D-Lab Study Abroad: Furthering MIT's Mission to Provide Global Experiences

This proposal outlines a pilot program for a new model of study abroad that furthers the D-Lab mission of developing innovative technologies to address the needs of underserved communities. In this model, the student not only has a semester-long international experience, but also enrolls in classes at MIT and is actively engaged as a remote participant of a design team, providing unique insights through fieldwork and end-user engagement that are normally lacking in US-based design classes focusing on the developing world. A successful pilot of this model would encourage others at the Institute to think critically on how they too might allow students who are not on-campus to take part in their courses, and how this could enrich the overall classroom experience of all students.