Pandemic fulcrum

Although the pandemic has thwarted travel plans and limited student collaboration with community partners, students have taken advantage of virtual opportunities.

Students have been involved in more than 200 remote internships, community engagement experiences, and community-based learning course projects. These ranged from reporting for a news agency to an internship in the HR department of Krispy Kreme.

Davidson’s partnership with the Qasid Institute has brought many students to Amman, Jordan in recent years to study Arabic, but the program quickly turned into a virtual mode for Davidson students due to the pandemic.

“I was very impressed with how they zoomed in with the whole group of students and faculty to explain the online option,” said Professor of Arabic Studies Rebecca Joubin. “They immediately assured us that they would incorporate a cultural component.”

In the fall, the students came back to enroll in advanced Arabic courses like their predecessors.

“It is incredible to believe that we can talk to and immerse ourselves in a completely different country so easily [and] Culture from the comfort of our own home, ”remarked one student.

While many students improved the language, some found it difficult to move from an Arabic-intensive virtual environment to a home where no one spoke the language.

“While the Arab faculty dreams that students can travel safely again,” said Joubin, “I am grateful for Qasid’s help in ensuring that our students remain competitive in their studies and on their way to language skills like their predecessors are.”

The Arabic program was online again this summer.