Glossary

SDSU International Affairs Glossary

OFF-CAMPUS INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS (MOBILITY-BASED)

Off-Campus International Program - Any SDSU-sponsored activity, credit-bearing or non-credit-bearing, which requires students to leave the SDSU campus in which they are enrolled, and which contains an international dimension.  Many off-campus international programs exist, including all Faculty-Led Programs, Exchange Programs, International Internship Programs, International Partner Programs, Volunteering Abroad Programs, and Transborder field trips.

Academic Related Travel – A non-credit experience related to an academic program or international experience requirement that is organized and or led by an SDSU professor or department. Examples include group trips for research, fieldwork, conference attendance, and theatrical performances. Travel is sometimes led by a faculty member, but not in all cases.

Course-Embedded Program - A regular session course with an integrated international experience.  Travel can occur before, during, or after the term in which the course takes place. Travel is sometimes led by a faculty member, but not in all cases.

Faculty-Led Program (FLP) - Any SDSU international experience that is led by SDSU faculty and offers students a unique opportunity to gain an intercultural perspective of their studies.  Several types of faculty-led programs (FLPs) exist, all of which require approval through International Affairs. Faculty-Led Programs include all Global Seminars. Some Course-Embedded Programs, Transborder Programs, and Academic Related Travel are also led by faculty. 

Global Seminar - An intensive faculty-led program that takes place during the winter or summer term.  The course(s) offered with Global Seminars meet the contact hour requirements and learning outcomes of 15-week semester courses and offer special sessions credit. 

Glocal Course - A course that focuses on local action to engage global challenges and opportunities via the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Glocal courses explore the rich cultures of SDSU’s local areas and make connections between taking action locally to address global social, economic, and environmental issues. 

Exchange Program -  A program administered by SDSU that allows students to pay regular SDSU tuition and fees, but take a full load of courses at an institution with which SDSU has an exchange agreement.  Language and cultural immersion occur through access to academic and extracurricular events at the host campus, which may include language classes, housing with local students or families, and student clubs and organizations.

International Internship Program - An experiential learning program that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting (Forum on Education Abroad, 2019). At SDSU, advising for international internship programs takes place in the Global Education Office or at the college/department level.  Students obtain internships through an SDSU-approved partner organization, which facilitates placement at an SDSU approved organization or company located outside the US, or through SDSU academic department listings or partnerships.  Academic departments may choose whether to award credit for internship participation. Language and cultural immersion occurs through various types of cross-cultural professional development activities in the local community, and regular meetings with host organization supervisors for feedback and direction.

International Partner Program - A program administered by an SDSU-approved partner organization or institution, allowing students to enroll in and receive transfer credit for coursework taught at an institution outside the US.  Language and cultural immersion is included, but varies widely across programs; this may include language courses, cultural activities and excursions, or housing options with local students or families. 

Volunteer Abroad Program - A program administered by an SDSU-approved partner organization or institution, which facilitates placement of volunteers with an organization located outside the US.  Academic departments may choose whether to award credit for volunteer abroad participation.  Students have regular meetings with host organization supervisors for feedback and direction. Work is in English, although willingness to learn the language of the volunteer site can enrich the experience, and is recommended.

Transborder Field Trip - Academic Related Travel consisting of a day trip to Baja California, Mexico, organized by a faculty or staff member, academic unit, or student organization.

Transborder Program - A Course-Embedded Program that includes travel to Baja California, Mexico.

VIRTUAL INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

Virtual International Program - An SDSU international program that uses a component of technology to virtually facilitate ongoing educational interaction with international peers, engagement with international communities, or instruction at a foreign institution.  Many types of virtual international programs exist, including Virtual Exchange Programs, Virtual Partner Programs, Virtual Internship Programs, Virtual Volunteering Abroad Programs, Virtual Glocal Courses, and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL).

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) - A collaboratively created intercultural course module that an SDSU faculty member and a faculty member at one or more institutions deploy in a virtual format in their respective courses.  For details see COIL webpage.

Virtual Exchange Program - A program administered by SDSU that allows students to pay regular SDSU tuition and fees, but take a full load of virtual courses at one of SDSU’s bilateral exchange institutions.  Language and cultural immersion occurs through access to virtual cross-cultural events at the host campus, and use of virtual discussion and breakout sessions to connect students.

Virtual Glocal Course - A course that focuses on local action to engage global challenges and opportunities via the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals using technology to facilitate virtual interactions with the local community as a critical component of the course.

Virtual Internship Program - An International Internship program allowing students to engage virtually in an internship at an organization or company located outside the US.  Language and cultural immersion occurs through various types of virtual cross-cultural professional development activities, and regular virtual “face-to-face” meetings with host organization supervisors for feedback and direction.

Virtual Partner Program - A program administered by an SDSU-approved partner organization or institution, allowing students to enroll in and receive transfer credit for coursework taught at an institution outside the US.  Language and cultural immersion is included, and occurs virtually through language groups, cultural activities, and engagement with local students. 

Virtual Volunteer Abroad Program - A program administered by an SDSU-approved partner organization or institution, which facilitates virtual placement of volunteers with an organization located outside the US.  Academic departments may choose whether to award credit for virtual volunteer abroad participation.  Students have regular virtual “face-to-face” meetings with host organization supervisors for feedback and direction. Work is in English, although willingness to learn the language of the volunteer site can enrich the experience, and is recommended.

INTERNATIONALIZATION CONCEPTS

Curriculum Internationalization - The incorporation of international, intercultural, and/or global dimensions into the content of the curriculum as well as the learning outcomes, assessment tasks, teaching methods, and support services of a program of study (Leask, 2015). 

Global Learning: “. . . a critical analysis of and an engagement with complex, interdependent global systems and legacies (such as natural, physical, social, cultural, economic, and political) and their implications for people's lives and the earth's sustainability.” (AACU Shared Futures: Global and Social Responsibility initiative, n.d.)  At SDSU, global learning takes place throughout the SDSU experience, inside and outside of the classroom, internationalizing SDSU students and their perspectives of themselves and others.  Opportunities for global learning include internationalized on-campus coursework, virtual international programs, and off-campus international programs, 

Global Learning Outcomes (GLOs) - An institution-wide overarching framework that complements SDSU’s approved ILOs, aligns programming across all disciplines with President de la Torre’s vision of educating “global citizens, compassionate leaders, ethical innovators”, and serves as a roadmap to guide SDSU undergraduate and graduate students’ global learning throughout their entire SDSU experience.

Global Seal of Biliteracy - A digital badge SDSU students can earn through participating in a cultural and linguistic immersion experience, and demonstrating Working Proficiency through standardized testing that covers reading, writing, listening, and speaking in a language other than English. The Seal will be available for the first time at SDSU in Spring 2021, and initially only available for Spanish, but will be expanded to other languages according to demand.  Testing is arranged by SDSU International Affairs, and recipients of the Seal earn a digital badge, which certifies their biliteracy skills at the Working Proficiency level.

Global Service-Learning - An intentionally structured, interactive component of any off-campus or virtual international program, in which students engage in activities focused on community needs, and participate in structured reflection about their experiences.