Enhancing the Global Learning Experience

Each year more students include a global learning experience as part of their undergraduate education. To ensure that this experience is not an isolated event in their academic and personal lives, BU Global Programs, led by Willis Wang, Vice President and Associate Provost for Global Programs, developed an online course that integrates the undergraduate study abroad experience into a preparatory and reflective framework.

The purpose of the project has been to enhance global knowledge and awareness, improve cross-cultural communication skills, and further cultivate an overall openness towards different cultures and traditions. The format of the course involved three phases: preparation, experience, and reflection. With the aid of technology, students engaged in an intellectual and self-reflective dialogue before, during, and after their international experience.