Dear Student,
Congratulations on your decision to study off-campus! To help you be successful in this exciting experience, we will work closely with you through through the application process, while you are on off-campus study, and after your return.
A required step in the approval process is for you to read through this orientation section by section, utilizing all the links provided, and then complete an exit evaluation on Moodle. (You must receive a score of 100% on the evaluation in order to have final approval to study off-campus.)
Whether you are studying away for a semester, a year, or a January Interim, an important part of making the experience successful is to manage risk (including health and safety issues) and to be aware of a myriad of bits and pieces of information. This orientation process will help you think about how to prepare for departure, engage a quality learning experience at the host site, and manage a positive return to the Gustavus campus.
The orientation web site will be live from Friday, April 16th to Friday, May 7th at midnight. In order for you to complete your approval process for your program, it is mandatory that you access and read the orientation materials prior to the closing time noted above . You must go through the material in the sequence below in order to successfully complete the orientation. The entire process will take approximately 2 and one-half hours. We will receive a final listing of all students who have successfully completed the orientation. If your name is not on that list, you will not have final approval to depart on your program. Remember that you must also turn in your Gustavus CICE forms prior to June 1 (for fall and academic year students), November 1 for spring students, and November 6 for January Interim students.
If you are going on an international program (outside the U.S.), click on the "International" links. If you are going on a travel course within the U.S., click on the "Domestic" links.
This orientation has 9 parts:
Please feel free to download or print any of the materials from the orientation site that you feel you would like to save for future reference. For those of you going to international sites, we suggest that the Country Specific Information Sheet from the State Department Website in Part #2 would be particularly good to carry with you to the program site. (Some of you may have received this handout as part of your approval/acceptance packet.)
Finally, we urge you to share this orientation website with your parents. It will help them understand the issues you are confronting and the methods you will use to manage your risks while studying off-campus.