Monash University in Australia has developed an immersion international experience for first year students titled the Global Immersion Guarantee (GIG) which enables first year Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Global Studies and associated double degree students to attend a fully funded immersion learning experience starting with India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Italy.

While the European  Union has done much to encourage international experience for students across Europe, such programs are far less common in countries like Australia where distance and costs have tended to act as barriers. However, global consciousness and perspectives should now be an essential outcome of education for a rapidly changing world of opportunity and threat.  In the case of universities, this means a greater focus on social aspects of their work.

The recent PASCAL report entitled Towards good active ageing for all in a context of deep demographic change and dislocation, produced by the PASCAL and PIMA SIG on Learning in Later Life, commented on these challenges in respect of learning in later life, so that it is pleasing  to see a university program such as this.

PASCAL welcomes information on similar programs in other countries for the PASCAL website, especially programs involving developing countries , with a copy for the author of this note.

Peter Kearns
PASCAL International Observatory Board