A Phenomenological Study:
A Pre-departure Study Abroad Course Interrupted by the COVID-19 Outbreak
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.88.8816Keywords:
Pandemic; Pre-departure study abroad course; Scenario planning; 2020 Covid-19 Outbreak.Abstract
The original plan of this research was to collect multiple sets of data from business students in a 2020 spring study abroad program including the pre-departure course, the experiential learning in Thailand and post experience. When the World Health Organization (2020c) categorized the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, the pre-departure course was interrupted, resulting in the remaining sections of the program to be cancelled. To date, since no previous research was available on a pre-departure course interrupted by a pandemic of this kind, the experiences of the two faculty members teaching the course became central to the research making this study phenomenological. The experiences were captured by daily notes with reflections leading to four key findings: 1. The course lacked skills training and needed to be redesigned as it would be offered in spring 2021. Adding practical applications to the comprehensive collection of materials would lead students to start shifting their mindsets prior to the trip rather than during the trip resulting in maximized experiences. 2. The COVID-19 outbreak was unprecedented in that it was not a short-lived occurrence but an on-going crisis. The uniqueness of the situation brought futuristic thinking and scenario planning to the forefront when developing and implementing such global programs. 3. Faculty were not prepared for an on-going crisis. To be able to cope with similar uncertainties and act decisively, faculty leading such experiences needed training in futuristic thinking and scenario planning. 4. Faculty country-expertise strengthened student trust when teaching the course. Developing, teaching such courses, and leading such experiences need to be backed up by location-expertise to foster confidence for optimal benefits.
References
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Ward, J., Dalat Ward, Y., & Jones, S. (2019). A case study: Developing a study abroad program in Thailand. International Journal of Management and Applied Science, 5(9), 61-69. http://iraj.in
Ward, J., Dalat Ward, Y., & Jones, S. (2020). Journaling to develop a study abroad course for business majors. GATR Global Journal of Business and Social Science Review Journal, 8(1), 30-40. https://www.gatrenterprise.com/GATRJournals/index.html Global J. Bus. Soc. Sci.
Webb, A. (2020, Summer). How to do strategic planning like a futurist. Harvard Business Review, 58-61.
Weick, K. E. (1995). Sensemaking in organizations. Foundations for Organizational Science: A Sage Publication Series.
West, C. (2020, April 1). Leading in a time of uncertainty. NAFSA.
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Wojenski, C.L.P. (2014). Virtually there: Examining a collaborative online international learning pre-departure study abroad intervention. Doctoral dissertation, Rutgers University, ProQuest Dissertations.
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Zull, J. E. (2020). The art of changing the brain: Enriching teaching by exploring the biology of learning. Stylus.
Argyris, C. (1999). On organizational learning (2nd ed.). Blackwell.
Argyris, C. (1982). The executive mind and double-loop learning. Organizational Dynamics, 11(2), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(82)90002-X
Association of International Education Leaders. (n.d.). Standards of professional practice
for international education leaders and senior international officers (2016). https://www.aieaworld.org/standards-of-professional-practice
Association of Professional in Infection Control and Epidemiology. (2020). Outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics—what you need to know. https://apic.org/monthly_alerts/outbreaks-epidemics-and-pandemics-what-you-need-to-know/
Barry, J. M. (2018). The great influenza: The story of the deadliest pandemic in history. Penguin Books.
Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, book 1: Cognitive domain (2nd ed.). Longmans.
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. (n.d.). Study abroad in high school with the U.S. Department of State. https://eca.state.gov/video/study-abroad-high-school-us-department-state
Chambers, J. C., Mullick, S. K., & Smith, D. D. (1971, July). How to choose the right forecasting technique. Harvard Business Review, 1-47.
Chermack, T. J. (2011). Scenario planning in organizations: How to create, use, and assess scenarios. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Colorado State University (n.d.). Scenario Planning Institute. https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/spi/
Creswell, J.W., & Guetterman, T. C. (2019). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (6th ed.). Pearson.
Creswell, J.W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Sage Publications.
Cull, N. J. (2019). Public diplomacy: Foundation for global engagement in the digital age. Polity Press.
Cull, N. J. (2012). The decline and fall of the United States Information Agency: American public diplomacy, 1989-2001. Palgrave Macmillan.
Cull, N. J. (2008). The cold war and the United States Information Agency: American propaganda and public diplomacy, 1945-1989. Cambridge.
Dalat Ward, Y. (2020, February 19-21). Servant leadership + comprehensive i18n [Conference session]. EURIE Eurasia Higher Education Summit, Istanbul, Turkey. https://eurieeducationsummit.com/
Davis, J. H., & Spoljoric, D. (2019). Comfort: Context for the study abroad faculty role. Nursing Science Quarterly, 32(4), 314-319. Doi: 10.1177/0894318419864327
Drolet, J. (2013). Getting prepared for international experiential learning. In R. Tiessen &
Tiessen, R., & Huish, R. (Eds.). Globetrotting or global citizenship?: Perils and potential of international experiential learning. University of Toronto Press. (pp 185-187).
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. DC Health.
Dewey, J. (1944). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. The Free Press.
