Baruch Introduces Interactive Tutorials for International Students
The International Student Services Center, working with e-learning
specialists Kognito Solutions Inc. and the Baruch Computing
and Technology Center, recently launched a new set of interactive
online tutorials
that provide comprehensive resources for current international
students and detailed instructions for overseas applicants.
The tutorials help
both prospective and current foreign students to navigate
through all aspects of the international student experience,
from visa applications and immigration law to living in New
York City.
The tutorials, averaging
40 minutes in length and designed to work on both dial-up
and high-speed Internet connections, are much more thorough
and sophisticated than comparable information sites at other
colleges. There is one general guide for undergraduate students,
along with separate guides for graduate students at the Zicklin
School of Business, the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences,
and the School of Public Affairs.
Arthur Downing, head of information and technology at Baruch,
says that the need for the comprehensive tutorial arose because
of significant and complex developments in the immigration
process following the September 11, 2001 attacks. “We
saw that students really needed a central knowledge resource,”
said Downing. “Working with Kognito Solutions, we were
able to develop tutorials aimed at students in all three units
of the college.”
Baruch’s efforts to attract international scholars have
not gone unnoticed—Stephen Goldberg, director of the
International Student Service Center, was recently honored
by the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office. The award recognized
the assistance and advice that Goldberg has given to Taiwanese
students during his tenure at the Center, as well as his sponsorship
of educational exchanges between the United States and Taiwan.
The award was the first of its kind presented by the Taipei
Economic & Cultural Office, reflecting the more than 300
international students of Taiwanese origin enrolled at Baruch.