International students stranded online

Morocco has accepted new foreign students only in the academic disciplines that can be accessed through distance learning, amid travel restrictions and health risks resulting from COVID-19 – a step that has been both welcomed and criticised.

The announcement was made by the country’s ministry of higher education and scientific research in a press announcement on 6 January.

Abdellah Benahnia, a part-time international researcher and professor at the Superior Institutions of Science and Technology, an associate college of Cardiff Metropolitan University in Casablanca, told University World News that online studies were the only solution to save the country from a real catastrophe.

“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was vital to reduce the number of foreign students joining universities and colleges. They will be taught face to face at a later stage,” Benahnia said.

Former Fulbright scholar to Morocco, Elizabeth Buckner, told University World News there is not much Moroccan institutions can do.

“It makes sense to maintain distance education, at least for now, until COVID-19 is a bit more under control and vaccines are more widely available,” she said.

Buckner is now an assistant professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Remote learning for all disciplines

International students across the world are also affected by COVID-19 and the restrictions in terms of global travel and contact time on campuses.

“Remote or virtual learning is the way to go whether the foreign students are on campus or in their home countries,” said Evelyn Garwe, quality assurance and higher education specialist, and strategic and project manager at the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education.

“They should still be able to get a positive learning experience, regardless of their location,” she said.

Garwe said the use of virtual laboratories for scientific subjects is a good interim measure.

“In my opinion, there is really nothing that cannot be taught online. What is required is lecturer and learner capacity and a change of mindset.”

She pointed out that the short experience over the past year revealed that foreign students appreciated studying online as they save more time studying indoors than walking or driving to attend classes.

“Bad influence from peers is also limited, since there is limited interaction,” Garwe said.

“However, there is need for techno-savvy lecturing staff who are innovative in their teaching and can record lectures just in case students miss classes,” she added.

“Well-equipped libraries and efficient internet services are [also] critical for success.”

Garwe suggested that cultural learning be included in distance learning.

“Since studying abroad has an appeal because of exposure to the culture, language and social life outside the classroom, it is critical to include these aspects into the online curriculum to enrich their overall experience.”

However, David Comp, assistant provost for global education at Columbia College in Chicago in the USA, is not so sure remote learning is sustainable.

He told University World News that Zoom and other online platforms have helped maintain academic continuity but they are not sustainable in the long run for programmes of study that are not traditionally taught online.

“Additionally, distance learning also prevents the valuable intercultural and out-of-class experiences for international students to fully experience the rich and beautiful Moroccan and African culture and life,” Comp said.

Hybrid learning

Dr Ahmed Atia, head of advisory and research at the faculty of medical technology at the University of Tripoli in Libya, lobbies for a hybrid teaching model.

He told University World News: “Hybrid learning, which combines online instruction with an in-country experience, could be used with foreign students staying in the country where the university is located and students who already have visas with no travel limitations.”

Universities must also develop contingency plans that can be implemented when local and national governments introduce new COVID-19 regulations, Atia said.

Innovative solutions

Comp emphasised that innovative solutions in the distance learning sphere need to be enhanced “right now, with the pandemic still preventing significant global mobility”.

“Collaboration between faculty, IT and administrators need to happen more frequently at institutions of higher education to evaluate and identify new teaching methods to engage and support international students in the current distance learning environment,” he said.

Professor Olusola Oyewole, former vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta, Nigeria, emphasised partnerships between institutions.

“Universities in Morocco and indeed, universities in Africa, should form universities alliances with each other,” he said.

The alliances will allow students admitted into the universities in Morocco to be supervised and take lectures and examinations at accredited universities in their home countries, Oyewole said.

“The coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity for African universities to form collaborations among themselves in such a way that they can recognise the credits from each other,” he said.

“African universities should encourage their nationals to undergo studies in their home countries for programmes in foreign African universities. This will allow study abroad to continue during the pandemic,” he added.

Buckner said another option for allowing foreign students to come to study in Morocco would require ensuring they have a place to quarantine for 14 days after they arrive but before they can attend classes.

Professor Chika Sehoole, dean of the faculty of education at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, told University World News that the travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic create challenges for cross-border education.

They influence student and staff mobility, but do not mean that the “appetite for international education” will be diminished, he said.

Looking ahead

Tom Bogenschild, an affiliate at the Gateway International Group and former executive director of Global Education Oregon at the University of Oregon in Eugene, foresees a “very gradual return” of limited study abroad opportunities once vaccines are widely available and effectively reducing transmission risk.

“This will probably involve documentation of vaccinated status for the student, local faculty and staff, and housing personnel, as well as strict use of personal protective equipment throughout the stay,” he said.

“Short-term experiences will come first, and if successful, will lead to longer, more traditional periods of study abroad.”

Echoing Bogenschild’s views, Comp said institutions of higher education need to move forward with plans to host new international students in person or on campus with the prospect that the COVID-19 vaccines will begin to alleviate the current travel restrictions preventing new international students from entry.

Institutions of higher education need to collectively work with the various government agencies and departments that have insight into the value of and economic impact of international students on campus, Comp said.

The goal should be a comprehensive strategy for higher education students to bring international students to campus.