The February 2008 issue of The Interculturalist asked education abroad offices how increased globalization has affected what students want out of their study abroad experience, and how study abroad opportunities have changed to attract students interested in an experience directly related to their training in fields such as Education and Nursing.  We received the following responses:

The Globalized Student
Dr. Cheryl Matherly
Associate Dean for Global Education
Applied Assistant Professor of Education
University of Tulsa

Today’s college students have never known a time when the world wasn’t flat. They are arriving on campus with more international experience than in previous decades, themselves products of globalization.  The American Council on Education, in cooperation with the Art & Science Market Group and the College Board, released a report in January summarizing college-bound high school seniors’ attitudes towards study abroad and international learning activities. Fifty-five percent reported that they that they were certain or fairly certain that they would study abroad while in college.  Perhaps more interesting, of those who planned to study abroad, 70 percent indicated that they intended to learn a second language well enough to speak it fluently or at least well enough to converse with people in that country.

The same factors considered as drivers of economic globalization have shaped the experiences of the current generation of college students: fast and easy international communication via the Internet; relatively easy international travel; the interconnectedness of the global economy. This same ACE study found that 95 percent of high school seniors had studied a foreign language, 62 percent had traveled abroad with family, and 51 percent had a close family member or friend who lives abroad.  Anecdotally, during my presentation about the Center for Global Education as part of the University of Tulsa’s freshman orientation, nearly every hand shot up when I asked how many students already had passports, and most stayed up when I asked how many had used it at least once.

I am hesitant to claim, however, that this means students are consciously connecting their own international experiences with globalization.  Rather, I suspect that despite media lamentations about the number of American high school students who can’t name the country that borders the U.S. to the south, for many college-bound students being aware of events and activities outside the borders of the U.S. is just a given.  Consider data from UCLA’s CIRP Freshman Survey.  Forty-three percent of freshmen in 2002 reported an interest in improving their understanding of other countries and cultures; in 2007 that proportion grew to 52 percent.

The implication for this is that fewer and fewer students are arriving on campus seeking their first international experience.  Even those who haven’t traveled have had enough exposure to things international that they are now seeking opportunities that offer different and deeper experiences. Among the students I advise, this has affected their expectations for study abroad.  First, and perhaps most significant, very few are expecting a traditional “junior year abroad.”  They are looking for experiences earlier, at different times, and of different lengths in order to fit study abroad into their academic careers.  Second, many are looking for “non-traditional” study experiences, such as international internships, service learning programs, and volunteer projects. Students are seeking experiences that provide them greater cultural immersion than afforded in the traditional classroom.  Third, students are justifying their study abroad, even short term experiences, in terms of what might make them marketable to potential employers, be it language proficiency, knowledge of another country, or ability to work in cross-cultural team.

I remain concerned about the gap between the number of students who express a desire to study abroad and the number that actually do.  I think, however, as more colleges adopt strategies to internationalize, and the diversity of lengths and types of programs continue to expand, more students will find an experience that will enable them to satisfy their study abroad goals.

Service Learning in St. Lucia
Tina Johnson
Director of International Programs
Experiential Learning Center

Christian Wilwohl
Off-Campus Studies Coordinator
Lynchburg College

In summer 2008, a contingent of more than fifty students, faculty, and staff from Lynchburg College and Randolph College traveled to St. Lucia for a service learning opportunity to match their academic interests in Education, Nursing, and International Relations. After a week of intensive study about the legacy of colonialism in the Caribbean and important issues in international development, students embarked on service projects that addressed particular needs identified by people in St. Lucia.

Led by Lynchburg College faculty Glenn Buck, Sabita Manian, and Jennifer Hutchinson, along with Brad Bullock of Randolph College, the students conducted screenings as to school preparedness for young children and worked with underprivileged youth at schools and community centers on the Caribbean island. It was a joint project and the first international service program for both colleges.

Five years ago, Lynchburg College established a program to increase the education and training of special education teachers in St. Lucia. What began as a workshop for St. Lucia’s teachers has since grown exponentially into a program in which students from St. Lucia study at LC to complete their bachelor’s or master’s degrees. To extend the partnership further, the May-June service-learning program was created as a collaborative effort between the two colleges with support from Peacework, an organization that sponsors international service learning programs; the St. Lucia Ministry of Education; and grants from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund and Gravely-Hampson Global Studies Fund, both of which provided student scholarships and faculty stipends.

Lynchburg College graduate students Wendy Bailey ‘08 and Karian Antoine ‘08, both from St. Lucia, were also instrumental in making local contacts. Bailey said the program offered a service “which is really needed in St. Lucia” and also provided a great opportunity for cultural exchange. Dr. Manian believes that the St. Lucia community will “immediately reap the benefits of the project.” Additionally, LC community engagement coordinator Beverly Pfluger ‘06 remarked, “The culture of service learning has become contagious around campus.”

In responding to questions about the program, Ashley Schmidt ‘10 from Lynchburg College noted that, “Some things you have to experience to fully comprehend, and St. Lucia definitely opened my eyes, mind, and heart. The people that we interacted with in St. Lucia learned from us and, we, in turn, learned from them.” Students from Randolph College were equally appreciative of the opportunity. As Camille Benjamin ‘09 wrote in her web-log at the end of the program, “The most significant change is the feeling that I can make a difference, and we did create differences.”

“This trip to St. Lucia best demonstrates what Randolph College emphasizes: taking your knowledge outside the classroom into the wider world, learning by doing, and a priority for service by collaborating with others,” said Brad Bullock, one of the faculty leaders and a professor of sociology who specializes in the Caribbean. “I feel a great debt of thanks to all those who made this project possible, including decision makers at both colleges. This is the way to do study abroad.”