Rethinking study abroad opportunities during a global pandemic

Part of the College’s 2018-2023 Strategic Directions focuses on the need to infuse 21st-century employability skills in all courses.

Two integral parts of this process are hosting foreign exchange students and sending NWTC students on study abroad experiences to inject new perspectives into the halls and classrooms of the College’s campuses. Although COVID-19 prevented students from traveling abroad in 2020 and 2021, NWTC still found creative ways to infuse multiculturalism into the curriculum. 

During the pandemic, NWTC partnered with the Insitut Universitaire de Technologie de Rodez (IUT-Rodez), in France, and the Universidad Politecnica de Guanajuato, in Mexico, to create virtual exchange programs. These programs leveraged distance learning tools and expanded online delivery options to create collaborative multicultural experiences without travel. Immersive virtual exchange projects that simulated real-life business challenges created intensive technical and cultural skills training for the participants. 

“It pushed us to find ways to make ourselves understood,” said IUT-Rodez student Margaux Biberfeld. “Managing the time difference and busy schedules of multiple partners also added to the challenge and simulated a global work environment.”

Now, as the College continues to adjust to the “new normal” and works to move past the pandemic, NWTC is excited to once again offer study abroad opportunities in addition to the new virtual exchange options.

To learn more about studying abroad, go to nwtc.edu/StudyAbroad

Take a listen! The Bald Eagle Podcast: Study Abroad