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Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad, 6th Edition

5. Administrative Framework

5.1. Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines

Each organization shall define policies, procedures, and guidelines to govern its programs and practices and prepare its personnel to apply them.

5.1.1. Policies, procedures, and guidelines shall be inclusive, equitable, transparent, and consistently implemented.

5.1.2. Each organization shall periodically conduct reviews to evaluate the application and effectiveness of policies, procedures, and guidelines.

5.1.3. Each organization shall have guidelines for program design, including, but not limited to:

    • Support for educational objectives
    • Relationship of curriculum to stated program goals
    • Site-specific learning opportunities

5.1.4. Each organization shall have procedures facilitating program administration, including, but not limited to:

    • Program proposal and approval process
    • Recruitment and student selection
    • Collection and analysis of program evaluations; distribution of results
    • Regular review of ongoing programs

5.1.5. Each organization shall have policies and procedures in place that govern personnel matters, conduct, and training, including, but not limited to:

    • Participant conduct management
    • Communication protocols
    • Participant health, well-being, safety, and security
    • Emergency management and response
    • Partner relationships, roles, and responsibilities

5.1.6. Each organization shall have policies that govern student matters, including:

    • Academic affairs: course availability, assessment, credit transfer , grade conversions, grade appeals, research ethics, and academic integrity
    • Student affairs: student conduct matters, including, but not limited to, drug and alcohol use, mental health and well-being, culturally-sensitive behavior, sexual misconduct, travel, housing, disciplinary process, and appeal process
    • Student finances: financial aid, scholarships, program cost disclosure, payment, cancellation, and reimbursement

5.1.7. Each organization shall have policies and procedures in place regarding security and risk management that prioritize the health, well-being, and safety of students and personnel, including, but not limited to:

    • Risk assessment and monitoring for program locations and activities
    • Tracking, responding to, and reporting critical incidents
    • Written emergency plans and protocols
    • Insurance coverage

5.1.8. Each organization should have guidelines governing its partnerships, including but not limited to:

    • Establishing partnerships and formalizing collaboration
    • Responsibility for security and risk management
    • Managing privacy, confidentiality, and disclosure practices
    • Marketing practices
    • Partnership review

Shall = minimum requirement | Should = recommendation | Can = possibility

Prompts for Self Assessment
  1. How do you ensure that all policies, procedures, and guidelines for your organization are transparent, accessible, equitable, and consistently implemented?
  2. How often do you evaluate the application and effectiveness of your policies, procedures, and guidelines and make necessary changes?
  3. How do you use assessments and evaluations to improve your program design and management?
  4. What are your organization’s guidelines governing marketing practices, partnerships, and institutional relations?
  5. What are your policies and procedures related to evaluation, awarding and/or transfer of credit, grade conversions, grade appeals, research ethics, and academic integrity? How do you make them accessible to interested parties?
  6. How do you make students and other stakeholders aware of all program costs and financial policies?
  7. How do your policies represent your expectations concerning drug and alcohol use, culturally appropriate behavior, sexual misconduct, independent travel, housing, and any other behavior that might result in disciplinary action?
  8. What are your policies for student conduct? How do you make them accessible?
  9. What is the appeals process for disciplinary sanctions?
  10. In what ways do you make financial aid and scholarship sources accessible to students?
  11. What risks do your students face to their health, safety, security and well-being? How do you consider these risks in program development, implementation, and management?
  12. What is your cycle for conducting risk assessments for program sites and activities?
  13. What are your written emergency action plans and protocols?
  14. What are your procedures for tracking and reporting critical incidents?
  15. How do you determine the appropriate kinds of insurance for your programs and participants?
  16. How do you ensure that you operate in compliance with local laws and regulations?

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