The rise of virtual exchange programs (VEPs) has allowed students from different parts of the world to connect and learn from each other in ways that were previously not possible. These connections are particularly valuable for students in areas where travel and options to study abroad are limited due to political, economic, and safety concerns.
Since 2020 the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI), with support from the Stevens Initiative, has facilitated Business & Culture (B&C)—a VEP among academic institutions in Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, and the United States. The program provides tools and frameworks for doing business across cultures and features eight 90-minute sessions in which students across the countries learn together in real time. Through an action-learning capstone project, students collaborate in cross-cultural teams on a written plan to internationalize a product. Participants gain the skills they need to communicate, problem solve, and collaborate in a global team environment.
Through the five offerings of the program to date, the WDI team has observed the impact a VEP can have on students with limited access to quality education and international connections. With additional grant support from the Stevens Initiative, WDI conducted research and drew on learnings from the past offerings of B&C to develop a marketing strategy aimed at recruiting additional students from marginalized communities in Libya. Through this process, we discovered many benefits that this kind of program can provide for similar communities, while uncovering barriers limiting access to students with diverse backgrounds.
Improved educational access and cross-cultural competencies in Libya
We discovered that B&C has provided improved accessibility to high-quality education in Libya for a wider range of students, according to both educators and participants in the program.
“Access to quality educational institutions in Libya is a common obstacle for students from remote areas and even bigger urban cities,'' said Younes Nagem, CEO of the Benghazi Youth for Technology & Entrepreneurship (BYTE), which facilitates B&C in Libya. “Schools and educational buildings have been damaged or destroyed in some areas because of the war and conflicts over the past 10 years. Across Libya, security remains the major fear for all Libyan families, and many refuse to send their children to school. VEPs allow more people to get a better and safer educational experience.”
We also found that B&C has improved cross-cultural competencies for students in Libya. In addition to difficulties accessing quality education, young people in Libya rarely have opportunities to interact with peers from outside their own communities. For Esra Elmhdewi, a participant from Benghazi majoring in industrial engineering and manufacturing systems, the program has provided unique opportunities for cross-cultural learning. “My teammates [in the group assignment] from Egypt and the United States were my first interactions with people who weren’t Libyan,” she said, pointing to the exposure to different cultures offered by the program.
Barriers to accessing VEPs in Libya
While VEPs help to bridge obstacles to quality education, having the technology necessary to participate remains a challenge. In Libya access to a computer and a reliable internet connection, particularly in rural and remote areas, is far from guaranteed. To improve accessibility of B&C in Libya, BYTE provides a meeting space in Benghazi for students to attend the virtual connected sessions and complete assignments. BYTE also has made arrangements with co-working spaces in Benghazi and more remote areas of Libya like Sirte and the Jufra District for students to join the sessions there.
Cross-cultural team assignments were also challenging for students from Libya. “Libyan students have faced barriers in collaborating with other international students for some assignments where they have different academic backgrounds. Their lack of experience with international students and educational opportunities makes some students feel shy at the beginning. It takes some time for them to connect with other students and start learning from the experience,” said BYTE’s Younes Nagem
Hasan Elshawaihdi, a current participant from Benghazi majoring in engineering, confirmed that the most challenging part of the program has been keeping up with his peers on the academic content. “I haven’t been exposed to key terminology or concepts, and haven't had much experience or people to really discuss these terms and concepts with.”
While the specific benefits and barriers of VEPs for underserved populations may differ outside of Libya, we believe that the larger trends we identified can be useful in our future programs and those of others. At WDI we look forward to building upon our work with Business & Culture to make VEPs accessible to students from all backgrounds