Study Abroad Advisor

Computers and Study Abroad

An Interview with Ruth Sylte on Using New Information Technologies in Study Abroad Advising

Conducted by Bill Hoffa

Bill Hoffa:Transition’s Abroad’s survey to gauge the impact of new telematic communication systems on study abroad resulted in a huge range of responses. [Editor’s Note: See “E-Mail and Study Abroad” in the January/February issue.] Many institutions seem up to speed on e-mail and the new computer communications technologies, but many are not. Your campus, the University of California-Irvine seems quite advanced in this regard. Why is there such a difference between campuses?

Ruth Sylte: Either somebody on the campus sees the possibilities and takes the lead, or else computer usage is such an overwhelming part of academic life that finally somebody in a leadership position wakes up. In our case, it had something to do with the technology being in place when I came into my position and my desire to see how it could be used. It was just a matter of doing it. But UC-Irvine is not unique. We do have a well-recognized computer science department, but in some areas we lag behind other schools in the use of computers. Our students are no more computer literate when they enter than other students. Many are still not aware of how to use the Internet to help with their education. Sometimes it takes a real nudge to get them to use the technology.

BH: What are some of the leading campuses in these regards?

RS: I have a great regard for what St. Olaf’s is doing (and not just because it’s my alma mater). Every student is on e-mail. There is a separate e-mail list for every class and every major on campus, updated nightly. Students have mailing lists which they can use to reach others with similar interest or problems. Quite amazing and very helpful. Many small private colleges with equivalent resources have simply not made the same commitment. It is not only a money issue, but rather one of resource allocation. People who control the money in many institutions sometimes have little understanding of why this technology is important and what it can do. The Univ. of Michigan, the Univ. of Minnesota, and Boston Univ. are all very well set up to use e-mail in support of study abroad advising and programming.

BH: Does student demand ever force the issue?

RS: Sometimes, I suppose, but no one really controls developments on campus. In general, faculty and higher level administrators are usually the least active and knowledgeable, especially on the World Wide Web. Students and lower-level administrators are the most active users. I look at it the way I look at the Internet—things can begin anywhere and end anywhere, and they don’t always proceed logically or uniformly.

BH: Why did you begin the UCI Center for International Education Newsletter?

RS: At UCI things were in place when I began, and my job was to use the technology to help get information to students about more than U-Cal programs. So we set up a “newsletter” on our campus computer system for our own students and invited other Internet users to join and to share their information. Last month we got 47,000 hits on our site, which is astounding. It works on basic Listserv software. But whereas on SECUSS-L or INTER-L all subscribers can post to the group, on our network all the postings come to me. That’s why we call it a newsletter. Anyone can subscribe, but people need to know that its primary mission is to reach the UCI community. We are happy to have others with us.

BH: What would a non-UCI subscriber get? Why do it?

RS: Darned if I know! I am amazed at the number and variety of people who have subscribed, from countries all over the world: Uruguay, Finland, Hungary, etc. They presumably have the perception that they will get something they can’t get elsewhere—but are probably bored by the notices of all the people coming to our campus, etc. I assume they appreciate getting information we post on the various programs. We also feature programming beyond the undergraduate level, such as faculty, staff, and volunteer opportunities, often open to people of any age, plus new things on the Internet.

BH: In our survey responses, many positive advantages of having e-mail available overseas were described, especially to resolve small administrative problems, etc. But a number of people expressed reservations, saying that the e-mail “lifeline” is too big and seductive, and that it interferes with the integration of students into their local foreign environment. Do you agree?

RS: I think this is a legitimate concern which we need to address together as we see how our students are using the technology. I’m not sure what the answer is. We can’t stop students from using it when they have access. In the UCI predeparture orientation program we warn students that spending too much time on the Internet can have a negative effect on their experience. On the other hand, a lot of things that can interfere with an ideal study abroad experience, like spending too much time in cafes and not studying. Students may overuse e-mail early on, but they seem to use it less and less as their dependency lessens and they open up to the culture and start to fit in. As wonderful as the Internet is, with all its different facets, it will never take the place of good old face-to-face conversation or of sharing a meal with somebody, just as letters have never taken the place of human contact. Nor for that matter has the telephone.

BH: What about the observation that students using the Internet might now have more information than advisers do?

RS: Yes, the advising relationship may be changed when students get their information from the Internet, but I think that’s a good thing. It’s important for students to take the initiative in gathering the information they need, and this is a good way to do it. When they come to talk with me about what they have learned, I see better prepared students. Many are ready to go to the next stage, which might be actually applying to a program. This makes for more meaningful advising because it allows us to get quickly past the basic questions into the more interesting stuff.

BH: Do you think students will select one program over another because it has e-mail access?

RS: I doubt it. I find my students are getting more adventurous—often going to developing countries where access is limited. For parents, however, it is good if programs have e-mail access, at least at the on-site office, and I suppose this is a selling point, other things being equal. But I hope I never have a student who chooses a program, or a country, because of its technology.

BH: How would you describe the recent NAFSA Coop Grant that UCI just received?

RS: The project this grant will fund is called “The World at Your Fingertips.” We will develop ways of educating our students on how to use the Internet to locate and prepare for international programs, to facilitate communication while they are there, and to continue to expand their international horizons after they return. We will concentrate on teaching Internet basics: choosing programs, getting to know the host country, etc. We will also stress appropriate Net conduct and ethics, as well as confidentiality issues. The finished UCI product (workshops, programming, guides) will then be available for other campuses to clone and adapt to their own circumstances and needs. We’ll be doing a lot of guinea pig work here, which we hope will pay off for us and for others.

There is an urgent need for this kind of understanding. Study Abroad advisers and students hunger for this information. Whatever we can do to help further the cause of not just studying but going abroad will be very gratifying for us. We’re pleased to play a leadership role, but it’s also a certain amount of fun for us, thinking things through and testing ideas. I could not have dreamt of keeping what we come up with to ourselves. Nor could my colleagues.

The fact is that many people in international education are alone, or at least don’t have a lot of people to talk shop with. We are all pulled in many directions, and we are expected to do more and more with less and less. Computer technology is one way of keeping up, for me and for everyone. It helps me do my job more effectively and efficiently. I hope we never lose the human touch, but we must also find new ways of communicating which are informative, welcoming, and maybe witty.

BILL HOFFA is an independent consultant in education abroad. RUTH SYLTE is Advisor in the International Opportunities Program at the Univ. of California-Irvine.