Sessions /
Study Abroad - the new normal during a pandemic
#1317
The spread of COVID-19 has made it difficult for students to study overseas. In this SA SIG Forum, presenters will share their experiences of implementing online technologies into internationally-centered activities in order to deal with the ongoing pandemic. Suzanne Bonn and Kevin Stanley will share the challenges and successes of adapting their language programs in Canada to students based in Asia and elsewhere. Brian Wistner, Noriko Ishihara, and Akiko Murata will report on their participation in the Collaborative Online International Learning project. Kumiko Yabe shares challenges and accomplishments in converting a preexisting domestic internship course to a virtual internship with organizations in Hawaii. Toshiko Oda covers utility and potential obstacles of short-term online English programs by analyzing two college students’ participation in online programs in Malta. Paul Bird outlines a short hybrid course which introduces debating skills via ZOOM to a group of sixty International Studies students. Prior to the forum, participants are invited to watch the virtual presentations uploaded on the SIG website (https://sa-sig.weebly.com/) in early May. During the forum, participants will be able to ask questions/give comments to presenters, share their experiences/ideas, and discuss further possibilities of study abroad and international exchanges under the circumstances of COVID-19.
Presentation Assets
Presentation #1 Beyond English: Capturing the Added value of Study Abroad during COVID Times
As program coordinators who host Japanese students in our language programs in Canada, we will share the challenges and successes of adapting our programs to students based in Asia. The presenters will explain how they transitioned from in-person to remote teaching, considered time zone differences, offered new types of online study abroad options, and launched virtual language exchanges and volunteering opportunities.
​Presentation #2 The Emergence of Second Language Learners' Intercultural Competence through a COIL Exchange
This session reports on our participation in the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project organized by the American Council on Education and the Institute for Innovative Global Education at Kansai University. We report on the learning and limitations that occurred through virtual exchange as experienced by students in a content-based English class on social activism in Japan and a graduate seminar on intercultural communication in the U.S
Presentation #3 Challenges and Accomplishments in Converting a Preexisting Domestic Internship Course to a Virtual One
As most of the study abroad programs were cancelled at Tokai University due to COVID-19, I took this opportunity to convert a preexisting domestic internship course to a virtual internship with organizations in Hawaii to offer a better opportunity for students to accomplish the course learning outcomes. In my presentation, I will share challenges and accomplishments that students experienced and students' and host institutions' feedback.
Presentation #4 Utility and Challenges of Online Short-Term SA English Programs
I will discuss utility and potential obstacles of short-term online English programs. Two college students individually participated in online short-term English programs in Malta. The programs served as 1) a good trial for a possible long-term study abroad, 2) a motivator for everyday study, 3) a level checker. The obstacles they came across were 1) to choose decent institutions and avoid potential fraud, and 2) to make a payment in a safe manner.
Presentation #5 Teaching a Hybrid Discussion Course with ZOOM
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many international study programmes have been moved online. As a result, students are required to familiarize themselves with telecommunications software, and, in addition, exploit that software to articulate their thoughts and opinions effectively. This presentation outlines a short hybrid course conducted in January 2020 introducing debating skills via ZOOM to a group of sixty International Studies students.
