Breaking Barriers to Degrees: Reimagining International Education and Tech Access
Concurrent Session 6
Brief Abstract
How can we adapt technology and pedagogy for successful edtech integration for education without borders? This presentation will discuss a case study and share a framework for finding solutions to the potential technology challenges associated with delivering international education courses for global learners.
Presenters
Additional Authors
Extended Abstract
In 2020, a first of its kind program launched to offer four full academic degree programs in Mandarin to students in China. The program aimed to make the path to graduate degrees more accessible to the workforce in China by eliminating the language barrier. One key feature of this unique program included the need to evaluate emerging education technologies for use in China. Unfortunately, new technology tools that might be used in a Western context may not transfer seamlessly for delivery in other countries for reasons such as a lack of tool parity, internet or VPN accessibility for the student population, language barriers, cultural expectations, and government regulation.
Tackling these challenges requires careful design consideration of how to empower, not hinder, the ways in which we use technology to teach and learn, collaborate, and communicate in education contexts for international education equity and access. Situating technology infrastructure evaluation and implementation in the context of best practices in online pedagogy is critical to developing learner engagement and active online learners prepared to contribute to an increasingly automated global society.
Using these Mandarin graduate degree programs as a case study, this session will present the journey of technological solution discovery, including identifying alternative tech solutions and delivery systems and a framework for aligning technology with teaching and learning experience support for international education delivery. After an initial presentation from the panelists, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a design thinking session to brainstorm the application of the proposed framework to a scenario before closing with a brief question and answer period.
Join us to gain valuable insights and practical skills to identify and apply a framework to resolve technological barriers of access when designing learning experiences for international education. Attendees will also walk away with considerations for evaluating technology solutions that support all learners anywhere.