Faculty Resources

Offering a Travel-Learning Course

Application & Selection Process

A complete proposal consists of 3 parts:  (1) a Travel-Learning Course Proposal Form including an uploaded Course Narrative (see below), (2) an uploaded Budget Worksheet (see below), and (3) completed department chair form from the faculty member's department chair (see below).

• Proposal instructions are found on the CAP website.
• Course Narrative Instructions can be found attached here (PDF).
• Sample Budget Worksheet template - go to file menu and "make a copy".
• Information from the faculty member's department chair is to be completed and submitted separately using the on-line Travel-Learning Proposal -- Information from Department Chair Form.

• Application Cycle: TLCs are applied for annually for the following academic year.

• Approval: The Committee on Academic Programs (CAP) reviews applications and submits recommendations to the Administration, which makes the final selection.

• Deadline: The application deadline for the 26/27 academic year is 4:00 PM on January 12, 2026.

• Temporary Course Catalog Addition: If the Parent Course isn't already in the catalog, the instructor must submit a proposal to CAP (with department approval) for a temporary addition.

• Part-time Faculty: Are eligible, but restrictions based on annual course load apply. Contact the Provost's Office for details.

Travel Planning & Providers

To manage risk and ensure a consistent student experience, all TLC faculty are required to use one of the approved travel providers for all travel (flights/ground transportation) and lodging. Providers may also cover meals, excursions, and academic visits.

Please contact providers below to solicit travel quotes:

Important: ALL FINALIZED TRAVEL CONTRACTS MUST BE PROCESSED BY IOCP.

Budgeting Guidance

• Required Inclusions: Budgets must include all expenses: transportation (air and ground), accommodations, meals (3 per day), entry/activity fees, and all other program costs.

• Student Responsibility: Students are only responsible for incidental, personal, and extra expenses (e.g., souvenirs, extra food).

• Faculty Costs: The full cost of travel for the faculty leader and the faculty/staff co-leader is covered by the institution.

• Contingency: Initial budgets must include a 10% per-traveler contingency.

• International Insurance: International insurance/crisis support is $150pp (for up to two weeks).

• Currency Conversion: Use an online converter (e.g., www.oanda.com/currency/converter/) and apply the interbank rate (+2% or +3%) when converting foreign currency to US Dollars.

Academic and Financial Policies

• Travel Window (Federal Financial Aid Rule): Travel must be completed within the semester the TLC is offered, or no later than 21 weeks from the first day of classes.

• Parent Course Travel Credit: Faculty leads receive a $3,000 total course development budget. Unused funds can offset course costs.

• Student Billing: Student billing, financial aid, and refund information can be found [here].

• Non-Student/Non-Faculty Participants: Will be charged the full cost of their participation (normally twice the student charge). Prior approval is required.

• Flight Deviations: Students may request flight routing deviations (e.g., returning to a hometown instead of Columbus/CMH). The student is responsible for any additional costs. Contact the travel provider for details. Columbus (CMH) is the defined origin/return point.

• Residence Hall Stays:

  • Spring Break: Students will not be charged for staying in their rooms immediately before or after a TLC during Spring Break.

  • May Travel (Post-Graduation): Students will not be charged for a reasonable stay after graduation, but may need to relocate and must arrange for property to be moved/stored. Travel should commence within a few days of graduation. Students must follow Residential Life break registration instructions. Contact IOCP if a stay after graduation is needed.

The Separate .25-Unit Travel Component

All TLCs will include a .25 unit Travel Component section (e.g., ASTR 110 TL, in addition to the Parent Course). All accepted courses require a Travel Component Proposal Form (available on the CAP website).

• Mandatory Enrollment: All traveling students must be enrolled in the .25-unit component. If the course is approved without the separate component, students must enroll for the full unit. TLCs cannot be audited.

• Rationale for Separation:

  • Graduation: Seniors traveling in May can still graduate if the full Parent Course grade is outstanding.

  • Unforeseen Circumstances: Allows a student who cannot travel (health, finance, etc.) to still receive fair credit for semester work by dropping or withdrawing from the .25 component.

  • Conduct/Participation: Allows faculty to fail students only for the .25-unit course in cases of misbehavior, failure to participate, or breaches of conduct. It also allows faculty to specify preparation/participation requirements before the trip.

  • Grading Flexibility: Allows faculty to grade the travel component on an S/U basis (which may alleviate student anxiety about academic/social risks).

Note: If a separate .25-unit component is not appropriate, a compelling case may be made in the initial proposal.

Risk Management and Faculty Requirements

The IOCP Office provides services and resources, including a [Menu of Services (PDF)], and resources from the Forum on Education Abroad (Standards for Short-Term Programs and Resources). For materials which require a login, contact IOCP.

Faculty Requirements

Faculty leads must:

• Schedule a Creating a Community Agreement session with the director of IOCP, Lisa Ho, prior to departure.

• Create and hold travel information sessions and provide course-specific travel and destination resources.

• Share the final travel itinerary, accommodation lists, and flight information with IOCP as soon as available, providing timely updates.

