Online courses will soon become real life lessons for six Swedish students coming to Missouri Southern-if there is room.

These students from the Swedish junior college Mullsjo Folkhogskola, located in Mullsjo, Sweden, will visit Southern April 20, pending housing is found for the students.

“Right now we have housing for most of the students,” said Nick Kyle, head of the art department. “This is thanks to Southern students that have arranged to room with these students for the couple of weeks that they are here.”

Kyle said the Swedish students wanted to stay on campus and not elsewhere.

“The students want to be here,” said Pam Harris, assistant professor of art. “We don’t want them to be disappointed because we could not find them a place to stay.”

Other challenges the Swedish travelers have faced were obtaining financial support and getting approved visas.

“I had to write recommendations to the Swedish campus pertaining to grants,” Kyle said.

For their two-week stay, Harris and Kyle said they hope to show the students a good time.

“What we’ll do is give them the ‘three-dollar tour,'” Kyle said. “We’ll take them to Springfield, Kansas City to see the Plaza, and possibly to Pierce City to see a rodeo. Also, since they’re art students, we’ll probably take them to see some art museums and ad agencies.”

The relationship between Southern and Folkhogskola began through two online courses taught at each university.

“Orjan Henriksson teaches an online beginning photography course made available to Southern by the Swedish,” Kyle said, “while Pam Harris teaches an online graphic design course made available to the Swedish students.”

Harris said she is looking forward to becoming involved.

“It always interesting to see how new groups react to American life,” Harris said.

From past experience, Harris said the Swedish tend to be more health conscious.

David Noblett, associate professor of art, said past Swedish visitors have told him Swedish and Americans are “not all that different.”

“To me, they’re more laid-back, where they told me that Americans are louder and active all the time,” Noblett said.

Harris said she hopes these six students will develop some kind of “everlasting” bond with Southern students.

“I hope they develop lifelong relationships,” she said. “When they come here, I hope they see how one of our American schools function and maybe want to come here and study.”

In an effort to deepen the international relationship between these two institutions, Kyle said Southern students get to study at Folkhogskola this summer.

“When our students go [to Sweden] during the summer, I hope it’s a good exchange,” Harris said. “This exchange continues to build an excellent international relationship.”