GLOBAL EDUCATION
Virtual Silver Lining
Hsinchu, Taiwan
Pamplona, Spain
Nanjing, China
St. Louis, MO, USA
BY ROB CHURA DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL EDUCATION
Santiago, Chile
Since the pandemic forced SLUH to temporarily suspend our international travel and exchange programs last spring, we have focused our attention on creating innovative and engaging virtual exchanges with our partner schools. This has yielded results far beyond any initial expectations, opening up new possibilities and opportunities for even more SLUH students and faculty to participate in a global learning experience. Whereas in the past that type of experience required a passport and a plane ticket, now it only requires a stable wifi connection. These newfound opportunities have been an exciting addition to the SLUH Global Education curriculum and are here to stay, even after we can resume our travel programs.
GO FORTH 16 | SLUH Magazine
The Go Forth campaign established a new Office of Global Education, an expansion of foreign language offerings to include Arabic Language and Culture Studies, and increased opportunities for SLUH students and faculty to incorporate international immersion experiences into the curriculum.
The process began last summer with two unique projects: • A virtual exchange involving SLUH Arabic students and their Moroccan peers working together on one of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Developmental Goals. • A series of discussions with students from our partner schools (Chile, China, Colombia, Russia, Spain and Taiwan), in which students shared their pandemic experiences.
Watch student discussions about the pandemic
