Short-term study tours as a driver for increasing domestic student mobility in order to generate global work-ready students and cultural exchange in Asia Pacific

Abstract

Recent federal government programmes in Australia have seen a shift in focus from the international student towards increasing the possibilities for domestic mobility through short- and long-term exchange opportunities. The current New Colombo Plan funding scheme encourages Australian students, who have traditionally undertaken semester-long programmes in like-minded Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations such as USA and UK, to pursue short-term study in Asia Pacific. Cross-cultural awareness through global learning experiences is key to students in the twenty-first century particularly in Australia – a multicultural country with a diverse mix of cultures from over 250 countries [Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2011. Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census 2012–2013. Accessed January 1. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013]. Graduates who have studied abroad, even for a short period of time, in a culture significantly different to one's own, are more culturally adaptable, aware and able to work more effectively in multicultural work environments than students without this experience [Lipsett, A. 2008 Graduates who have Studied Abroad More Appealing to Businesses. October 16. http://www.guradian.co.uk/education/2008/oct/16/students-highereducation]. Short-term study tours can engage domestic students to look outwards whilst at the same time reflecting inwards on their own cultural behaviours. Thus they can be a driver for creating a work-ready graduate with strong cross-cultural communication skills. In this paper, I will argue that short-term study tours, to a culture significantly different to one's own, should be a key focus of internationalisation in tertiary education. Although focussed on the Australian context, the discussions in this paper reference student data from the USA and UK thus findings may be applied to other nations.