Australian student mobility to the Indo-Pacific region through the New Colombo Plan

This report is the summary of the key findings from ARC Future Fellowship project. The key findings emerging from the national survey of 1,371 NCP students and alumni, in country fieldwork and interviews with related stakeholders are summarised below: Motivations: The primary motivations of students were to challenge themselves (96%), gain experience in the Indo-Pacific region and broaden their understanding about the region (96%), become familiar with another culture (96%), and travel to a new place (95%). Impacts: The research found that the impact of short-term mobility on student learning outcomes and development is similar to that of long-term mobility, with mean scores of 4.25/5 and 4.3/5 respectively. However, short-term mobility students are more satisfied with their learning abroad experience than long-term ones, with mean scores of 8.81/10 and 8.49/10 on meeting expectations, respectively. Empirical evidence from the interviews and survey shows short-term mobility is beneficial because: • Students are exposed to collective learning with their cohort and host communities • Academic program leaders actively enhance academic rigour • Students have access to academic staff 24/7 who provide not only content knowledge expertise and academic learning support, but also cultural, social, wellbeing, medical and travel advice • Learning is contextualised in an authentic environment by leveraging host community partnerships established by academics, universities and third-party providers