Introducing IIEPassport Select! - Customized Overseas Study Portals for American Colleges
Indiana University is first to take advantage of enhanced technology offered through IIEPassport
CHESTER, PA, May 27, 2002 -
Colleges and universities with study abroad programs can now offer a customized portal that can assist their students in searching for and selecting a program that will best match their interests and earn them credit at their institution. This new service, named IIEPassport Select! is provided to select American colleges at no charge, provided the college endorses the portal as the preferred resource for finding an international education program. IIEPassport Select! gives the school a powerful interface to better advise their students, directing them to programs that meet the home school's credit transfer criteria. The system is powered by the Institute of International Education's IIEPassport web site, containing the field's most comprehensive database of study abroad programs.
Indiana University, long known for its innovative approaches to international education, is the first institution to sign up for the customized portal. Through the portal, students can now easily access information on programs open only to Indiana University students as well as those offered by other institutions and providers for which Indiana University students can earn transfer credit. The portal's search function automatically screens out those programs for which the university does not grant credit. "The portal allows us to highlight the programs that Indiana University offers directly to our students, so they can work with our office to apply for them," says Kathleen Sideli, Ph.D., Associate Director of Overseas Study, Indiana University. "In addition, we can also screen out those overseas study opportunities which don't meet our criteria for transfer credit."
Over 1,000 Indiana University students participate in study abroad programs each year. The portal assists Indiana University's Overseas Study office in its mission of "person-centered advising"-finding the right program for the right person, Sideli says. It helps students streamline their search efforts and match them with the course of study best suited to their needs and interests.
IIEPassport is a collaborative effort between Educational Directories Unlimited (EDU) and the Institute of International Education. Educational Directories Unlimited provides the technology and design of the customized portals, while IIE supplies the data on over 5,000 programs in 125 countries. IIEPassport Select! is the latest in a series of enhancements to IIEPassport.org which includes an enhanced search function by offering savvier keyword searches, enabling students and advertisers to better hone in on their target audience. The enhanced search function increases the scope and reach of overseas study opportunities, enabling students to locate programs they may not have previously been aware of. For example, they can study international business in Iceland or art history in Argentina.
An additional plus for advertisers is that the portals' "Country of the Month" feature, which will highlight a chosen country and the programs offered there.
According to IIE's Open Doors 2001 report on international education exchange, the number of U.S. students studying abroad in recent years has increased by more than 45%, to 143,590.
"There is a growing demand for detailed and comprehensive information about opportunities for international study," says Mark Shay, president of EDU. "These customized portals, which are offered at no cost to the institutions, help students more easily find a program that most closely fits with their chosen field of study and desired geographic location, and enable the colleges themselves to better screen the programs they wish to present to their students. It gives the International Offices a modern tool to better advise their students. In addition, they offer an opportunity for advertisers to specifically target their best potential audience."
About Educational Directories Unlimited, Inc.
Educational Directories Unlimited (www.edudirectories.com) is a unique college-oriented marketing firm that achieves a dynamic blend of academic purpose and commerce. Among EDU's computer-based recruiting tools are several comprehensive directories: Gradschools.com (www.gradschools.com); StudyAbroad.com (www.studyabroad.com); Distance.Gradschools.com (distance.gradschools.com); Business.Gradschools.com (business.gradschools.com); EducationforAdults.com (www.educationforadults.com); English.StudyAbroad.com (english.studyabroad.com); StudentProspector (www.studentprospector.com); IIEPassport (www.iiepassport.org) and GradSchoolFairs.com (www.gradschoolfairs.com). The EDU systems design provides a unique utility for prospective students, advisors, and educational administrators. Since its inception in 1997, EDU and its directories have captured a significant share of the "educational shoppers" market by providing students a wealth of information in an easy to use directory format.
For more information on Educational Directories Unlimited, please contact Matt Ulmer by phone at 484-766-9200, via e-mail at mulmer@edudirectories.com.