Cultural orientation education platform CulturaGo has announced it will be offering university students and faculty members at institutions its services at no charge until August.
As part of its promotional push, the edtech startup has offered its services that help users to understand the culture of their study destinations better before arrival.
Founded in Delaware in the US, co-founder Stewart Brown is attempting to expand CulturaGo’s outlet and make its mark in the international edtech space with the move.
“When students and faculty are culturally integrated in a new place, they experience fewer instances of anxiety and depression, they perform better academically and are more likely to complete their program abroad successfully,” said Brown.
“Without access to deep and comprehensive information about the culture of their destination, talented students and staff can be deterred from enrolling in overseas programs, and those that do enroll may encounter culture shock,” he continued.
“Courses are developed by specialists, including anthropologists and sociologists, who have deep understanding”
After launching in early 2021, CulturaGo plans to use the momentum as the sector emerges from the pandemic to boost its outreach using its existing cultural orientation courses on South Korea, Japan and Spain.
While these courses, especially on South Korea and Japan, will only just be gaining momentum due to the late easing of border restrictions, the company’s courses still in development – the UK and Canada – are famously popular study destinations for millions of international students.
A course on Italy is also being developed.
“[The] courses are developed by specialists, including anthropologists and sociologists, who have deep understanding of the culture, and they are informed by first-hand experiences of locals,” Brown explained.
“The diversity, equity and inclusion modules in each course address critical topics like racial and ethnic diversity, sexual minorities and gender dynamics, making cultural exchange more accessible to historically underrepresented groups,” he added.
Universities can apply for the software here.
