✨JWL Student Spotlight✨ For me, the most impactful part of Jesuit Worldwide Learning has been learning to reflect on myself and my experiences. It's helped me understand what I'm good at, what I'm passionate about, and what I need to work on. Through JWL, I've gained clarity on what I want to achieve in life and what's important to me. This has helped me make better decisions and stay focused on my goals. I've also become more resilient and better at handling challenges. What I love about JWL is that it's not just about academics; it's about growing as a person. It's taught me to be more mindful, self-aware, and intentional about my life. I feel more confident and prepared to take on new challenges and pursue my dreams. ✨Israel Certificate in Liberal Studies Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi 🎁Donate today https://tinyurl.com/24az4xcy so more youth in excluded communities can access higher education. #JWLStudentSpotlight #HigherEd #PersonalDevelopment (fb)

Blended learning provides the ‘best of both worlds’ by engaging our students with peers and professors across the globe through online discussion forums… But how connected, heard, or understood do students feel through these online interactions? How ‘present’ and ‘real’ do they perceive themselves and others to be, in these digital conversations? For her master’s thesis in Educational Media, Ulrike Kersten took a closer look at JWL’s blended learning setup, focusing on the usage of asynchronous discussion forums. The study explored if and how the Jesuit concept of cura personalis (care for the whole person) influences social presence. The results of the study show that students perceive social presence to varying degrees. Communicating in a language other than their native language and through a computer or mobile phone can initially affect social presence but embedding cura personalis in the learning methodology supports its establishment over time. Social interactions through the online discussion forum eventually create a collaborative environment, through which learners support each other. Students referred to the online community as a ‘learning family’, reflecting a sense of closeness and connectedness – an indicator of social presence. Download Ulrike’s full thesis to find out more! https://tinyurl.com/y4b3j854 #HigherEd #BlendedLearning #OnlineLearning (fb)