| August 1, 2001 |
Contact: Lindsay
Moss |
MACON -- Big Ben, the Sydney Opera House and sailing on a former America's Cup participating yacht--these are just a few of the things students were able to see and do when they traveled to England, Australia and New Zealand thanks to two study abroad programs offered by Mercer University.
Ten graduate students of the Tift College of Education spent a week in England studying childhood education in a study abroad class, while 22 undergraduate students from the Stetson School of Business traveled to Australia and New Zealand for two weeks to study international business practices as part of Mercer's Summer Institutes.
"The best part of the trip was getting to talk with the children and interacting with them," said Gabrielle Blair of Norcross, one of the education graduate students who participated in the "Comparing Global Childhood Cultures: Philosophies, Structures and Curriculums" class. The class, which focused on comparing the early childhood educational systems of Britain and the United States, was conducted by Mercer faculty members Darlene Maxwell, Ed.D., assistant professor, Graduate Teacher Education -- Atlanta, and Margaret Morris, Ed.D., associate professor of Early Childhood Education -- Macon.
As guests of the University of Reading, the Tift College students visited four primary and infant schools where they looked at the five dimensions of ecology of schooling: intentional, structural, curricular, pedagogical and evaluative.
"I learned that even though they are in England, they have the same educational problems and issues that the United States has," said Courtney Croker of Alpharetta. "They also stress the same things we do, such as child-centered education, making sure every child is learning."
For the business students who participated in Mercer's Summer Institutes, a program created in 2000 to stimulate student interest in taking summer session classes, Australia and New Zealand were their places of destination. In Australia, students learned about international business practices by touring such businesses as an opal distributor, recycling plant, a sheep station, the National Australia Bank's International and Foreign Exchange Division, Quantas Airlines, a health products manufacturing company and an undersea adventure theme park, complete with a behind-the-scenes tour. In New Zealand, the business-related stops were at the country's stock exchange and yacht builder High Modulus.
"Globalization of markets is here to stay," said finance professor Atul Sexana, Ph.D., who along with marketing professor Vicki Eveland, Ph.D., led the Australia-New Zealand study abroad class. "The more successful business managers of the future will come from those students who have a better perspective of the global economy. Students can be taught about it in the classroom; however, I want Mercer students to be better equipped than that."
When students weren't learning about international business practices or early childhood education, they were able to see some of the local sights. In England, students saw Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Oxford University and went to see "The Lion King." In Australia, the group went to a koala and bird sanctuary, climbed the Harbor Bridge and toured the Sydney Opera House. In New Zealand, the business students sailed on a former America's Cup participating yacht, the "NZL 40," spent the night in a Mauri tribal community and went blackwater rafting in Waitomo Caves.
Not only were students able to see and learn about other parts of the world when they went on the study abroad trip, but they also earned class credit as well. A follow-up international management class is offered for those students involved with Summer Institutes, giving students a chance to earn a total of six hours toward an international business minor. For the graduate students in the Tift College of Education, students kept a journal and gave a presentation to give them credit for EDUC 699/799.
"Students glean so much from taking advantage of this kind of experience," said Morris. "The most important element of this experience is not something you can see immediately; it is what happens within the student through reflection and what happens with their future classrooms."
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