Title: Spanish, Business and Engineering in Alicante, Spain
1Spanish, Business and Engineering in Alicante,
Spain
- A Model for Cultural Immersion and
- Study Abroad Collaboration
- Across Disciplines
Julia Domínguez, Leland LHote, and Chad M. Gasta
2Spanish, Business and Engineering in Alicante,
Spain
- Highlights since Program Inception
- Advanced courses in Spanish language, literature
and culture - Housing meals with a Spanish Family
- Excursions to Madrid, Granada, Toledo, El
Escorial, the Valley of the Fallen, and (hotel
and meals, guides, entrance fees, private bus
transportation). - Emergency medical insurance, orientations, course
materials, program coordination.
3Alicante, Spain
4Alicante
5Alicante
6Alicante
7Alicante
8Alicantes San Juan Festival
9Alicantes San Juan Festival
10Spanish, Business and Engineering in Alicante,
Spain
- Languages and Cultures for Professions (LCP)
- A second major option for advanced language
students whose primary major is in either the
Colleges of Business or the College of
Engineering and is part of the Languages Across
the Curriculum movement visible at Iowa State. - Department of Foreign Languages Literatures
awarded a two-year Department of Education Title
VI-A Undergraduate International Studies and
Foreign Language Program grant for 2004-2006
11Spanish, Business and Engineering in Alicante,
Spain
- Languages and Cultures for Professions (LCP)
Objectives - 1 to implement and strengthen the LCP
second-major option in Engineering and Business - 2 to build curricular bridges by establishing
links between courses in the department with a
professional focus and those which have an area
studies focus - 3 to expand study abroad and internship
opportunities
12Spanish, Business and Engineering in Alicante,
Spain
- Alicante LCP Plan to offer international
experience, cultural training and language skills
to students in business and engineering who may,
or may not, have studied language at the advanced
level. - Home Stays
- Elementary through Advanced Language, Literature
and Culture courses - Management 310 (Entrepreneurship in Spain and the
European Union) and Business Administration
291/491 (Business and Engineering in Spain the
European Union) - Weekend excursions to Madrid, Granada, Toledo, El
Escorial - Activities and day-long visits
13Academics
- Spanish Courses
- SPAN 195x Intensive Beginning Spanish
- SPAN 295x Intensive Intermediate Spanish
- SPAN 301 Grammar and Composition
- SPAN 303 Spanish Conversation
- SPAN 314 Introduction to Reading Hispanic Texts
- SPAN 321 Civilization and Culture of Spain
- SPAN 322 Civilization and Culture of Latin
America
14Academics
- Spanish Courses
- SPAN 323 Spain Today
- SPAN 324 Latin America Today
- SPAN 352 Spanish Phonetics
- SPAN 395 Study Abroad
- SPAN 401 Advanced Grammar and Composition
- SPAN 490 Independent Study
- SPAN 499 Internship (summer 2006)
15Academics
- Business Administration 291/491 and Management
310 - Guest specialists will lecture on business and
engineering in Spain and the E.U. - Students will participate in approximately 10
class visits to factories, production facilities,
key engineering structures, the port authority,
business offices, etc. - Students will carry out research in the form of
individual cultural projects at regional
celebrations, outdoor markets, sports venues, etc.
16Management 310 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Students will
- Distinguish between business ideas and business
opportunities. - Understand the process through which business
ideas are evaluated. - Allow students to determine the feasibility of
new venture opportunities. - Allow students to assess their entrepreneurial
spirit and potential
- The purpose of this course is to instill a sense
of value creation in students through
opportunity recognition, planning, organization,
and the launch of a new business. Course content
will include materials related to the
identification and analysis of market
opportunities, the analysis and acquisition of
resources required to capture market
opportunities and the launch of a new venture.
17Business Administration 291/491Bus. in Spain
the European Union
- This is a study abroad course that is designed to
give students a better understanding of business
in Spain and the European Union. The purpose of
this course is to help them understand aspects of
European business as well as differences between
European and US business. An important aspect of
the course is to understand the influence of
culture on business and the role of regional
characteristics on local economies.
- Students will study
- The impact of differences in environmental
conditions on business in Spain and the European
Union - Issues related to European Union
- The impact of different cultures on business
practices - The importance of tourism in generating foreign
exchange
18310 291/491 Guest Lectures
- European Perspective on Entrepreneurship
- Managerial Practices in Spain in the European
Union Context - In-store Marketing The Spanish Case
- Legal Forms of a Business in Spain
- European Union and Spanish Economy
- Exchange rates and Euro
19310 and 291/491 Site Visits
- Alicante Chamber of Commerce
- Alicante Office for Tourism
- Hotel Hesperia Golf (5 star resort)
- Small Business Models Pub Ay, Carmela and
Discoteca 37 - Ajusa Factory and Headquarters (major toy
manufacturer) - Vins de Comtat (winery)
- La Lonja Fishermans Warf and commercial
auction house.
20Challenges regarding academic aspects of the new
program model
- The creation of 2 new courses (SPAN 195 and SPAN
295) for students without advanced-level
proficiency. - Expert guest lecturers with English proficiency
were hard to locate. - Site visits required a complex amount of
coordination. - Finding a balance between two different student
groups with a variety of needs.
21Overall Success of Academic Offerings
- 96.6 say the effectiveness of their professors
at the University of Alicante as either good or
excellent - 91.1 believe the overall intellectual challenge
of the program was either good or excellent - Before the program nearly 46.3 of the students
reported their language proficiency to be either
fair (22.4) or ok (23.9). However, when the
program finished, students report a startling
change 58.2 say there language proficiency was
good and another 7.5 say it is excellent. - Overall, 92.5 report their language proficiency
to be either ok, good, or excellent.
