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At times during this pandemic, it felt like we were witnessing the end of international education opportunities for students and scholars on a global scale. But every cloud has a silver lining. Adapting to a new reality of travel bans and lockdowns, institutions have transformed programs and adopted technology in ways that have made international education more diverse, accessible, and inclusive than ever before.
Abruptly Interrupted
In March 2020, global travel came to a standstill. Institutions had to scramble to quickly bring students and faculty back home from trips abroad. They had to confirm and monitor the location of every traveler, and then help them coordinate a quick and safe return home with next-to-no notice.
Simultaneously, institutions were helping international students return to their home countries amid ever-changing regulations and logistics. Even if they were safe on campus, many international students could no longer reside there—whether due to their campuses shutting down or immigration regulations—and they needed to return to their home countries unexpectedly.
Nevertheless, We Persisted
This pandemic-induced scramble forced institutions to expand their capabilities rapidly—and often uncomfortably. Yet, international education leaders persisted. And their hard work and innovation resulted in expanded possibilities for students’ global education that not only solved for the short-term chaos, but also created exciting new opportunities for the future.
For example, DePaul University used the opportunity to further extend and diversify its virtual global education programming—which ranges from intensive, deliverable-oriented collaborative online international learning (COIL) courses conducted with counterpart institutions to many types of virtual international programming across the institution’s various areas of study. DePaul both expanded its existing programming to offer more formerly in-person programs virtually and created new programs, such as virtually immersing students in an animation event in France. The result for students has been an increased expanse of international programs that cater to different students’ needs across DePaul’s varied student population.
“Institutions are reimagining how best to approach international education. And in the process, they’re acknowledging that the previous ways of doing things did not necessarily serve the needs of all students.”
When I look at the DePaul example, and across other institutions I’ve worked with, I’m seeing them reimagine how best to approach international education. And in the process, they’re acknowledging that the previous ways of doing things did not necessarily serve the needs of all students.
During this historic time, collegiate professionals have a unique chance to improve their approach to international programming and engagement and execute a new playbook for the long term.
Opportunities to Reimagine International Education
Let’s examine how the pandemic has interrupted the way international programming has historically operated. I’ll also share guiding principles to advance a new approach for the future that’s based on automation and innovation.
Expand Access to All Students
Over the years, global education has largely been executed in ways that work well for some students but inadvertently leave many others out. Travel isn’t possible for everyone, whether due to financial, academic, medical, or other reasons. Yet, everyone could benefit from valuable opportunities to explore the world and other cultures.
When the pandemic hit and affected nearly every student’s ability to travel, study abroad professionals had to think deeply and quickly about how to effectively deliver global education experiences to everyone—resulting in new opportunities for robust virtual study abroad and cross-cultural events online.
Many international students who had planned to come to the United States but whose plans were derailed by the pandemic instead engaged in online learning with a US institution from their home country. For example, one US institution created new opportunities to serve more than 500 degree-seeking international students (many from China and some from South Korea) who, at the time, were unable to travel to the United States. The institution’s education abroad staff identified several “study abroad” options that have allowed these students to not only maintain their student visa status but also experience an enriching in-person international experience in their home country.
“Institutions should be careful not to assume that traditional travel opportunities are the only worthwhile study abroad experiences.”
To accomplish this, the institution’s study abroad staff collaborated with their international exchange partners in both China and South Korea to successfully place a small number of Chinese and South Korean students in local in-person “study abroad” programs with institutions in their home countries for the Fall 2020 semester. This enabled them to participate in college-student life locally and experience unique coursework related to their degree pursuits while continuing to remain enrolled in their US-based institutions.
In addition, other international students have opted to participate in online distance learning at their US-based institutions, with some courses synchronous (meeting between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. in China, for instance) and others asynchronous.
Ultimately, this overall shift toward multiple global experience options has expanded accessibility for students—as enriching global education now spans both in-person (with safety measures) and virtual options—and opened the door to inviting even more students to experience these programs in the future.
Deliver Multidimensional International Experiences
As a result of the pandemic, student expectations around where and how they experience their education have changed. Even once travel resumes, it’s anticipated that students will continue to want expanded, high-quality virtual international options. This means that pandemic-driven shifts to virtual options weren’t temporary; they must now become part of institutions’ regular international experiences portfolios.
