Faculty in International Education

Developing an international course takes time – most faculty start planning 12 months before proposing. To better assist our faculty in designing international courses, please keep in mind the following timeline and action items:

Before initiating your course proposal, please reach out to your Chair Department who may help guide you through existing course gaps, providing an opportunity to co-teach a new, innovative course with a colleague that will fulfill an elective and equip students with cross-cultural skills for a fast-changing job market.

The faculty compensation may increase the program fee to the students, when taught out of load. When teaching a course in load is not possible, the course budget accounts for the faculty salary, and students pay for it.

There are four types of courses and 2 models for compensation, as per below:

Intensive Winter Course (graduate and undergraduate):

Offered in January, during winter break. The course counts as an intensive winter session and is not counted toward the normal faculty load. Compensation is built in the course budget.

Embedded Spring Course (undergraduate only):

Offered during the spring semester, with a one-week spring break travel component. They are housed in the faculty member's department and count as part of the semester load (with departmental approval). Faculty may develop a new course or choose to add a spring break portion to an existing course that focuses on an international topic. The cost of the travel portion of the course is above the semester tuition that students pay. Included in this is a $1000 stipend for the faculty member, which is embedded in the overall course budget.

Intensive Spring Break Course (graduate and undergraduate):

Offered during the spring break. A spring Intensive course does not count toward the faculty member’s normal course load. The travel dates usually start on a Friday and the return date the following Saturday. Compensation is built in the course budget.

Intensive or Embedded Summer Course (graduate and undergraduate):

Offered typically in May. If taught as an intensive, the course budget accounts for the faculty salary. When taught as an embedded course, the faculty may be provided with a stipend of $1000 and the course counts towards the faculty member’s normal course load.

FACULTY COMPENSATION

During the proposal process, faculty members are required to seek approval from their Department Chair to determine what model fits the department needs and their teaching schedule. The “out of load” model is less desirable for adding a significant cost to the program fee – increasing the cost to the student.

The final approval for the compensation model chosen by the faculty member is determined by the Associate Dean of the respective area.

• OUT OF LOAD – Faculty compensation is set at $10000 for a single instructor. When 2 faculty members design the course and teach equally, compensation is set at $6000 for each faculty member. In rare occasion, an adjunct lecturer may be co-teaching a course with a full professor. When that’s the case, the same compensation guidelines apply. All GBEs offered for the new MBA program are taught out of load.
• IN LOAD – Faculty need to coordinate with Department Chair in advance to check if a backup faculty member is needed if course conflicts with other teaching commitments.

CO-LEADER COMPENSATION

When faculty are not teaching a course with a colleague, they will require a co-leader, which may be another faculty member, or a current employee. The course budget accounts for the travel cost for this person, unless their department pays for their expenses. There are 3 levels of compensation for the co-leader role:

Level 1

Stipend = $0

• Co-leader will observe the course for professional development reasons.
• May assist on-site in an emergency, but has no role in planning, grading, implementation, or academic advising.
• This level is only open to exempt Bentley employees who work in departments that have contact with students, and/or whose job requires a need to fully understand these courses.
• These employees are traveling for work and will not use vacation time to travel. Attendance at pre-sessions is required to understand the program day to day activities and to connect with students.

Level 2

Stipend (7-10 day embedded programs) = $1000

Stipend (14-day intensive programs) = $2500

• Co-leader serves as a fully devoted chaperone and on-site assistant. Helps with pre-trip logistical preparation, in conjunction with lead faculty member.
• May lead some partial-group excursions while traveling. Required to attend pre and post sessions. No association with academic content.

Level 3

Stipend (7–10-day embedded programs) = $2000

Stipend (14-day intensive programs) = $4500

• Co-leader is integral in all aspects of program planning, implementation, and academic preparation.
• Takes full co-responsibility, along with leader, of logistic arrangements for entire group. Involvement at all pre and post sessions is required.
• May deliver some academic content in the form of pre-session and/or on-site academic

Additional Information

1. The co-leader stipend policy applies both to staff and faculty co-leaders who are full-time, exempt employees at Bentley. Non-exempt Bentley employees are not eligible to participate as co-leader.

