to the local community in an intentional way, with an emphasis on best practices service learning.
The Forum’s Award for Excellence in Curriculum Design honors instructors who develop and implement innovative and effective education abroad curricula. It is the education abroad field’s only award presented to an individual or group of individuals for excellence in the design of an education abroad course. By recognizing the outstanding efforts of instructors who are committed to the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad, The Forum hopes to inspire the field to strive for enrichment of education abroad curricula, and to continually reflect on how to best encourage student learning abroad.
The award will be presented at The Forum’s 15th Annual Conference, Broadening the Circle of Education Abroad, in Denver on March 29, 2019, where Professor Crepaz will present a session about the course.
