Going Global @ Home
As much as we would like for every student to study abroad, for some, an international experience is not feasible. Not being able to travel should not prevent students from engaging in global learning. The resources below were compiled with the hope of connecting students to opportunities that would allow for global experiences while at home.
Virtual language learning resources can be a great way to prepare to meet and connect with new people at home or abroad. Check out these resources that provide free access to language instruction or ways to practice your existing language skills.
If interested in resources for learning and practicing Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish, see the Global @ Home – Language Resources spreadsheet.
| Resource/Opportunity | Description |
| VT Libraries | Various foreign language learning resources, including video streaming
|
| Montgomery-Floyd Regional Libraries |
Free access to Rocket Languages and Mango Languages
|
| Arabic Intensive Summer Program | ALI is pleased to offer the following online courses at three different levels only: (elementary, Intermediate and either intermediate-high or advanced) based on demand |
| Duolingo | Free language learning app/site for over 30 languages |
Have extra time but don't know what to do with it? Check out some of the resources below to help you acquire and build new skills.
| Resource/Opportunity | Description |
|---|---|
| Develop Your Cultural Intelligence | Free MOOC offered by Purdue on FutureLearn platform... self-paced course and activities |
| SDG Academy Resources | Courses aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, taught by world experts through an international lens. |
| 2020 API Re-Entry Toolkit | PDF to help students unpack experience, including skills, videos, activities |
| Communicating Your Experience Abroad For Future Opportunities | This webinar directly coaches students on what skills employers value and how to discuss the ways that study abroad enhances those skills using digital and social media. |
Travelling may be restricted, but you can still take virtual tours through some of the most famous museums and breathtaking cities.
RESOURCE/OPPORTUNITY |
DESCRIPTION |
|
Links to many virtual collections, tours, art projects, and more. · Rijksmuseum - The Rijksmuseum is the museum of the Netherlands. Its world-famous masterworks from the Dutch Golden Age include the Milkmaid by Vermeer and Rembrandt's Night Watch. The Rijksmuseum itself is also a masterpiece. · Musse d'Orsay - The history of the museum, of its building is quite unusual. In the centre of Paris on the banks of the Seine, opposite the Tuileries Gardens, the museum was installed in the former Orsay railway station, built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. |
Virtually walk through the British Museum of the World, tour Anne Frank's Home, visit the Sistine Chapel, sit aboard the Titanic, and so much more with this curated collection of historical field trips. |
|
Visit the museum's exhibition rooms and galleries, contemplate the façades of the Louvre...Come along on a virtual tour and enjoy the view, thanks to the sponsorship of Shiseido. |
|
An interactive experience through time, continents, and cultures, featuring some of the most fascinating objects in human history. |
|
MyAfrica transports viewers to the untamed rangelands of Kenya, where Lupita Nyong'o narrates the story of a young Samburu woman named Naltwasha Leripe. |
|
|
A collection of 360 virtual tours from some of the most well known and admired places around the world. |
The Uffizi was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de'Medici to house the Granducal Magistratures of Tuscany. Over time, the top floor loggia became an exhibition of the dynastic collection of ancient sculpture, artwork and artifacts. |
|
Like more than million-plus visitors who come to see them each year, you can look forward to experiencing the Cliffs of Moher: Ireland at its most natural, rugged, panoramic and breathtaking. |
|
Take an interactive tour of Stonehenge with our 360-degree view from inside the monument. Select the hotspots to find out more. |
|
Visit all of Rome's ancient landmarks, with a guide who speaks about each stop. |
|
Virtual travel guides and content, including videos, movie and book recommendations, and more. |
|
Joining us from their respective homes in Italy to our new digital stage, Accordi Disaccordi, an Italian trio with a gipsy jazz repertoire, will perform for us what they define “hot Italian swing” – a unique style combining jazz, swing, blues, folk influences, and famous film scores. |
|
Virtual field trips and visits to museums, landmarks, and historical sites, as well as a variety of virtual STEM-related activities, virtual museum visits, and digital explorations. |
|
Virtual tour of Mexican Architecture and Geography : a great breakdown of the country's unique architecture and landmarks including attractions like the Chichen Itza, Rio Grande, Catedral Metropolitana, Trans-Mexico Volcanic Belt. |
Gain a global perspective and advance your own intercultural learning through virtual study abroad opportunities. Because virtual courses are not tied to a geographical location, you can experience a variety of global learning opportunities while staying local. By enrolling in virtual study abroad courses, you join an online learning community that encourages your development as a global citizen.
