400 students at The Creative School access unparalleled virtual global learning experiences

New virtual international opportunities emerge for students during lockdown with The Creative School’s pivot last year to online experiential learning. A swift re-envisioning of international opportunities with new virtual global learning initiatives (opens in new window)  and strengthened online partnerships continue to provide opportunities for students to participate in experiential global learning initiatives.

“Whether it be embedded within curricular opportunities or not-for-credit co-curricular opportunities, international opportunities are at the core of The Creative School’s activities,” said Sadia Kamran, manager of international development at The Creative School.

The School of Graphic Communications Management launched the first virtual exchange program (opens in new window)  in April 2020 to resounding success, with more than five times the typical uptake of students for the two-week exchange program.

Buoyed by this success, The Creative School more vigorously pursued the virtual global learning model to foster stronger relationships with its 40+ partners from around the world. The enthusiasm led The Creative School to launch 21 all-new online global learning projects, with more than 400 participants from The Creative School participating in a global experience between May 2020 and April 2021.

Collaboration in action

One of these online collaborations included the School of Journalism, which tapped into its existing partnership with City, University of London (external link, opens in new window) . The two created ‘Global Forum: What Makes You Tick on TikTok,’ an interactive dialogue available open to first year journalism students in each school to address the topic, "Misinformation/Disinformation: What can journalists do?” This global forum is an opportunity for students to discuss timely news distribution channels and what resonates as news for them, and why. 

Other collaborations include ‘Sport Media: Brand Strategy and Fan Engagement,’ an international hackathon with Sport Communication students from Fontys University of Applied Science, SPECO, in The Netherlands and RTA Sport Media students. The 2-day event allows students to develop and design a brand strategy for the upcoming FIFA 2026 related to fan engagement and fan growth. 

A host of opportunities

Global learning initiatives range vastly in scope from global dialogues like the The Creative School/London Global Forum to Fashion Project Management, Cross Media Innovation, Bootcamps, Data Visualization, and more.

The Creative School is offering a unique international summer opportunity as part of The Creative School Cortona, a Virtual Summer Campus in Tuscany, Italy. This experiential opportunity is designed for interdisciplinary student teams to work on creative projects with governments, organizations, and individuals on solving real-world challenges using design thinking. Students will be able to choose from one of two industry-focused projects: 'Reimagining Art Festivals with Interactive Media', or 'Interactive Exhibits for Estruscan Museums.'

While plans for international online global learning initiatives are yet to be finalized for the upcoming fall term, The Creative School is keyed-up to offer an unrivaled global learning experience on or off-line.

“Yes, travel has mostly halted for now, but we're looking forward to going back in full force with ensuring a diverse number of global experiences that include both travel and online international learning opportunities. Our momentum is stronger than ever,” said Kamran.

The Creative School at Ryerson University

The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.