Designing Successful Short-Term Study Abroad Programs for Business Students

1. Designing Successful Short-Term Study Abroad Programs for Business Students CIBER Short-Term Study Abroad Conference June 4, 2010 Kansas City, MO Mary M. Dwyer, Ph.D. President/CEO, IES ABROAD

2. U.S. Study Abroad Trends - Enrollments 262,416 65,000 Source: Institute of International Education, Open Doors Report 2009 (www.opendoors.iienetwork.org)

3. U.S. Students of Business & Management • 20% of US Students studying abroad are • Business majors; over 130% increase in 10 years Source: Institute of International Education, Open Doors Report 2009 (www.opendoors.iienetwork.org)

4. U.S. Study Abroad Trends - Destinations • Asia has seen greatest growth as a destination of US Students for study abroad • Europe remains the top destination of US students for study abroad Source: Institute of International Education, Open Doors Report 2009 (www.opendoors.iienetwork.org)

5. U.S. Study Abroad Trends – Duration of Study • 45% of US Students study abroad for less than an academic quarter Source: Institute of International Education, Open Doors Report 2009 (www.opendoors.iienetwork.org)

6. Financial Complexities in Study Abroad • Currency movements and inflation have huge impact • U.S. Campus policies regarding SA pricing • U.S. Campus loss of revenue • Study Abroad pricing increases have outpaced the CPI and HEPI since 2000 • Higher Education price increases have grown at a faster pace than Study Abroad for decades

7. Market Complexities in Study Abroad • Highly volatile, fragmented market term to term and year to year • Must recruit 100% of participants every term • Legal liabilities higher on faculty-led programs • Faculty-led programs difficult to sustain

8. The Positives of Short-Term Programs • Designed to fit your curriculum • Enhances on-campus instruction • Can outsource implementation • Can fit your university’s academic calendar • If summer program, does not impact campus revenue or financial aid transfer • Can tailor program to your students’ budgets • Represents a faculty development opportunity • One method for internationalizing campus curriculum • Exposes students who would not have studied abroad for a semester to other cultures

9. The Negatives of Short-Term Programs Without External Support • Limited cultural immersion • Market size at a single university is limited • Colleges lack site-specific knowledge of vendors to arrange logistics • Time-consuming to arrange endless logistics • Time-consuming to market program • Time-consuming to recruit students • Must be attentive to legal, health, safety issues that are not faculty responsibilities on campus • Faculty have full responsibility for pre-departure preparation, on-site implementation and preparing students for re-entry

10. Study Abroad Program Considerations • A strong academic framework that attracts students and engages faculty • Program development in conjunction with area experts and on-site, local staff. • A positive environment for a true intercultural experience • Quality resources, reliable suppliers, student housing and classrooms and accommodations conducive to a successful experience • On-site support for student health, safety, personal, and disciplinary issues. • An existing, experienced crisis management framework • Health, repatriation, medical, and security evacuation insurance • Academic support services, including access to computers and libraries • Full liability coverage of local staff and facilities • Post-program evaluation

11. Program Elements • Guest lectures from faculty at local business schools/in the business department • Guest lecturers from local business leaders • Business visits (banks, stock exchange, marketing companies, NGOs, both international and local businesses, manufacturing plants, Chamber of Commerce, etc.) • Enrollment in classes at overseas University tied to business if possible • Ability to interact with local business students – arranging for an outing in conjunction with local students studying business • Excursions specific to academic content (such as Pirelli Tire Company, Ferrari, and Fiat in Italy; Yi Wu visit from Shanghai for sock manufacturing; talking to vendors at local markets, etc. • Homestays so that students learn the culture of the country they are visiting • Offering a business language course • Offering cultural field trips tied to program content

12. 3C x 3D Framework

13. 3-D = Three Dimensions of Holistic Student Development • Cognitive: knowledge of different cultural perspectives and beliefs • Interpersonal: directed outward to interactions and relationships with others • Intrapersonal: directed inward to values, self-identity, self-understanding

14. Cognitive Dimension • Recognize different cultural perspectives, beliefs, social customs • Understand role of cultural differences in global relationships • Interpret own cultural background with greater specificity • Integrate new knowledge

15. “3-C” Framework of Educational Experiences/Means • Curriculum: courses and pedagogy • Co-curriculum: planned activities outside the classroom that foster student development • Community: interactions with IES Center staff, faculty and local residents

16. Sample Business Programs University of Minnesota/IES Abroad and Berlin School of Economics Business in Berlin Program • Semester long • Economics Course and German culture course at IES Center • Other business courses through the Berlin School of Economics (BSE) • No language required; Language courses at BSE • Co-curricular opportunities arranged to engage residents, culture and business community of Germany • Internships • Day-long excursions to Dresden and Potsdam • All students live in German homes

17. Sample Business Programs Miami University of Ohio Farmer School of Business/IES Abroad Business and Finance Summer Program in Luxembourg and Barcelona • 6-week program offers 8 credit hours in business-specific courses • Intro to the European business environment • Structured in two sections that change places • Group 1 – Begins in Luxembourg studying at the John E. Dolibois European Center of Miami University • Group 2 – Begins at the IES Abroad Barcelona Center with courses taught by MU faculty • Halfway through the six week program, groups trade locations • In Barcelona – Comprehensive orientation, classroom space, homestays for students, housing for MU faculty, visits to local businesses and cultural activities are arranged by IES.

18. Sample Business Programs Babson College/IES Abroad Emerging Markets and Economies BRIC Program in Russia, India and China • Semester long • 1 month spent in each country • Courses designed and taught by Babson faculty • Meetings with business and academic leaders and government officials regarding the changing global business landscapes • Field trips, visits to local businesses and daily interaction with local residents • IES Abroad provides guest lectures/local site visits, student and faculty housing and classrooms • Field trip to the Great Wall and an overnight stay in a rural Chinese village • In-depth visit to a distribution center in China • Commercial and financial ventures visits arranged in China and India to look at infrastructure of expanding markets

19. Sample Business Programs University of Tennessee Knoxville/IES Abroad International Business Program • 6 credit hours; 4 weeks duration • Course 1: Real-world study of negotiations and bargaining for global trade and commercial endeavors (UT faculty teaches) • Course 2: German language (taught by IES faculty) • Traveling program headquartered in Freiburg • Visits and field trips: • Local Businesses • The United Nations and the World Trade Organization in Geneva • The European Union Parliament in Strasbourg • 3-day excursion to Paris • Hiking trip in the Black Forest • Classroom space, student and faculty housing • On-site staff support/health and safety/crisis management

20. Thank You! Questions? Comments?