MSM Higher Ed has launched a Global Awareness and Study Skills online course aiming to help international students prepare for studies overseas, and boost pre-departure services at higher education institutions globally post-Covid-19.
“Too often students arrive in their host country without a full understanding of where they are going”
The course for students at MSM’s 45 Global Marketing Office partner institutions will feature modules covering pre-departure and arrival planning, social and cultural awareness, part-time employment preparation, effective study skills and academic integrity.
Destination institution content will also be included, and GASS can be tailored to institutions’ requirements through workshops, presentations, assigned reading, or video viewing to help students transition smoothly to their courses overseas.
The GASS course is also mandatory for all MSM Higher Ed Pathway students who are preparing to study at 25 Founding Member partner institutions located in Canada, the US, Australia, the UK and Europe.
“Too often students arrive in their host country without a full understanding of where they are going, what they will study, and what is expected of them,” said Donna Hooker, MSM Higher Ed president.
The course will “assure institutions that incoming students are confident in their transition to a new country, able to integrate into the community, and well-equipped to balance their study, social, and employment plans”, she added.
It also gives families assurances that their children are “safe, knowledgeable, and ready to meet the challenges of studying abroad”, Hooker suggested.
MSM Higher Ed Prep is “customised and well-aligned” for college or university track in any part of the world, she added.
“We are immensely excited how this initiative showcases our goals of offering education management solutions that transform lives and communities, including for students who plan to study abroad and the institutions that receive them,” Hooker concluded.
Last week, The PIE hosted a webinar on student support, with much of the discussion focused on supporting newly arriving students in Canada who need to undergo quarantine procedures.