How can faculty members facilitate short-term international student mobility programmes?

During their higher education experience, students look forward to experiential learning that extends beyond textbooks and the classroom; they are eager to explore the world and expose themselves to different cultures. A short-term international experience can enrich their lives, push them out of their comfort zones and boost their independence. It can also change their outlook on life. How do we guide a student who comes to us looking for opportunities? As faculty, we can facilitate this in simple ways.

The challenges around student mobility

Students, parents and faculty members often don’t realise the huge potential a short-term international experience can have on the development of a student because the challenges associated with student mobility cloud their judgement. The financial cost and fear of sending their children alone to a new place make the parents hesitant, while students themselves might be put off by poor foreign language competency, competitive entry-level requirements, insufficient funds, separation from social circles or a lack of confidence in venturing into an unknown place. For faculty members, it might be a lack of understanding of the possible options.

Other obstacles might include mismatched application timing, limited places, regulatory concerns and policies of the host country, global political situations and difficulty in integrating mobility plans into the existing academic structure, among others. Although finance is undeniably a huge concern, there are scholarships out there. Some academic and research student mobility options offer to cover travel and living costs and provide allowances to students during their experience.

Identify your students’ needs

We need to support students in finding an opportunity that helps them work towards their future goals. One of the first steps we can take when assisting is to understand what they are looking for. Are they seeking an opportunity within their specialisation or something different? Often, students opt for an employability-focused activity that they can add to their CV, and they might decide on their country of choice based on their future plans. We need to help students decide on the best options for them from the platter of available opportunities.

Some of the opportunities that we can educate students about include:

• Observership programmes in which students can watch experts in their field at work
• Training courses that provide students opportunities to build skills beyond those taught in an academic context
• Study abroad programmes at other institutions
• Summer/winter school opportunities
• International volunteering opportunities
• Cultural immersions that help students experience and appreciate diversity
• International contests
• Overseas clinical placements
• Internships
• Virtual courses.

The opportunities we suggest need to align with the academic calendar. We can also look into the possibility of the student being able to accumulate credits from the experience. Other things to bear in mind are the language in which the experience will take place and whether taking part is within the student’s budget.

• Content for higher education professionals on internaionalisation
• Why you should do a staff mobility programme and how to set one up
• Help students make the most of studying overseas at branch campuses and beyond

Find opportunities for student mobility programmes

We can look for collaborators who can help us create mobility options within our networks. They might be adjunct faculty, a research collaborator, an academic point of contact or a professor we met at a conference or on a networking platform. Opportunities could even arise through alumni working in other universities we can work with to co-create short modules for students from both universities or organise joint events such as student conferences or a research colloquium that brings together students and faculty members from different institutions.

We should also follow and keep track of notifications we receive from our university’s international or research office. There might be calls for applications and fellowships that are in line with our students’ objectives.

Regularly check the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) and AIESEC, both of which provide summer programmes and volunteering opportunities.

Partner with other universities

It is important to be well-informed about the internationalisation policies of our universities and those we form collaborations with. This will help us find opportunities that align with our objectives.

An existing general agreement with a partner university facilitates easier discussion around collaborative options. If no such agreement exists with a university you are considering collaborating with, have an initial discussion with your point of contact at the potential partner university on areas of collaboration and bring the proposal to your university’s international office.

If your university doesn’t have an international office, you should help your department and institution as a whole develop a positive attitude towards internationalisation by encouraging student mobility initiatives. These small efforts can also have long-term impacts on collaboration between universities, visibility and global ranking.

Identifying appropriate opportunities for our students means extra time and effort from us. However, going the extra mile could have huge benefits. Let us pave the way for student mobility options to help our students make the most of their university experience and build the foundations for a successful future.

Sunila John is an associate professor in the department of speech and hearing and an institutional chairperson of international collaborations at Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.

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