The US Department of State has hosted its first ever virtual study abroad fair with the Institute of International Education and CollegeWeekLive, an online platform which provides video conferencing facilities and resources for prospective students.
More than 3,000 people logged on to the virtual fair, which took place on the 25 February.
Fifty university representatives, US department of state officials and other exhibitors from 13 different countries gave live presentations for the visitors, and were on hand to respond to any questions.
California had the highest number of virtual fair participants, followed by Texas, Florida, New Jersey and New York
“This was an important opportunity to engage US college and high school students who might be interested in studying abroad, but haven’t yet visited their campus’ study abroad office, or haven’t yet picked a programme,” Daniel Obst, deputy vice president of international partnerships at IIE, told The PIE News.
“We also hope that this virtual fair engaged a new audience of students that may not typically attend study abroad fairs held on their home campuses. The online platform allowed many students from all over the country to participate and benefit from one comprehensive fair.”
In addition to study abroad programmes with universities, the presentations also talked about internships overseas, and highlighted the value of spending time out of your degree abroad.
California had the highest number of virtual fair participants, followed by Texas, Florida, New Jersey and New York.
The most popular of the day’s presentations was: ‘Scholarships and Careers: Opportunities Abroad with the US State Department’.
IIE currently has a five-year initiative which aims to double the number of US students studying abroad by the end of the decade. Generation Study Abroad is encouraging a higher participation in international experience through study abroad, internships and other educational experiences.
“International experience is one of the most important components of a 21st-century education,” said Allan Goodman, president of IIE. “And studying abroad must be viewed as an essential experience when students are earning their degree.”
The fair is one of seven CollegeWeekLive is holding throughout the 2014/15 academic year, through which it aims to reach some 90,000 international students.
[Source:-The Pie News]