Department(s)

Business Administration

Document Type

Article

Version Deposited

Published version

Publication Date

10-5-2024

Keywords

Study abroad, education abroad, faculty-student relationship, faculty-student rapport, peer relationships, field trips

Abstract

Study abroad programs have become increasingly popular in recent years as vehicles to prepare students for the global work environment. This paper describes a perspective on how to maximize teaching effectiveness in these programs via developing personal relationships. Based on the teaching of a Principles of Marketing course in Florence, Italy, the author discusses how the special characteristics of the study abroad program enabled the formation of deep faculty-student and peer relationships. Key faculty-student relationship factors were connections outside the classroom, career discussions, and assignment/exam reviews, while key peer relationship factors were interactions between students outside of class and field trips. The author notes how the importance of these factors is supported by current theory and research. He also describes how the factors led to higher teaching performance in Florence than in the U.S. as measured by student evaluations, marketing core question ratings, grades and attendance. Ideas for future research on the impact of relationship variables in study abroad programs are suggested.

Publication Title

Industry and Higher Education

Volume

39

Issue

3

First Page

251

Last Page

254

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222241289796

Comments

Publication can be accessed at this link: https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222241289796

Download

Share

COinS