Step-by-Step Crossroads Proposal Process

Step 1.  Draft a tentative course proposal to share with your academic department to obtain their approval and support for the idea.

Step 2.  Contact Off-Campus Studies Director Susan Holme and/or Crossroads Faculty Mentor Heidi Dobson to schedule a time to meet to discuss your Crossroads course idea.  Suggestions about in-country providers and organizations (such as IES and CIEE) that could provide logistical support will be explored at that time.

Step 3.  With the support of Off-Campus Studies as needed, the faculty leader reaches out to possible in-country providers to gather ideas about the academic program, field study opportunities, housing options, identifying a possible local co-leader, and other logistics.

Step 4.  Please refer to the Crossroads Credit Calculation document as you design your course.

Step 5.  Dec 1 – Crossroads Pre-proposal due to Laura Cummings, Coordinator, in Off-Campus Studies. 

Preproposal should be no more than 4 pages long and include:

• Tentative course dates including international travel
• Preliminary course description and syllabus, including intended outcomes of course, number of credits, and description of prerequisites or co-requisites (if any)
• Tentative itinerary and typical daily schedule
• Description of in-country host institutions and/or study abroad provider with whom you are collaborating
• Names or ideas about finding a local co-leader
• Description of local logistics (housing, local transportation, etc)
• Tentative budget (see Budget Planning Sheet)

Step 5.  Faculty who submit Crossroads Preproposals will receive feedback from the OCS Director and Crossroads Faculty Mentor about the proposal in January.  Faculty should refine the syllabus and proposal based on the feedback and the Crossroads Final Proposal Guidelines 2021.

Step 6.  March 1 – Crossroads Final Proposals (with the Crossroads Proposal Cover Form and Budget Planning Sheet) due to Laura Cummings, Coordinator, Off-Campus Studies.  Crossroads proposals are reviewed and selected by the Off-Campus Studies Committee.

Step 7.  April  – Selected courses and funding awards will be announced.  New course form will be submitted to the Curriculum Committee and then forwarded to faculty floor for approval, if the course had not yet been approved.