Donald Rubin, emeritus professor in the speech communication and linguistics departments in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the language and literacy education department in the College of Education, was quoted in The New York Times about the structure of study abroad programs.
“The big message is that any length of time has value,” said Rubin, who led a large multiyear study on travel abroad. “Three weeks can make a big difference if they are three weeks that are well executed.”
As more students are participating in study abroad opportunities, the programs are becoming more structured, brief and undertaken with a goal in mind. According to the article, low-income students and those entering college with lower SAT scores had the greatest gains. Study abroad, said Rubin, “may actually be a way of leveling the playing field.”