Grant Award View - GA204578

COVID-19’s mobility restrictions and increased use of online platforms have fundamentally challenged the mode of international education exchange. The project jointly addresses this challenge in two ways. FIRST, academics from the University of Sydney (USyd) and Kyungpook National University (KNU) will offer joint classes online for students from both universities, lecturing into each other’s units and running innovative educational exercises that encourage cross cultural exchange. In year 1, the exchange will take place entirely online. In years 2 and 3, if travel is permitted, the academics will travel to each other’s universities to teach intensively in each other’s units. Student experience will be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of virtual exchange in a cross-cultural online environment. SECOND, the project will conduct research on the impacts of COVID-19 on young Koreans participating in training internships in Australia. This research builds on pre-COVID research by one of the collaborators on the Korean government’s Youth Overseas Employment Support Programs (YOESP) which provides funding for young Koreans seeking training, internship and employment overseas. Results of both the teaching and research will be presented publicly in both countries, both at academic conferences and workshops with academics, policymakers and program stakeholders in attendance.