Gwynedd Mercy University School of BusinessRalph Hoffman, Ed. D., Associate Professor

Heather Pfleger, Ed. D., Dean

Outline for the Session

• Introductions• Rationale for the program• Description of our process to create the tour• Advantages of partnership• Logistics planning/budget issues• Academic planning and course design• Lessons learned• Discussion

Gwynedd Mercy UniversityStudent Profile

• Student Profile– 3181 students

• 2641 Undergraduate (83%)

– 74% female– 65% Caucasian; 25% African-American;4% Asian; 4% Hispanic– 59% First generation college students

• Struggling to pay for private higher education• The vast majority of our students have never been

outside of the U.S.

Challenge #1: Push to increase global experiences vs. student profile

• University academic initiative to increase global awareness throughout the curriculum

• Instituting practices that satisfy IACBE Principle 8: International Business Education

• For reasons previously stated, Gwynedd students are not attracted to semester long study abroad programs

Solution:Mini Study Abroad

• An intense experiential learning program that immerses students in a short travel experience.

• The study abroad program is set up as both a credit and non-credit program.

• The credits are billed as part of the regular undergraduate tuition for the next semester.

Challenge #2: Ensuring we Provide a Quality Program

• No study abroad or international program office

• No support staff to coordinate efforts

Solution

• Partnership with a college/university tour company

• Gwynedd Mercy University partnered with EF College Study Tours.– EFCS Tours has provided educational tours for

many years.– They do all the trip planning so that faculty can

concentrate their efforts on the curriculum

Planning the Trip

• Timing– Currently the School of Business is

running mini study abroad programs every 2 years, alternating with the School of Arts & Sciences.

– Winter break has proven to be an attractive time.• The first trip offered in 2012/2013

filled in 4 weeks!• Our December, 2014 trip is close to

being filled

– We have opened the trips to friends and family of the university community

Planning the Trip (continued)

• Setting a price– The School of Business attempts to keep the trip

under $3500.– Students do NOT pay any extra tuition for these

courses as they are scheduled during the spring semester (the trips have run in late December to early January).

– The University does not charge any fees for the trip.

Planning the trip (continued)

• Selecting a Location– The School of Business informally surveys students – Locations that have been selected by the School of

Business:• England• France• Scotland

– Other locations of university mini study abroad programs have included:• Italy• Ireland

Structuring the Program

• Select Number of Days and what you would like to do:– Business Field trips and lectures

can be scheduled– Guided educational tours can be

included (museums, historical locations, etc.)

– Theater performances can be added

– You can set how much free time you want to include

– You can decide how many group meals to include

Planning the Program

Tours include:– All transportation (air and local buses, trains, etc.)– All hotel accommodations– All meals included in the program– Acquire local tour director and guides– Travel insurance– Local business visits

Planning the Program (continued)

• Advantages of Partnering– Company assist with any problems that may occur

during trip – Dedicated tour director for entire trip– Provides recommendations for free time

Campus Planning

• One faculty member is designated as the university trip director– Responsible for working with

partner company– Responsible for marketing

• Information sessions• Campus communication

– Other Responsibilities• Collecting emergency information• Collecting copies of passports• Organizing and providing a planning

meeting prior to departure

– It DOES take a good amount of time

University Support

• The president has been very supportive of increasing global opportunities for students.– The president has an academic excellence fund and

she has provided a scholarship for each mini study abroad program that has been offered through the schools.• This is awarded based on an essay competition developed

by the School of Business

– In addition, because of our continued successful partnership with EFCS Tours they have also offered us a scholarship.

Challenge #3: Funding faculty to participate

• The School budget cannot accommodate paying for the faculty who participate on the trip.

Solution

– EFCS Tours helps with this.– For every 6 paying travelers, you

earn 1 free spot.– The School of Business has used

this free spot to cover the costs of the faculty participating in the trip.

