Conceptualizing University Education Study Abroad Programs Using a Mutualistic Process

Abstract

As we continue to develop into a more globalized society, it is an expectation that students in higher education become global citizens. While the literature supports the notion that students positively benefit from international education experiences, little research has been done to determine what role the community plays, or what effects does the study abroad experience has on the community in which the student population is engaged. This study introduces an innovative conceptual framework that overlays the biological concept of symbiosis on the international education experience. This unique conceptual framework shines a light on the study abroad experience from the community’s perspective, as well as illustrates positive or negative impacts of student interaction within the local community. The results indicate that not only is there a role for communities but also communities need to be included in the planning and creation of these experiences, ultimately leading to more mutually beneficial outcomes. Ideally, this could be used by educators to capture the community voice to create more mutualistic programs in study abroad.

Global Social Responsibility and the Internationalisation of Higher Education for Society

“…• • incorporating learning outcomes that focus on the development of attributes associated with the "global common good" (UNESCO, 2015) or the 2030 Agenda and SDGs (United Nations, 2015) in course documents and student materials; • • inviting students and members of local community groups to partner in the development of courses and transformative, active learning experiences such as those described by Carrington (2011); • • providing opportunities for students to engage in active learning in local community organisations and businesses that have an intercultural or international mission/focus; • • emphasising the reciprocal relationships between intercultural/international service-learning and community engagement throughout a programme of study and encouraging/requiring students to take up the opportunities provided; • • exploring ways in which online tools and approaches, such as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), could be utilised to engage students in international service-learning; • • creating education abroad programmes founded on mutualism in all phases of the programme-pre-immersion, immersion, and post-immersion. Such reciprocity would see mutual benefit for both the community and students participating in international service-learning or education abroad (Johnson et al, 2020).…”

Developing as a person: How international educational programs transform nurses and midwives.

“…International education programs have been used in higher education curricula for many years to immerse participants in different cultures, explore different professional contexts, and gain cultural awareness, cultural humility and global citizenship attributes. 1,2 Particular to nursing and midwifery, research has reported short-term benefits of participation in these programs during a nurse's or midwife's pre-registration education including increased confidence, challenging own beliefs and personal growth, [2][3][4][5] However, recent reviews indicate that most existing research reports short-term outcomes and identified a need to investigate long-term outcomes on students' personal development and future professional practice. 3,5…”