Studying abroad: Experiences of Bhutanese IT Engineering Student

Abstract

This work-in-progress research discusses the impacts of the student exchange program on Bhutanese Information Technology exchange students. Student exchanges are common among various academic institutions to enhance competency, collaboration, and cultural exchange. For example, an exchange program between the College of Science and Technology, Royal University of Bhutan, Bhutan, a young developing institution, and Uppsala University, Sweden, an old, established university, has witnessed successful bilateral partnerships since 2016. Both partners see the exchange program as fruitful. However, the researchers have not yet researched the outcome of the program on the students. Therefore, in this case study, we study and discuss the influence of the exchange program on the Bhutanese exchange students in this paper. We collected the data from several semi-structured interviews and analyzed the transcripts qualitatively. We asked each student five guiding questions and several follow-up questions. The responses were discussed and jointly investigated by the three first authors. We concluded that studying abroad helps the students to develop in many fields. In this paper, we describe their general experiences, challenges, and growth as perceived by them. Furthermore, the study revealed how the differences between the environments proved to be constructive for the students, as the program contributed to the growth of students, including skills and knowledge.