One might ask how a virtual international experience could possibly deliver the same value as an in-person trip. However, with creative thinking, technology, and new ways of cultivating cultural interactions, institutions and third-party study abroad companies are investing significant resources into making it worthwhile.
For instance, DePaul University designed and deployed a week-long, faculty-led virtual study abroad program based in Barcelona last December. The institution held the event over Zoom and designed each day with the same rigor and level of intensity as an in-person trip. This included incorporating the different cultural aspects of work-life balance and the Spanish “siesta” during the day. Students learned firsthand how to globalize their way of living by being accommodating to different time zones and customs and to co-locate virtually with others by continuously communicating with them as though they were in person—both critical skills for entering today’s global workforce. As part of this experience, students gained a true sense of how Spain’s culture and politics impact the dynamics of daily life, as the course required their full attention and immersion into Spain’s way of life. Students were required to adapt to collaborating with others (across video) in another country to simulate real-world problem-solving and understanding.
Alongside DePaul University, there are many other successful examples of global education leaders introducing virtual study abroad programs, virtual global internships, pre-college global engagement, and more. While traditional international experiences will inevitably return once it is safe to do so, this new multidimensional approach will allow multiple delivery models to not only co-exist but complement one another for deeper and more meaningful student engagement.
Unify the Global Education Process
Institutions have long operated with separate, siloed programs for various aspects of global and international administration—individual departments focused only on study abroad, only on international student programs, or only on student exchange programs. Any crossovers among these areas were thought to cause friction.
For students, this has often translated into a disjointed international education experience that required them either to approach the study abroad office individually or to hear about a possible exchange opportunity from individual professors. The decentralization leaves a lot up to chance rather than proactively connecting students to international opportunities as part of a holistic college experience. And on the administrative side, the siloed approach and lack of standardized communication means missed opportunities to collaborate for mutual benefit.
Thankfully, and partly due to the pandemic, we’re now seeing savvy institutional leaders linking together as part of a greater vision for global engagement across their campuses and beyond. As part of this new approach, global education professionals are using technology to understand and share critical metrics and processes.
“Pandemic-driven shifts to virtual options weren’t temporary; they must now become part of institutions’ regular international experiences portfolios.”
For example, the University of Mississippi has established a campus-wide international program initiative designed to unify its study abroad, international student, traveler safety, and international partnerships. This initiative has dramatically enriched the lives of students and faculty by fostering global citizenship, scholarship, and human development through a multidimensional approach of promoting internationalization across all facets of campus life—including both academic and non-academic experiences. Faculty are invited to propose new programs and new international partnerships to further strengthen global programs, and students may choose from a comprehensive set of global engagement experiences offered across various areas of study.
The university has also been able to automate all facets of international programs across departments, including proactive communication with students to ensure all safety and travel protocols are met as well as requirements for immigration visa compliance. This connected approach has also helped them identify relevant areas for expansion, with many more students now able to learn about and participate in international student programs. For example, the university has been able to collaborate with on-campus partners to make campus even more welcoming by increasing dining, housing, and transportation options.
The Next Phase of Global Education
As demand for international opportunities continues to grow amid changing worldwide dynamics, institutions must continue to think more creatively and expansively about how to give students flexible yet invaluable cultural and immersive interactions. With the reinvention of a fully inclusive global education that extends beyond traditional study abroad, many more students will have the experiences needed to become global leaders of tomorrow.
To ensure all students have opportunities to benefit from these types of experiences, institutions should reapproach global engagement through a more creative lens and be careful not to assume that traditional travel opportunities are the only worthwhile study abroad experiences. By engaging in international partnerships and utilizing technology platforms to connect on a deep level across the world, cultures can be shared and global connections can be made.
In this disruptive moment for higher-ed institutions, I encourage academic leaders to first determine what valued outcomes are desired from study abroad and international student programs—and then approach them limitlessly from the perspective of broadening access to as many students as possible. This type of thinking will help institutions truly usher in the next phase of global education for all students.
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