22Home Stays
- Families
- Students live with specially-selected Spanish
host families. - Host Family Application Form
- in agreement with the University of Alicante
23(No Transcript)
24(No Transcript)
25Families
- Students take daily meals (three per day) in
their homes. - Includes full board laundry, cleaning, all
utilities and other amenities. - Housing in singles or doubles (with another ISU
student). Students can choose if they want to
live by themselves or with someone else.
26Home Stays
- Families
- First meeting
- coordinator in housing
- Folder with information
- Proper greetings
27Why living with a family?
- Living with a family can be one of the best ways
to learn - about how people interact in Spain
- what their everyday lives are like
- sharing and being part of the culture day by day.
- What do families expect from students?
- meals, bathing, laundry, heat and light,
telephone, neatness, or curfews.
28Living with families
- Nearly 78 of the students report that their home
stay was either satisfying or completely
satisfying. A similar percentage was reported
concerning their meals at their home stay. - Learning to respect Getting the Most Out of
Study Abroad by Dowell Mirsky.
29Excursions
- The program provides three weekend trips
including hotel accommodations in a
centrally-located, four-star hotel, breakfast and
dinner, transportation. Doubles. All tours
include 2 guides in English, 2 in Spanish plus
entries and transportation. - First Weekend Madrid
- Day 1 Private bus pickup at Madrids airport and
transfer to hotel. afternoon tour of Madrid and
the Puerta del Sol. - Day 2 visit to the Royal Palace and Prado Museum
followed by a walking tour of the Retiro Park and
a bus tour of Madrid with local guides - Day 3 Visit to the Rastro open-air market, then
Reina Sofía Museum. Bus transportation to
Alicante.
30Excursion to Madrid
31Excursion to Madrid
32Excursion to Madrid
33Excursion to Granada
- Private bus from Alicante, hotel accommodations,
meals (except lunch), guides (English and
Spanish), entrance fees - Day 1 Bus transportation from Alicante to
Granada. Hotel check-in and lunch. Visit to
Granadas Cathedral and Royal Chapel followed by
a walking tour of the Albaicín neighborhood.
Return to the hotel for dinner. Flamenco show in
the evening. - Day 2 Guided visit to the Alhambra and
Generalife Gardens. Bus tour of Granada followed
by departure for Alicante.
34Excursion to Granada
35Excursion to Granada
36Excursion to Granada
37Excursion to Toledo, El Escorial, Valley of the
Fallen
- Depart Alicante by bus to Toledo hotel in
Madrid, all meals, guides (English and Spanish),
entrance fees - Day 1 Toledo. Walking tour of the city, Visit to
the Cathedral and Royal Chapel, the Monasterio
San Juan de los Reyes, the Sinagoga del Tránsito
and Museo Sefardí - Day 2 Visit to El Escorial and guided tour of El
Real Sitio de El Escorial and San Lorenzo de El
Escorial. Afterwards, a visit to the Valley of
the Fallen - Day 3 Bus departures for Madrids Airport and
return to U.S.
38Excursion to Toledo
39Excursion to Toledo
40Excursion to El Escorial
41CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
- Cultural activities are a very important part of
the student life at the University of Alicante. - Our program offers a wide range of activities at
reasonable prices in conjunction with the
International Club of the Study Abroad Office.
42Cultural activities
- Language exchanges between Spanish and foreign
students - Spanish and Foreign Films (Original Version with
subtitles). - Day trip along the route of the Castles
(transportation and guides, entrance fees)
43Cultural activities
- Cultural trips to places of interest throughout
the Province of Alicante Altea, Calpe,
Guadalest, Denia, Jávea, Benidorm, Tabarca
Island
44Next to the province of Alicante
- Islands of Mallorca and Ibiza
- Known throughout the world for their beaches and
nightlife - Beautiful natural harbours, rocky cliffs and
historical landmarks of Europe.
45Cooking Classes
- This course allows students to discover, learn
and taste the typical dishes of the 5 most
representative regions of Spain. - At the end of the course, students will have
learnt about the culinary customs of the Region
of Valencia, Andalusia, Catalunya, Madrid and the
Basque Country. - In each 2-hour session, a full menu will be
prepared starter, main course and dessert.
46Wine Tasting Classes
- For three hours students get the opportunity to
acquire the vocabulary related to wine tasting. - With the guidance of an enologist, students learn
about some of the keywords about the different
phases sight, smell and taste as well as the
importance of wine culture in the Mediterranean
area.
47Sevillanas, Salsa and Latin Dancing
- Sevillanas is probably the most internationally
popular and well-known representation of
Andalusian folklore. - The fusion of different types of Cuban music,
such as Son, Danzón and its derivatives and
Rumba with elements of other Caribbean genres
such as the Bomba, the Plena, the Cumbia
48Sports
- Everything is related to the SEA!
- Windsurfing
- Sailing
- Snorkeling
49(No Transcript)
50Overall Program Assessment Recruitment
- 66 of 86 students completed on-line survey (77)
- over 90 report that overall academic experience
was good or excellent - 89.5 rate overall study abroad experience as
good or excellent
51Program Assessment Recruitment
- Evaluations demonstrate that the Alicante program
can serve as an excellent model to recruit new
students to the study of Spanish - 64 students (74) already had advanced
proficiency in Spanish showing they came to the
university with language training - 34 report that studying courses in the major in
no way impacted their decision to study abroad
52Program Assessment Recruitment
- 25 report that their major may change as a
result of this experience abroad - Based on ratio, perhaps as many as 22 of 86 might
consider changing their major or minor - Results suggest that among the 22 students with
little or no Spanish, they are likely to continue.