– Because of this there is very little expense to the university• The school budget covers travel

insurance and meals not covered as part of the program

• The school budget covers paying the faculty teaching the course(s)

Academic Planning

• Course Offerings– The School of Business has offered 2 3-credit

courses as part of the trip.• One class is specific to international business studies• We designed the course to be specific to the countries

included in the tour, offering it as a special topics business elective• One class is a general education elective (we have

offered a themed literature course)

Course Design• From Stonehenge to Versailles: The Six Pillars of European Business

Culture• Course Description• This course will explore, through experiential learning by means of a

mini study abroad in England and France, the six pillars of culture (economics, political, legal, language, religion, and social issues) as they relate to living and working in these two countries. This course will provide students the opportunity to engage in experiential learning by visiting each country and reflecting on what they observe about how people live and work as related to the six pillars of culture. The completion of the full 9-day study abroad is required for this course.

• Co-Requisite/Prerequisite: BUS 101 (Business Theory) or permission of professors

Course Design• Course Learning Outcome 1: Students will be able to compare

and contrast the economic and financial factors that impact international travel and business.

• Course Learning Outcome 2: Students will be able to identify the political factors that impact international travel and business.

• Course Learning Outcome 3: Students will be able to provide a basic summary of the legal systems of the countries visited and the impact that the legal systems have on international business.

• Course Learning Outcome 4: Students will be able to discuss the impact that spoken and unspoken language has on international business.

• Course Learning Outcome 5: Students will be able to recognize and articulate the religious factors that impact international business.

• Course Learning Outcome 6: Students will be able to explain the social issues that impact international business.

Course Design• Course Requirements • Research Project – Students researched relevant topics related to the

countries being visited• Journal - Students will be required to keep a journal of their experiences of

their trip (such as: customs observed, the manner in which business is conducted, reflections of activities and excursions)

• Reflection Paper – Students will write a reflection on their experiential learning as it relates to the course learning objectives

• Class Participation – students will be required to attend and participate in the pre and post-trip class meetings as well as all scheduled class meetings during the trip

• Blog –Students will contribute to a blog that will be set up on the Gwynedd Mercy University web site. This blog will provide an opportunity for students to share their experiences with the rest of the University campus.

Course Design

Example ofResearch Project

Linkage to Accreditation and Strategic Plan

• IACBE Principle 8: International Business Education

Short-term study abroad as part of the overall plan to enhance international business education

• School of Business Strategic Plan• University Institutional Goal/Strategy

Lessons Learned

• Students have been very receptive to mini study abroad programs

• Need faculty involvement– We have 4 faculty participate in each trip– Important – especially for large groups!

Lessons Learned

• Plan a year in advance– It takes time to put the

program together and to recruit students

• If at all possible have a faculty member go on a trip as a “learning traveler” first– R.H. traveled on a philosophy

mini study abroad to learn how it is done and than served as the campus trip director for the next two trips offered through the School of Business.

Readings For Additional Discussions • Study Abroad with AIFS

– http://www.aifsabroad.com/advisors/pdf/Impact_of_Education_AbroadI.pdf• Discusses benefits of study abroad programs• Includes ideas for service learning and study abroad

• Temple University– Study Abroad Week aims to change Temple cultureType: News

Story• Last week, Temple’s Office of Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses

hosted its second annual Study Abroad Week. Events included a meet and greet with the Education Abroad staff, a Mini Study Abroad Fair and information sessions about studying abroad at Temple’s Rome and Japan campuses, as well as at other locations around the globe.

• September 17, 2012– Short-term study abroad offers concentrated global experience

Type: News Story• Temple CIBER, based at the Fox School, offers short-term study abroad

to attract students who are typically underserved in study abroad: males, minority students, athletes and certain majors that have lockstep curriculum that makes it difficult to spend a summer or semester abroad. In addition, many participants have never left the country before their short-term study abroad experience but then

• December 9, 2011

Questions and Answers

• For additional information please contact us:• Hoffman.r@gmercyu.edu• Pfleger.h@gmercyu.edu