‘Egypt in transition’: uniting service-learning and short-term study-abroad

Abstract

Study-abroad has become a popular method for promoting international education in university curricula. Yet, with today’s growing non-traditional student who is older, working, and increasingly a member of a racial/ethnic minority group, traditional study-abroad programmes of a semester or year abroad have become more problematic, if not impossible. The paradigm of short-term study-abroad, combined with a service-learning pedagogy, expands the opportunities for non-traditional students to have an international educational experience. This dual approach is applied to a study-abroad course in Egypt, using a ‘Service-Learning Cross-Cultural Research’ pedagogy. Data from student participants in our programme (based on qualitative data from student reflection papers, focus group interviews and student discussions) indicate an expanded global awareness, changed career goals and greater appreciation for cross-cultural dialogue.