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Many international educators like to see their students sharing stories from their abroad experiences, but rarely is storytelling a core component of an international education curriculum. We strongly believe that it should be. Here's why:
Top 10 Reasons Your Students Should Share Their Stories (Download PDF)
Stories...
- Add Educational Value
When students carefully craft stories, they are forced to think more deeply and to ask more questions, coming away with a greater understanding of what they experienced.
- Help You Recruit New Students
There is no better way to get students excited about the abroad experience than to share great stories from their peers. Powerful stories can inspire young people to want to get out into the world.
- Increase Your Visibility On Campus
By sharing your students’ stories, you can increase professors’ awareness of your abroad programs and also form a foundation for building connections with parents, supporters, and sponsors.
- Enhance Course Materials
Quality stories from students about abroad experiences can add fresh perspectives to courses in regional studies, history, creative nonfiction, and international relations, to name a few.
- Encourage a More Meaningful Abroad Experience
By highlighting meaningful experiences through stories, you can inspire other students to be more culturally engaged. Stories about drinking with other Americans or visiting tourist attractions just won’t make the cut.
- Help You Understand and Connect With Your Students
Stories offer you insight into students’ ideas, frustrations, and untapped interests. This, in turn, can help you tailor your program offerings to better suit your students’ needs.
- Expand Marketing Opportunities
A first-person testimonial is an incredibly effective marketing tool. You can repurpose stories in email campaigns, brochures, and other promotional materials.
- Inspire Productive Dialogue
Students who are currently abroad, or who have recently returned from abroad, often have a lot to say. Stories are a great way of creating smart dialogue around issues related to the abroad experience.
- Support Niche Interests
Through relevant stories, you can better reach out to and prepare students with certain sets of concerns—for example, race, gender, sexuality, etc.
- Add An Edge To Student Résumés
By sharing stories, students gain an innovative means of presenting their international experiences in their professional résumés and of getting noticed by future employers.
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