Can’t be there in person? No problem. In lieu of traveling by plane, Georgia College students now have the option to see the world through a different lens.

Study abroad—like everything else these days—has gone virtual.

“We were originally supposed to be in Europe,” said Dr. Joy Godin, associate professor of Information Systems. The faculty-led trip to the Netherlands, Germany and France was canceled due to COVID-19.

Her response was to think outside-the-box and re-imagine the college experience.

“I decided to rework the experience to have it take place online,” Godin said. “Overall, I think this has been a unique and rewarding experience for our students, giving them the opportunity to develop virtual collaboration skills, as well as creative problem-solving techniques.”

Georgia College students at a virtual study abroad meeting.

Normally, dozens of Georgia College students take advantage of study abroad opportunities each summer—learning, exploring, conducting research and providing health care in communities around the world.

This summer, twelve Georgia College students were scheduled to go on Godin’s European trip. They were given the option to complete the course this year in a digital format or wait until next year and travel, if possible.

Three students chose to collaborate in online meetings—getting much of the same experience as originally planned, only virtually. Georgia College students are partnering with students from the University of Muenster in Germany and University of West Georgia.

The experience is given realistic qualities with “Design Thinking Training” by SAP, a company that provides enterprise application software, database, analytics, intelligent technologies and experience management. German and American students work in global virtual teams, using a cloud-based system called Mural.

This online training—coupled with solving problems for a real German company—gives students like Logan Lamb of Macon real-world experience for their future career. The management information systems major will work as a logistics manager at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins.

Lamb planned to cap his senior year with study abroad, hoping it’d “be a one-of-a-kind experience to remember for years to come.” When the pandemic hit, he decided to make the most of the opportunity at hand and go to Europe virtually.

“I felt confident that our program facilitators would do a fantastic job, given the circumstances, to provide an outstanding experience for all students participating in the program,” Lamb said.

“Given that organizations are conducting more business internationally,” he added, “experiences like the ones we are having now inside of our class with virtual team meetings will better prepare me  for the workforce.”

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