Virtual International Internships: Travelling the Globe while Staying Home

In a year beset with travel cancellations, third-year Carleton student Ida Harkness has lost her study abroad opportunity in India that was to begin in January 2021.

Harkness’ semester abroad was part of the International Experience Requirement (IER), a requisite to graduate from Carleton’s Bachelor of Global and International Studies (BGInS) program.

BGInS student Ida Harkness

“I was geared up and totally focused on going abroad in January, then all of this happened, and I had to pull out my application,” says Harkness.

Then, she enrolled in the course, Global and International Group Project (GINS3100), which offers global experiential learning through a virtual model. The course provides a unique opportunity for Carleton students to learn about international matters from home.

GINS 3100 is one of six IER options and the only one that does not require physical travelling.

“I definitely had my sights set on going abroad, largely because of the prestige associated with travelling among the student community,” says the third-year student.

“But this course has served me in so many ways, from professional connections to impactful and meaningful work.”

Marylynn Steckley is a Carleton instructor who launched this course in 2017. Back then, it was the first of its kind at Carleton and in all of Canada.

“We were ahead of the game that we never knew would be played on a global scale,” says Steckley.

She says these types of internships tend to be travel-based overseas opportunities, which present limitations for some students.

“We have students with different abilities, mental health challenges, financial limitations, and personal commitments. In my mind, this is not an equitable kind of pedagogical model,” says Steckley.

Marylynn Steckley, Arthur Kroeger College

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