Experiential learning… remotely: Study abroad, global citizenship and NGO management

Abstract

Experiential learning has become a fundamental pillar of higher education, particularly in public administration and nonprofit management programmes. This approach purposefully aims to engage learners directly in (a) concrete experiences; (b) focused, personal reflection; (c) abstract conceptualizations and (d) active experimentation. As universities have increased attention on experiential learning, they have also developed more study-abroad opportunities that position global citizenship as a primary expected learning outcome. Following the cancellation of study-abroad opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study provides an opportunity to review the student outcomes of two courses with the same materials, course focus (NGOs in Southeast Asia) and learning objectives: a study-abroad cohort in 2016 and a remote cohort in 2020. The findings suggest that the remote version may lead to similar outcomes in terms of global citizenship dispositions as the in-person version, although students in the remote version exhibited a more superficial, homogenized response to course materials. Implications for online, on-site and hybrid learning are discussed.