Students who go abroad, it is commonly assumed, return with new skills in intercultural communication and a worldly open-mindedness. While this is undoubtedly true for many students, some also come home from their stay abroad with negative learning outcomes and reinforced prejudices. This undesirable effect of study abroad can be counteracted by preparing and accompanying students during their time abroad with a mentoring system that supports them not only in their critical social and cultural negotiation with the host country but also in reflecting upon their own behaviour in the intercultural connection.
In order to implement intercultural learning at university level, the University of Bern and the University of Technology in Sydney developed MILSA, a mentoring program that helps facilitate students’ intercultural learning through study abroad and supports them in building constructive and open attitudes towards host country’s culture and society.
As part of the program, MILSA participants write three blog posts about their intercultural learning experiences and their stay abroad which will be published on this website.
Find out more about the program and MILSA participants on our website www.milsa.unibe.ch.
MILSA blog 