SSA Themes List
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802.258.3212
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PO Box 676, 1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA
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Undergraduate Research
SIT Study Abroad has designed its program model to incorporate an opportunity for active learning and knowledge generation to the benefit of both students and host communities. In most semester programs, this research takes the form of an Independent Study Project (ISP), though for some there may be a practicum or community project instead.
SIT Study Abroad works with the SIT Academic Affairs committee to approve courses, new programs, and special research initiatives. Our students work with Academic Directors from the start of the program to develop topics and ideas that will be feasible, culturally appropriate, and beneficial to the community. SIT has a federally registered Institutional Review Board (IRB), and our undergraduate students must also comply with our Human Subjects Review process, which includes a local review board. SIT, in both summer and semester programs, provides innovative ways for students to learn solid methodology and to incorporate research in their experiences abroad.
Independent Study Project
Many programs include an Independent Study Project (ISP), a cornerstone of SIT’s distinctive program model. The engaged, active learning in the ISP period is the culmination of most SIT Study Abroad semester programs and takes place in the last third of the term.
Students work with Academic Directors and ISP advisors to define a project, establish contacts, budget for the process, and determine appropriate living quarters. Students draw upon all aspects of the program prior to the ISP as they challenge themselves to manage their research. Students will draw on their theoretical and broad knowledge of the subject, along with methodology, cross-cultural competency, and linguistic ability to successfully complete the project.
SIT Study Abroad alumni consider the ISP to be one of the most rewarding features of their experience - both academically and personally. Students delve into topics about which they are passionate, which may include cooperation with local research facilities, government agencies, development agencies, schools, or other organizations.
Special attention is focused on the reciprocal nature of the ISP. Students should choose projects that contribute to the field, to the community, and to the people with whom they are working. In many cases, students work on a topic at the suggestion of a local community organization, based on a need within that community.
The culmination of the project is typically a 20- to 40-page paper that students present to colleagues, the Academic Directors, and, often, their advisors and other interested host-country individuals. In the past, students have also presented works of fiction, short documentary films, photo journals, artwork and performances (with an additional written component) as alternative ISPs.
For many students, the ISP marks the beginning of an academic journey that affects their career choices and alters the way they interact with their world. SIT Study Abroad ISPs routinely form the basis for senior theses, successful grant proposals, graduate-level research, fellowships, or international career paths.
Human Subjects Review Policy
In keeping with federal regulations, ethical guidelines for scholarly research, and the mission of SIT/World Learning, all SIT Study Abroad student ISP research involving human subjects must receive SIT's Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and adhere to standards in SIT/World Learning's Human Subjects Review Policy.
The policy is designed to help students develop and implement ISPs that are ethically grounded, culturally sensitive, and respectful of research participants. This process includes local review boards at program sites, with an additional IRB at SIT’s Vermont office. Both will be available to act on any ISP student proposals that raise concerns or questions that cannot be resolved by the academic director and student together.
The SIT IRB has been registered with the Office of Human Research Protections of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Students should be sure to understand the parameters of their home school’s transfer requirements early in the ISP planning stages. We strongly encourage students to also discuss any IRB/Human Subjects Review requirements that the home school may implement for credit transfer, especially if they hope to use their ISP research for future projects.