2. Faculty co-leaders must contact the Cronin Office of International Education at least one month prior to travel to initiate a contract through the Office of Academic Affairs, Business Service Center (BSC). In some case a “Special Project Payment Form” (SPPF) may be issued. The Cronin Office of International Education will complete and submit the SPPF form to the Office of Academic and Accreditation Services Department for processing.

3. Non-Bentley co-leaders are not permitted.

4. If a faculty member retains services for a colleague who resides abroad with expertise in the location or subject area, it is advised that the faculty member discuss with the

Cronin Office of International Education about appropriate payment. The office will obtain banking information and complete a check request to initiate a wire transfer to that individual or organization.

CO-LEADER SELECTION PROCESS, ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Cronin Office of International Education manages a current list of staff who have expressed interest in serving as a co-leader for a faculty-led course. Student Affairs professionals have made valuable contributions in this role by bringing knowledge and experience that is complementary to the faculty leader.

Selection Process

The Cronin Office of International Education manages a current list of staff who have expressed interest in serving as a co-leader for a faculty-led course. Student Affairs professionals have made valuable contributions in this role by bringing knowledge and experience that is complementary to the faculty leader. Academic Affairs collects annually information on staff members who may be interested in playing such a role. Co-leaders enhance communication and positive group dynamics among students and faculty, participate in debriefs and reflections on the experiential learning activities, and support faculty and students with a range of duties such as logistics, chaperoning, and emergency response. If you wish to send the co-leader application form to a staff member, please share this link. This is the first step for a staff member to express their interest. Final selection of the co-leaders for each course is a collaborative effort between the faculty leader, The Cronin Office of International Education, and Student Affairs. Faculty members should not recruit a staff member without consent.

Qualifications, Role and Responsibilities

The purpose of a staff assistant on a faculty-led program is to ensure that leaders have a backup person at all times, and for managing group dynamics. This person assists on-site but has no role in grading or academic advising. This level is only open to exempt (salaried) Bentley employees who work in departments that have contact with students, and/or whose job requires a need to fully understand these programs. As such, these employees are traveling for work and will not use vacation time to travel. Assistants’ travel expenses are covered by the program budget (or in some cases outside grant money may be used).

Specific Duties:

• Attend and participate in class pre-departure sessions as determined by faculty leader with the goal to introduce the staff member to the student group and clarify the staff’s role on the course. Learn student names and develop a rapport.
• Prioritize needs of the faculty leaders and students. Review with faculty leader what prep work needs to be done for site visits or other class activities. (Ex: Are gifts needed to have student participants present to hosts? Is there water and snacks available to the group for long bus rides?).
• Assist students and/or faculty leaders in case of emergency. The person in this role is expected to assist whenever and wherever necessary. Examples of such instances include accompanying students to the hospital, arranging for alternate transportation for students in case of emergency, assisting in the re-issuance of lost passports or other travel documents, communicating with Bentley for support needed. Attending to these needs may require the assistant to separate from the rest of the group to assist one or more students, or to remain with the group while the faculty leader attends to an emergency.
• Monitor group dynamics and facilitate communication. Typically, staff assistants have significant experience working with students, and as such can read the unspoken student dynamics at play, recognize issues brewing, etc. The co-leader should be able to foster channels of communication. Examples include collecting student and faculty cell phone numbers for distribution to the entire group, communicating logistics of the next day’s itinerary to the group, knocking on doors to ensure a last-minute change reaches all participants, communicating minor issues that have arisen to Cronin Office of International Education, etc.
• Provide suggestions for alternate arrangements. Sometimes things do not go according to plan, and faculty leaders may benefit from a brainstorm session with the co-leader to creatively rearrange certain portions of the itinerary. Examples include finding something else to do when a boat ride is cancelled due to weather, or perhaps suggesting an alternate dinner plan when a restaurant is closed unexpectedly.
• Serve as an additional resource to students. Depending on gender, personalities, relationships, students sometimes feel more comfortable approaching the assistant than the faculty member regarding a non-academic issue. The assistant is expected to listen, guide, and assist students with whatever problem they may be having, making the faculty member aware in the most appropriate fashion as soon as possible.