Student Preparation

There was another first for the Study Abroad program at DVC this time around. For the first time ever, a course was offered to help students prepare for their trip abroad. Shortly after being selected for the program, I attended the annual Association for Business Communication convention in Irvine, California. One of the breakout sessions I attended was conducted by Elizabeth A. Tuleja, a professor with The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. During the presentation she shared her experiences taking a group of MBA students to China for four weeks as part of the Wharton Global Immersion Program (GIP). This was an already-well-traveled group of students, yet when debriefed after the trip, they overwhelmingly said that their experience would have been richer had they prepared more before the trip. A lightbulb went off! Imagine how much richer DVC students' experience in Florence could be if they were better prepared ahead of time.

Using ideas gained in this workshop, I immediately went to work to develop a 9-week course titled "Florence: Preparing for Your Study Abroad Trip." My dean, Krista Johns, was extremely supportive of the course, as were the faculty in the Business Division. It was a go!

We, of course, weren't sure what the response would be to the course. After all, nothing like this had ever been offered before. What a surprise it was for all of us when 36 students enrolled, including 2 students who weren't even going to Florence!

So what did we do in the course? A little bit of everything. Through guest speakers, videos, and student presentations, students learned about the history, culture, literature, music, art, food, language, and etiquette of Italy. They also learned practicalities, such as currency, what to pack, health issues, and being a successful study abroad student. You can check out the complete syllabus here to get an even better idea of the course content: BUS 150-P Course Syllabus.

But probably the best thing to come out of the course is that these students got to know one another. Many became great friends and have arranged to room together in Florence. These are friendships that will probably last a lifetime. And I must admit that I got just as much out of the course as they did. I now know this group of students well -- and I know for sure that I have one great group of people to spend the semester in Florence with!