Seminar Nasional Pendidikan

Category: Admission

  • International student visa applications down by 40%

    International student visa applications down by 40%

    Germany’s federal government has confirmed that the coronavirus crisis has had a considerable impact on academic mobility.

    Responding to a demand for information made in parliament by the opposition Green Party in March, the government revealed that there had been a sharp fall in the number of visa applications submitted by international students and researchers.

    Processing abroad of applications for stays in Germany can now take up to one year, parliament was also told.

    From 2019 to 2020, the number of visa applications for international students and researchers fell by almost 40%. In 2019, a total of 78,985 visa applications were processed, with 70,672 visas being granted. The corresponding figures for 2020 were just 49,073 and 43,207 respectively.

    Pre pandemic Germany had nearly 400,000 international students studying at its universities, according to Studying in Germany.

    Thirty-one out of 173 German diplomatic missions abroad are either granting no visas at all or are only doing so in a very restricted manner. In the same period, the overall number of international first-year students fell from 32,229 to 22,830.

    The federal government explains that the spread of the virus has led to a sometimes considerable reduction of staff capacities for handling visa applications at the consulates abroad, resulting in longer waiting periods for applicants.

    Many visa offices have had to restrict public hours and take measures to protect visitors as well as staff. Additionally, operations are sometimes constrained by measures, including lockdowns, taken by authorities in the respective countries.

  • What Unis Can Do To Keep You Engaged When Studying Online

    What Unis Can Do To Keep You Engaged When Studying Online

    We’re living in a different world than we were a few months ago, with almost all elements of our lives having shifted online, from studying remotely to video-calling friends and family.

    Understandably, living your entire life through a computer screen can cause motivation and focus to take a dip here and there. For many who’ve never had to study remotely before, making the adjustment is likely to have been taxing.

    So, it’s worth paying attention to what universities are doing to ensure their students are getting the most out of their studies when at home, with even more distractions readily available.

    QS in Conversation recently held a virtual panel on this topic, featuring: Dr Betty Vandenbosch Chief Content Officer at Coursera; Alex Chisholm Head of Analytics at QS Quacquarelli Symonds; Dr Gog Soon Joo Chief Futurist, Chief Skills Officer, Chief Research Officer at SkillsFuture Singapore.

    Are students performing better with online learning weaved into their academic year?

    In the online space, a student is in control of their learning experience; how they curate and learn, and also if they repeat tasks. But what needs to be done by educators to encourage students to undertake their studies?

    Vandenbosch said: “I think the most important thing is that students and faculty together have to recognize that it’s a different world.

    “In online education, the instructional design helps faculty put together a course that is engaging and helps people.

    “With instructional design you can have worked examples, readings, peer experiences, projects, guided projects, all sorts of things you can do to help students learn better than just watching a video and taking notes. That’s what’s going to make the difference in helping students stay engaged online.”