Most virtual study abroad programs offer asynchronous teaching, as well as synchronous meetings to build community and provide mentorship with peers, faculty and staff in addition to engagement with local students and educators to enrich your cross-cultural experience. Scroll down for a listing of current virtual exchange and internship opportunites.
Considerations for Virtual Study Abroad Programs
As you research virtual study abroad and internship options, review programs with the following considerations in mind.
Desired Learning Outcomes
Study abroad participants will:
- Develop confidence, maturity, and empathy.
- Develop an understanding of the international dimensions of their fields of study
- Become acquainted with the opportunities available in and the challenges facing the respective country.
- Through critical reflection, gain an understanding that their world view is not universally shared
- Demonstrate an awareness of cultures other than their own
- Realize the importance of human diversity
Study Abroad as Career-Bridge Experiential Learning should have the following essential components:
- A prolonged experience spanning a semester or more that includes: a) preparation and an orientation for the students; b) support throughout the experience; c) reflection components; d) a concluding session, and e) follow-up with the student at regular intervals once the opportunity has concluded
- A supervisor and/or faculty member who can serve as a resource and mentor for the student during the experience
- An immersive, transformational experience that provides meaningful interaction with locals from the host culture (which may include interaction with students participating in the virtual program who are from that host institution (i.e. through online courses with group work and discussion), or through local site leaders/host staff who facilitate cultural immersion activities)
- Serve as a bridge between their academic experience and their future employment in the professional world
- Offer the opportunity to build global skills and develop interculturally
- Provide course offerings or internships opportunities from a global perspective with a clear purpose and intentional learning outcomes (to include guest lectures by host country experts in the fields of study; thematic focus on culturally significant locations and moments of historical relevance related to specified sites; active engagement with locals from host culture, etc.)
| Resource/Opportunity | Description |
|---|---|
| GoinGlobal | An extensive online resource provided by Virginia Tech for job or internship searches — anywhere, U.S. or abroad — and for anyone, including student visa holders! |
| Virtual Europe | Students can join Arcadia Abroad faculty in Barcelona, Dublin, Edinburgh, Granada, London or Rome for online courses or pursue a virtual internship and course, working for an employer in London, Athens or Rome. |
| CAPA Remote Global Internships |
|
| CIS Virtual Internships | As an intern working virtually, you’ll be placed with an international company, report to a supervisor abroad, work with colleagues via online platforms, and gain relevant professional experience in your field. |
| ISA Global Remote Internships | Students will gain international business experience through project-based learning, either in a group project, facilitated by a Professional Mentor, or an individual placement. |
| Puentes Remote Internships | The remote internship will include weekly cohort meetings and training sessions to further advance your career and strengthen your global network. Puentes offers the option of combining it with an in-person internship of 2-4 weeks in Argentina or Uruguay during Winter Break of 2020-2021. |
| USAC Global Perspectives | Virtual internships in marketing, business, digital communications, translation, and teaching English as a foreign language. 3 credits. |
| API Virtual Global Internship | Complete a virtual internship with an international organization to differentiate your resume, earn essential skills that employers value, and grow your professional network with the API Virtual Internship program. The internship will require a commitment of 4 days/32 hours a week |
| The Intern Group Virtual Internships | Flexible and customizable. Students can select their start date, how many hours per week they work, and the length of their internship. |
| Global Experiences Virtuoso Internships | Global Experience’s virtual internship program allows you to gain the same benefits from working with an international company and access to career coaching and a professional development program from anywhere in the world. Each internship lasts 8 weeks with 25-40 hours of work per week |
| Virtual Internships Database | Abroad101 has created and will begin promoting a new directory for virtual internships that have a global immersion focus. |