Reciprocal Global Learning: from Pilot to Permanence

Boston College is a leading research university rooted in the Jesuit tradition, with a strong commitment to formative education, global engagement, and the pursuit of the common good. As global issues became more central across academic disciplines, the university sought new ways to make global learning real and reciprocal—connecting students meaningfully with the communities and regions they study, not just about.

Client
Boston College

The Experience

Since 2018, Boston College has partnered with Shared_Studios on six global learning labs. These programs enabled students to engage directly with communities including Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh), Nakivale (Uganda), Gaza City (Palestine), Bamako (Mali), Herat (Afghanistan), Erbil (Iraq), and Kigali (Rwanda).

The programming was shaped in collaboration with faculty to align with departmental learning goals, university-wide themes, and major events such as International Education Week. Connections were integrated into co-curricular programs and academic coursework across seven departments including International Studies, Religion & Philosophy, and the Schiller Institute for Global Responsibility.

A recurring focus was on reciprocal global learning—providing students with the opportunity not just to study communities, but to build shared understanding with them in real time.

The Results

Shared Studios programming has become a powerful tool for advancing Boston College’s global mission and expanding how students engage with real-world issues. Faculty members repeatedly chose to return, expand, and deepen the work-transforming initial pilot projects into a sustained practice of immersive learning.

Student Outcomes:

Over 2,000 students have participated in immersive conversations
Students described sessions as "eye-opening", "deeply humanizing" and indicated that it made learning feel more meaningful and lasting
Conversations challenged preconceived ideas and inspired greater global awareness, empathy, and civic engagement

Faculty Feedback:

Faculty praised the project for sparking engagement, reflection, and critical thinking amongst their students
Multiple departments and teachers re-engaged across years, with one faculty leader noting: "This is not a pilot project. This is a proven engagement that really mattered to people.”

"It’s an opportunity to see the humanity of the distant other, to meet with people in different life circumstances than our own, and to have real conversations with them."

Erik Owens, Director of International Studies
"In my courses we talk a lot about the power of solidarity through proximity, which is the ability to see another’s cause as your own by meeting with others and listening to their lived experiences. The essential first step is for students to have an encounter with another culture."

Joshua Snyder, Professor of Theological Ethics
"The most striking part of these conversations from the students’ perspective was how normal they were. My students saw first-hand the ability of people in Afghanistan to separate the American people from American politics—and now believe in the importance of doing the same when encountering people from other countries."

Natana DeLong-Bas, Professor of Theology
"It felt like we were sharing one space, instead of being 7,000 miles away from each other."

Student