• Provide packing guidance and a list of recommended supplies.

Institutional Policies

• Emergency Support While Traveling: IOCP staff remain on call throughout the duration of your travel. All participants are covered by accident, sickness, and evacuation insurance and have access to worldwide emergency support. Crisis plans and desk-top scenario exercises are available for faculty/staff leads.

• Prohibited Activities (Insurance Policy): Skydiving, parachuting, hang gliding, bungee jumping, mountain climbing, pot-holing, zip-lining, motorcycle riding, and certain athletic activities. Scuba diving is only permitted if it is an assigned part of the curriculum for course credit.

• Travel Advisories:

  • Level 4 (U.S. Dept. of State): Prohibited.

  • Level 3 (U.S. Dept. of State): Will be reviewed by University administration.

• Part-time Faculty: May need Provost permission to participate. Contact IOCP (ext. 3075) for restrictions.

• Non-Exempt Staff Participation: Non-exempt individuals must be paid for all course-related activity hours, including overtime. Permission from both the supervisor and the Provost is required. See the Staff Handbook for details.

Once Your Course Is Selected

If your proposed course is not currently in the catalog you will need to fill out the Temporary Course Proposal form. This will be available on the CAP website.

All Travel-Learning Courses will include a .25 unit Travel Component section* (for example, the travel component section associated with ASTR 110 is ASTR 110 TL). Students will be registered for the TL section in addition to registering for the parent course. All accepted courses will need to fill out the Travel Component Proposal Form which will be available on the CAP website.

Because of the extraordinary issues involved in traveling with students, there are many practical reasons for requiring the separation of the .25-unit Travel Component's credits from the Parent Course's. These include:

• Seniors traveling in May cannot graduate if a full-unit Parent Course's grade is outstanding
• Separating the Travel Component from the class allows a student who is unable to travel due to unforeseen circumstances (health, finances, etc.) to still receive fair credit for work completed during the semester—they can drop or withdraw from the .25
• Separating the Travel Component allows faculty to fail students for the .25-unit course in case of misbehaviour, failure to participate while traveling, or other breaches of rules/conduct.  It also allows faculty to specify requirements for preparation for and participation in travel prior to the start of the trip.
• Separating the .25-unit Travel Component allows faculty the opportunity to grade travel on an S/U basis, which can alleviate parts of student anxiety about situations where we are asking them to take larger academic or social risks. (If there is a compelling reason that your course should not include a separate .25-unit Travel Component, or why the grade for the full course should include the travel, you may make a case for that in your initial proposal.)
• All students travelling must be enrolled in the .25-unit Travel Component credit. If the course is approved not to include the .25 Travel Component, students must be enrolled for the full unit of credit for the course. Travel-Learning Courses cannot be audited.

Travel-Learning Course Timeline 

Spring (one year prior to travel): 

• January – CAP and Administration approval and selection of TLC's
• Mid-February – Faculty notified, courses announced via IOCP/ Provost Office
• 3rd Thursday in February – Connection Conference TLC Faculty Panel
• March – TLC Faculty Meeting #1 w/ IOCP
• Remainder of Spring semester – further TLC planning by faculty

Summer:

• Facutly TLC planning & research (including, if chosen, travel)

Fall:

• August / September:
  • Faculty training on student application system.
  • Student recruitment:
    • 4th Thursday of September -- Travel Learning Course Session during OWU Connection Conference. 
    • Student recruitment in classes other venues
    • September 1  --  TLC student application system opens
    • Planning meetings as needed with IOCP staff
• October:
  • October 1 – Student Application Deadline 
  • October 10 – deadline for faculty processing of student applications
  • Selection of TLC students by late-October
• November:  
  • Student notification of accept/deny/wait-list status for TLC Courses
  • Student registration for Spring courses
  • Travel forms shared with students
• December:
  • December 1 – Students billed for Spring tuition including all TLC fees and travel forms due

Spring (term of scheduled travel)

• All participants will complete mandatory pre-departure training
• Each course section will participate in the Creating a Community Agreement Session (faculty included, facilitated by Lisa Ho) 
• Faculty pre-departure meetings with IOCP staff (preferrable w/ both faculty/staff leads).
• March or May - Travel!

Additional Resources:

Education Abroad Faculty Toolkit - The University of Kentucky.

A general resource about international faculty led courses from our partner AIFS - FacultyLed.com 

Innovating Faculty-Led -- Podcasts that discuss innovative ways to develop and lead programs and "explore programs from the genesis of an idea through program development and implementation." 

Information about responsible, ethical and sustainable study abroad: Responsible Travel resources from Transitions Abroad, Sustainable Study Abroad from Middlebury College, Sustainable Travel Checklist from Sustainable Travel International, also the Ethical Traveler website.

Mobility International USA - an organization advocating for international exchange for people with disabilities.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection - information about re-entering the USA.

US Department of State - see links to International Travel and to information about specific countries information, also has a section for US students studying abroad.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - information about health issues and immunizations by country.