Short-Term Study Abroad Programs: A Sustainable Model for Community Colleges

This study employed qualitative methods to explore how the UVA in Valencia Summer Program 2019/ 2021 approached instructional practices (e.g., in-class and out-of-class immersive learning activities, homestays, pre-program services, including use of L2 and culture learning strategies) to identify those features of the program design that Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) could reproduce in a new short-term study abroad designed to expand its students’ oral proficiency and cultural awareness. The study used data from Zoom interviews with faculty, administrators, and L2 participating students. The findings address the study’s purpose in describing how the UVA in Valencia Summer Program 2019/ 2021 facilitates language and culture learning abroad and point to several recommendations suitable to the PVCC context and, by extension, other colleges in the VCCS.