Spanish, Business and Engineering in Alicante, Spain

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Spanish, 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
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Spanish, 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.

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Alicante, Spain
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Alicante
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Alicante
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Alicante
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Alicante
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Alicantes San Juan Festival
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Alicantes San Juan Festival
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Spanish, 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

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Spanish, 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

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Spanish, 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

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Academics

• 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

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Academics

• 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)

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Academics

• 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.

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Management 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.

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Business 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

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310 291/491 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

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310 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.

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Challenges 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.

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Overall 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.

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Home Stays

• Families
• Students live with specially-selected Spanish
  host families.
• Host Family Application Form
• in agreement with the University of Alicante

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Families

• 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.

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Home Stays

• Families
• First meeting
• coordinator in housing
• Folder with information
• Proper greetings

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Why 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.

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Living 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.

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Excursions

• 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.

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Excursion to Madrid
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Excursion to Madrid
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Excursion to Madrid
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Excursion 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.

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Excursion to Granada
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Excursion to Granada
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Excursion to Granada
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Excursion 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.

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Excursion to Toledo
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Excursion to Toledo
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Excursion to El Escorial
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CULTURAL 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.

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Cultural 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)

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Cultural activities

• Cultural trips to places of interest throughout
  the Province of Alicante Altea, Calpe,
  Guadalest, Denia, Jávea, Benidorm, Tabarca
  Island

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Next 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.

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Cooking 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.

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Wine 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.

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Sevillanas, 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

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Sports

• Everything is related to the SEA!
• Windsurfing
• Sailing
• Snorkeling

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Overall 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

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Program 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

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Program 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.