Studying Away Post COVID-19 and Beyond: Making High Impact Learning Practices Equitable

Abstract

Halfway through the Spring 2020 academic year, many institutions canceled face-to-face classes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this in-person to online transition, educators had to rethink how studying away could be offered to undergraduate students. Technology allowed some to provide study away opportunities, incorporate inclusive pedagogies, diversify the student study away population, and specifically target students traditionally underrepresented in study-away/study-abroad programs. This includes students who are first-generation, of color, from working-class families, and with disabilities. In doing so, the author of this work was able to provide high-impact learning practices for diverse students and expose students to the research process while studying away, via an online asynchronous course. Here, the author shares some practices of leading a fully online study away course via video site visits, virtual student travel, and expert interviews. This work is important as it advances the literature on the pedagogies and practices of Interdisciplinary educators.