The Canadian Bureau for International Education recently launched a website, which aims to provide information to foreign students planning to study in Canada, and Canadian students attempting to study abroad.
CBIE is an organization that offers international students access to Canadian education through innovative and informative services for over 40 years.
Istudentcanada.ca, which has been live since November 18, is an interactive website for domestic and foreign students of Canada, as well as Canadian students interested in studying abroad.
The website features blogs from past and current students, marketing and recruitment specialists, international student advisors, webinars from CBIE, full social media integration, as well as videos, photos, and articles. “From iStudent Canada, the student can drill down to the institutional level to get specific information from the school they are interested in,” says David McDine, Manager of Research and Special Projects at CBIE.
The website uses a moderator system and is supported by a group of roughly twelve committee members. These moderators have the authority to delete unsuitable and inappropriate comments, as well as block users who mistreat and abuse the forums. The website also provides many networking opportunities and support systems for foreign students through the aid of their partners such as British Columbia Council for International Education, Cegap International, International Consultants for Education and Fairs, and Navitas.
“We want this site to be driven by students and IE professionals, and over time, this community will take over and drive much of the interaction on the site,” says McDine.
“However, for the first couple months we will be relying on institutions (including students and education professionals), our partners (including government and non-government), and CBIE staff to actively contribute to iStudent Canada on a day to day basis.”
A fourth year psychology student, Rob Mandarino, says he feels iStudent Canada is a valuable resource.
“I believe the website is useful, as it provides detailed information on how to reach convocation status, how to adjust to studying abroad, and convenient blogs and forums for any questions or concerns you may have during your international education experience,” says Mandarino.
McDine is optimistic about the future of this website.
“We have a large group of supporters and I am certain iStudent will be busy in no time,” says McDine.
There are comparable websites to iStudent Canada in other regions of the world such as the British Council in the UK, and Future Unlimited in Australia.
CBIE and educational institutions are looking to work in collaboration with one another, as McDine describes.
“We hope universities and colleges will similarly link to iStudent Canada on their own institutional sites,” says McDine. “We view our universities and colleges partners, not competitors with regard to digital marketing to students.”
Daniel Calabretta
Contributor
