Faculty Led International Programs (FLIPS)
Faculty-Led International Programs (FLIP) allow students from a particular academic program to gain first-hand experience and knowledge relevant to their field in an international context. These programs are usually 1-2 weeks in length and are often arranged around the Fall and Winter Engagement weeks so that students and faculty attending do not miss too much academic work. Over the years Centennial College has travelled on FLIPS to China, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Japan and Mexico among many other European nations. We send out an annual average of 25 FLIPs across the schools annually!
FLIPs are developed by working closely with faculty who will lead the experience in order to develop academic content in a Global setting. Most FLIPs are incorporated into existing courses and students will earn credit towards a course upon successful completion of a project associated with participation. The academic learning will be supported by the on-program itinerary and structure for the day so students have an experience that they can reflect on and that will extend or enrich their previous subject area learning.
EXAMPLES 2022-23 FLIPS:
International Development to Santiago, Chile or Panama City where students meet with NGOs and hear from United Nations officials on the ground about regional issues.
Hotel and Hospitality Students to Walt Disney World students visit an internationally recognized leader of hotel and hospitality management and learn from trainers and staff about what WDW does to excel as a global institution and to set the standards they set.
Paramedic Services in Liverpool, UK allows paramedics in training here to partner with paramedics in the UK to learn about regional influences in health care and emergency medical services and gain a nuanced understanding of global practices.
Alcohol Beverage Marketing in Denmark, Belgium and Toronto (Location changes annually) Brings 3 groups of students together from 3 different institutions in 3 different countries in Marketing and Business to look at a trend setting marketing techniques for a beverage and investigate the host region's approaches alongside their home regions.
Sports Journalism in Florida - This annual experience for students in sports journalism sends the students to spring training in Tampa to investigate and report back on their findings.
When do FLIPs get Advertised?
Global Experiences advertises FLIPS for the WINTER semester mid September - early November and for the FALL semester we will advertise outbound programs from Mid April to Mid May and sometimes we will advertise a November or December FLIP in August. Please check the ALL PROGRAMS tab on the left hand menu to see what is open. If your program will be offering a FLIP you can also ask your professors at the beginning of the academic year to see what is available. We usually make posts and announcements in the Student Community and Engagement Newsletter Thursday email blast. Check your myCentennial email address. You will likely receive an email with details directly from your program coordinators or faculty and there might be a post in your eCentennial course landing pages as well.
How Do you apply?
To apply for a FLIP you will likely have to:
- Read through the "Program Brochure" and start on application by hitting the Apply Now button.
- There is often a written Statement of Intent component to complete.
- Often you will need to submit your Resume as well.
- We will ask for a video submission responding to 5-7 questions related to the program as well.
- The application will ask you about VISA requirements for the destination country and to upload your Passport information as well.
- We make sure the student meets our general eligibility criteria: GPA minimum, has an account in good standing with the SEO office and is enrolled in the eligible program and minimum semester requirement.
- A team of the faculty leads and a Global Experience Advisor will review the application materials and assess the submissions using a rubric to score the elements. Students who answer the question asked, provide 2-3 well supported examples or evidence and relate the experience to both their academic and professional goals and also to developing global skills often do well.
- We rank the scores to find the top candidates and then discuss the results as a team to confirm the approvals.
- Students will then be approved, put on a waitlist or "rejected" by our system (the language here is harsh but refers to details our system has set).
For Faculty looking to propose a FLIP experience please visit our Faculty/Staff Program Options Page.
For Students looking for a current FLIP opportunity please visit our All Programs page.