The Problem of Studying Abroad - Assignment Example

of the of the of the Studying Abroad is a Problem. Thesis ment: The problem of studying abroad as a foreign student. Studying abroad is a phenomenon that many students aspire to do. This is mostly true if the native countries of the students are other than the United States or the United Kingdom. The developed nations look like green pastures to foreigners. They assume that obtaining an educational degree from any of the developed countries would enhance their knowledge and skills like nothing else would. However the endeavor of moving abroad for further studies may often become a menace for many of the students. There often get many problems associated with studying abroad. Their intensity may vary but sometimes they may be as harsh as to motivate the foreign student to quit his studying tenure and go back home. One or few of the problems faced by foreign students may be narrated as follows: Expenses The first and the foremost reason why a student may think of reverting back from his studies abroad is the unexpected spending. Though the expected fee structure, semester fees, freight charges, residential fee and transportation fee may all be known to an individual before he moves to the foreign country but some hidden expenses might still be involved that become evident only after practical exposure to the respect scenarios. The everyday living charges and some other education later funds may become known to the student only after he has experienced practical settlement into the foreign country. These hidden costs might inflate with the passage and it may not even be certain as to what their rate of inflation would be. The global uncertainty of economic conditions may be regarded as one of the pushing factors that result in this uncertainty of situation. Incorporation The learning methods of the foreign country may be entirely different from those that have been followed by you in your educational system all your life. This might make incorporation into the foreign country’s learning setup difficult for the foreign students unless they are absolute geniuses. Diversity and Ethnicity Racial and ethnic discrimination may become a very grave issue for foreign students. If the ethnic background of the foreign student is targeted and is being mocked at by other students native to the foreign educational institution the learning environment becomes unbearable. Despite the understanding and open-mindedness of the twentieth century there have often been reported cases of ethnic discrimination against foreign students especially in areas like central London and Australia. Loneliness Staying away from home and family for months and often years is a very hard nut to crack. Students may be motivated enough to leave home for further studies but the hardships and settling compromises that they need to make in order to get adjusted into the new environment make them feel the worth of their native land and home. It is then that the foreign students feel really lonely and long for the helping hands that used to be always available for them back at their native homeland. Deceitful Reality As mentioned earlier things may seem really fairy tale like but it is nothing like that when dealt with in person. The cultural norms of the foreign country may be entirely different especially if it is a migration form an Asian or African country’s native to one of the Western countries. Everyone knows that Chinese people are different from Americans, Americans are different from Germans, some differences are obvious others are more subtle. We can name that cultural obstacle. Moreover the food is different, you will have lot of difficulties to find local French cheese in US, or local Italian wine etc. if the culture is different, the food will be too, certainly. Getting used to these cultural differences can be a real disadvantage for your study abroad experience. (Mariaabroad.) THE PROPOSED SOULTION There might be a number of things that may be incorporated in order to overcome the problem of studying abroad but their comprehensive solutions may be long term and may not reflect any early changes at all. These long term solutions may include the universality of course structure and teaching module being followed globally. This will eliminate the issue of the learning environment becoming an alien arena for the foreign students. There may be other long term solutions but one of them is the timeliest solution of all. Thanks to the advancements in information and communications technology electronic learning is one of the best possible solutions that eliminate all the difficulties related to the problem of studying abroad. The modern world of smartphone, tablet PCs laptops and PDAs has transformed the entire meaning of learning. The modern methods of learning are not at all the same as those old conventional methods in which students were bound to attend all classes personally in the university campus. Almost every individual, may it be in the urban areas of Asian and African countries or in the western countries, possesses a smartphone. The e-learning modules being offered by various universities offer online courses that can be accessed via any computing device. The e-learning modules do not pose any such restriction of taking specific lectures at specific times. The availability of online word processing and spreadsheet tools like Google Docs enables the composing of assignments online. All the lectures can be accessed by instructor monitored lessons. Interactive discussion forums enable all the students enrolled in the module to share their files and to comment and discuss the lecture details and other topics being covered. They may even correlate the attempting of assignments and research tasks. The latest trends of embedding biometric sensors and touch sensitivity into computing devices has enhanced their usability even more. The connection of each computing device is made secure over the internet amid the implementation of various advanced security protocols thus ensuring trustworthy e-learning. REBUTTAL The contemporary instructors at all educational levels may disregard the option of e-learning as any serious mode of learning stating that there can never be any substitute to the decorum of a classroom and physical interaction with an instructor. This however may have been very true in the earlier times but the inevitable embedding of technology in the lives of human beings has made the option of e-learning as being more attractive and appealing to youngsters as compares to the earlier conventional mode of study. More growth in learning takes place with individuals instructed with computer-based instruction methods — e-learning — compared to their counterparts instructed via traditional face-to-face methods, a study conducted by a Texas A&M University professor of education shows. (Nafukho) And again with respect to observation of several individuals working within their respective professional domains it was assessed that whether their learning was traditional or electronis and the following was found out: “We found that those instructed via e-learning showed an improvement in performance way higher than those instructed using the traditional face-to-face method,” (Nafukho) CONCLUSION Conclusively it may well be said that the advanced technology of e-learning is a remarkable proposed solution to all the problems associated with studying abroad. Irrespective of the irrespective time zones students can log into their e-learning websites whenever they feel convenient and continue to learn from their modules. WORKS CITED: Mariaabroad. Disadvantages of studying abroad. 2010. Web. May 2 2012. Mary, Beth Marklein. Study-abroad problems could increase with rising numbers. USA Today. May 27 2009. Web May 2 2012. < http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-05-27-study-abroad-problems_N.htm> Karen. The problem with studying abroad. February 5, 2007. Web. May 2, 2012. < http://www.utexas.edu/inside_ut/lconf/2007/02/the_problem_with_studying_abroad/> National School Boards’ Association. “Creating and connecting-Research guidelines on Online Social-and Educational-Networking”. 2007. Web. 8th November 2011.< http://www.citejournal.org/vol8/iss3/editorial/article2.cfm> Gulley, P.K. Pros and Cons of Computer Technology in the classroom. California State University, Sacramento. Spring 2003. Web. 8th November 2011. < https://www4.nau.edu/cee/jep/journals.aspx?id=90> Nafukho, Fredrick. e-Learning Better at Improving Performance Than Traditional Instruction. Texas A. & M. April 27, 2011. Web. May 2, 2012.< http://tamunews.tamu.edu/2011/04/27/17888/> Read More