What are the needs of your stakeholders?
As you begin planning your trip, consider the needs of various stakeholders (see the chart) and how they fit together. Remember that in step 1 of the design process you considered the needs of students, the department, and the college. You must try to strike a healthy balance between the desired outcomes of the participants and the administration so that everyone is satisfied.
Students
- Some students just want to travel for fun! They may want to spend more time with their friends, or they may want to go partying and meet new people.
- They may want teachers to do the “heavy lifting” for them (for example, handling logistical issues like airfare and hotels).
- Students may also be more concerned with:
- Travel costs
- Travelling without their parents/outside Canada for the first time
- Travelling to high-risk destinations
Teachers
- Some teachers decide to plan a new trip as a personal objective (“I need a new professional challenge”) and/or a pedagogical objective (“I want students to exercise social responsibility by becoming respectful travellers”).
- Some teachers choose to undertake study abroad to ensure job security and/or make a good impression on administrators and colleagues. This trip may be an important component of student recruitment and retention in the language program.
- Other teachers may be “voluntold” to organize the activity (“I’m a new teacher and I don’t feel comfortable refusing”).
- Once they are designated as study abroad facilitators, teachers may also be concerned with:
- Autonomy (“I want to make decisions about the trip, not be controlled by administrators”)
- Cognitive load and workload (“I want colleagues and administrators to realize that this is a lot of work!”)
Colleges
- Study abroad is a way for colleges to meet strategic goals, for departments to meet specific program goals, and for language teachers to meet pedagogical goals.
- Colleges are concerned with student and staff safety and security.
- Colleges are also concerned with institutional reputation, and these trips may be used to promote student recruitment and retention.
Host countries
- More tourism brings more money to local communities.
- Host country partners also want to be respected, appreciated, and listened to. They are the experts on their country, after all!