Bridging Divides: Finnish and American Art + Design Innovation Exchange

Paper: claudia roeschmann (Texas State University) and Karoliina Niemelä (Oulu University of Applied Sciences)

Abstract

This panel including faculty and students from a Finnish and a U.S. university will provide insights to the planning, execution and outcome of a virtual study abroad during the pandemic when all international travel was cancelled on campus due to Covid-19. The “”Finnish and American Art + Design Innovation Exchange””, a project with the intent to increase collaboration between American and Finnish students, promotes innovation and entrepreneurship, and exposes Finnish students to American art and culture. The kick-off for the exchange program was a two-day virtual workshop, five weeks into the semester, that engaged 42 students in collaborative projects and allowed them to reflect on cultural differences throughout the processes of framing a challenge, working through the problem, and implementing a solution. The cross- cultural collaboration projects focused on global change through art and design innovation. Students were guided on embracing inclusivity, diversity and different perspectives through these processes – while also overcoming barriers such as language and time zone constraints. The panel will showcase the different global perspectives of the mega trends that students worked on. It will bring forward the students’ perspective from each country, and their respective experiences engaging in a virtual study abroad. It will address the importance of developing cultural sensitivities and adapting to globalization, while being pushed out of comfort zones and building confidence, while also sharing best practices in hybrid model teaching in international and local contexts. This project has highlighted the best aspects of the remote teaching model that we were all forced to jump in, and showcases how students have embraced remote teaching over the past two years because of Covid-19 restrictions. Traditional study abroad programs improve critical thinking skills and help build students’ confidence while world views expand and experiential learning takes place – it’s time to bridge all divides and take more study abroad programs virtual to empower all students to gain these skills and learn globally.