A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO YOUR ACADEMIC LIFE AT CAPA

Introduction:
As your Chief Academic Officer, it is my responsibility to guide you through the fascinating, challenging, at times overwhelming new academic world that you are entering. I am delighted to be your point of contact and information for all things academic while you are abroad. Your time at your CAPA center will provide you with a genuine academic experience. Be prepared for difference, and celebrate it. You have come overseas to experience new cultures and people, and academic transitions are very much a part of this new experience. You are going to participate in some very traditional overseas styles of teaching and learning, which will engage and stretch your academic boundaries. Your achievements up to now on your home campus will be important to your participation and application to the CAPA Programs. Remember also, what you achieve abroad in your classes will have impact on your academic progress when you return home and will add significant value to your personal development and your professional résumé. You are going to find yourself learning everywhere on each day of your time abroad.

Program Mission: CAPA Programs encourage the student’s total learning experience abroad: academic achievement, personal growth and cultural awareness. This is achieved by offering a coordinated blend of in-class and experiential learning and through a commitment to maximizing student learning abroad with integrated cultural events and activities. You will be involved in wonderful educational activities both in and out of the classroom.

Teaching Styles - difference is not always a bad thing:
You may notice that overseas professors have different teaching styles from professors on your home campus. Professors are more likely to present a significant amount of material in a lecture format (possibly with less group and participatory work), and you will be expected to keep good notes and summaries of lessons. There will be a greater reliance on your participation as an independent learner. This is your role in the classroom – you are to be professional in your standards of work and behavior. The expectation is that you as the student will take great responsibility for reading the materials given out at the beginning of a program, and participate by asking questions at the end of classes – there may be a less distinct lesson plan than you are used to, or even less overt guidance than you have at home.

It will be your responsibility to approach professors to ask if they are willing to accept drafts of your work, and to give you more structured guidance if you feel this is necessary. The syllabus will outline this clearly for you, but always ask your professor if you are unsure of the course objectives and requirements. I, along with the CAPA professors, will provide you with academic advice and reassurance at the CAPA centers when it is needed.

Overall Assessment:
I would advise you to balance travel and work commitments carefully; consider taking assignments or texts with you when you travel, as waiting for connections and being on planes and trains can provide you with useful study time. I offer twice-weekly advising sessions, but feel free to email me at any point with any academic questions or issues: smckenzie@capa.org.

The key to a successful and enjoyable semester abroad is to combine academic work with travel and cultural experience. The efforts you put into your learning will be rewarded by an even greater insight into your host culture and its many layers. The faculty and staff at CAPA want you to have the best experience of your life, and by providing you with quality learning structures that will invigorate and challenge you at all times, the opportunities for quality education are there for you. It is your great responsibility to rise to this occasion.

Learning is but an adjunct to ourself
And where we are our learning likewise is.
(William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act IV, 3)

Dr Sarah McKenzie
Chief Academic Officer