Delta College
IN-26: Innovation C

Launched in 2014 and recipient of the Delta College DeVinney Award Endowed Teaching Chair, our study abroad model embraces sustainability and operates with an exploratory component to encourage continued, ‘pass forward’ teaching and learning for both seasoned and potential trip leaders. The planning, development, and implementation of this project included faculty, staff, and students. It includes an honors option and has the capacity to be applied across curriculum and to the service learning experience. Project goals were aligned with institutional goals which focus on expanding, promoting, and codifying sustainability across the curriculum; identifying avenues to promote sustainable learning to faculty and students; and to introduce faculty centric outreach that engages students to adopt a sustainably responsible lifestyle. They endeavored to: Improve recruitment and retention of the Honors Program while connecting it to sustainability-related learning; recruit a greater pool of trip leaders— especially those with an interest in sustainability-immersed learning; offer reasonably priced, authentic travel experiences while eliminating third party vendors as much as possible; ensure a more diverse, fresh platform of destinations that would accommodate varied study programs; and, promote an understanding that many, if not all, study programs could include sustainability learning concepts. Sustainability focus areas, which help to inform potential host sites and to build future itineraries, include the Built Environment, Preservation of Culture and Tradition, Art & Symbolism, Food Systems, Natural Resource Conservation, and Waste/Recycling Management. Quantitative results show six faculty and staff have participated as exploratory travelers and have completed the required global travel course. An estimated 50 students have traveled each year. An average of 3-4 students opt for honors credit. Since Fall 2014, six travel venues have been completed in which 100 students have participated. At least 10 students have elected honors option. All student travelers had opportunity to earn a sustainability designation on their transcript. Two sustainability-immersed trips have been approved for Winter 2018. Three new exploratory faculty will participate. These study trips do not use a third party vendor but instead rely on the exploratory capacity to become familiar with the area and partners local to the region. This greatly reduces the cost of travel for students. Academic Sustainability Travel (2 credits) was approved for inclusion in course catalogue. A one credit course, Business & Cultural Travel, has been drafted by an exploratory faculty traveler. The long-term planning capacity of this model has allowed the offering of scholarships as a high school to college and new student recruitment tool. We are currently working to establish a faculty / staff exploratory stipend. This project engaged multiple campus stakeholders. Students and Eco Reps conduct outreach prominently emphasizing sustainability-immersed learning. Faculty and staff have acted as trip leaders, participated in exploratory roles, and joined as travelers in general. It offers opportunity to meet educators from around the world w/the potential for future combined travel ventures (Delta College partnered with Hawaii Community College for study abroad in 2016). The community is introduced to the college’s sustainability-related study abroad travel when extra seats are available. Post-trip travel evaluations consistently rate sustainability-focused study abroad as ‘good’ to ‘excellent’. This model of study abroad was selected as the faculty forum workshop presentation at the 2017 CCID Conference for its ability to be replicated as a model by other educational institutions. A diagram to visually demonstrate a cyclical, exploratory approach for planning study abroad is attached.