Gagne, R. M., Briggs, L. J., & Wager, W. W. (1992). Principles of instructional design (4th ed.). Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Goode, (2007). The role of faculty study abroad directors: A case study. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 15(1), 149-172.
Guest, G., MacQueen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis. Sage.
Hagar, L. D. (2014). Intercultural learning for international students: Designing a pre-departure orientation. [Master’s thesis, University of the Pacific]. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/250
Hayden, C. (2012). The rhetoric of soft power: Public diplomacy in global contexts. Lexington Books.
Hertz, R. Ed.). (1997). Reflexivity & voice. Sage.
Hickok, K. (2020). What is a pandemic? Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/pandemic.html
Holmes, P., Bavieri, L., & Gannasin, S. (2015). Developing intercultural understanding for study abroad: Students' and teachers' perspectives on pre-departure intercultural learning. Intercultural Education, 26(1), 16-30.
Ice, G. H., Dufour, D. L., & Stevens, N. J. (2015). Disasters in field research: Preparing for and coping with unexpected events. Rowman & Littlefield.
Ingram, E. (2014). Understanding “international”: Faculty perspectives on study abroad and global studies education. ISU Ethnography of the University Initiative, 7. https://ir.librray.illinoisstate.edu/eui7
Klein, G. (2015, October 21). The pro-mortem method: Creating a blueprint for success. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/seeing-what-others-dont/201510/the-pro-mortem-method
Knowles, M. S., Holton III, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The Adult Learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (8th ed.). Routledge.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall.
Konrath, S. H., O’Brien, E. H., & Hsing, C. (2011). Changes in dispositional empathy in American college students over time: A meta-analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15(2), 180-198.
Kumar, V. (2013). 101 design methods: Structured approach for driving innovation in your organization. Wiley
Martin, P. (Ed.). (2017). Crisis management for education abroad. NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
McMurray, R., & Lee, M. (1947). The cultural approach: Another way in international relations. University of North Carolina Press.
Nohria, N. (2020, Summer). What organizations need to survive a pandemic. Harvard Business Review, 130-131.
O’Neal, J. C., & Krueger, R. L. (1995). Directing a program abroad. Academe, 81(5), 28-34.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage.
Perlmutter, D. (2020). Brain wash: Detox your mind for clearer thinking, deeper relationship and lasting happiness. Little, Brown Spark.
PESTLE Analysis. (n.d.). https://pestleanalysis.com/what-is-pestle-analysis/
Pink, S. (2013). Doing visual ethnography. (3rd ed.). Sage.
Rasch, D. C. (2001). Faculty voices from the field: Perceptions and implications of study abroad [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.
Rodgers, C. (2002). Defining reflection: Another look at John Dewey and reflective thinking. Teachers College Record I04(4), 842-866.
Royal Dutch Shell. (n.d.). What are shell scenarios. https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/the-energy-future/scenarios/what-are-scenarios.html
Saldaňa, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd ed.). Sage.
Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
Senge, P. M. (1994). The Fifth discipline field book: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. Currency and Doubleday.
Spencer, C., & Olmos, S. (2017). The MEET project: Engaging students in pre-departure socialisation and learning for study abroad, Irish Journal of Academic Practice, 6(1), 1-22. http://doi:10.21427/D7T71F
Taggert, G. L., & Wilson, A. D. (2005). Promoting reflective thinking in teachers: 50 action strategies. Corwin Press.
University of Delaware (n.d.). Our history. Institute for Global Studies. https://www.udel.edu/home/global/study-abroad/history/
U.S. Department of State (n.d.). Kennedy-Lugar youth exchange & study (YES) abroad. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. https://exchanges.state.gov/us/program/kennedy-lugar-youth-exchange-study-yes-abroad
Vaill, P. B. (1996). Learning as a way of being: Strategies for survival in a world of permanent white water. Jossey-Bass.
Ward, J., Dalat Ward, Y., & Jones, S. (2019). A case study: Developing a study abroad program in Thailand. International Journal of Management and Applied Science, 5(9), 61-69. http://iraj.in
Ward, J., Dalat Ward, Y., & Jones, S. (2020). Journaling to develop a study abroad course for business majors. GATR Global Journal of Business and Social Science Review Journal, 8(1), 30-40. https://www.gatrenterprise.com/GATRJournals/index.html Global J. Bus. Soc. Sci.
Webb, A. (2020, Summer). How to do strategic planning like a futurist. Harvard Business Review, 58-61.
Weick, K. E. (1995). Sensemaking in organizations. Foundations for Organizational Science: A Sage Publication Series.
West, C. (2020, April 1). Leading in a time of uncertainty. NAFSA.
Whalen, B. (2015). Foreword. In V. Savicki & E. Brewer (Eds.), Assessing study abroad: Theory, tools, and practice (pp. ix-x). Stylus.
Wojenski, C.L.P. (2014). Virtually there: Examining a collaborative online international learning pre-departure study abroad intervention. Doctoral dissertation, Rutgers University, ProQuest Dissertations.
World Health Organization (2020a) Archived: WHO timeline - COVID-19. Retrieved April 29, 2020 from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19
World Health Organization. (2020b). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation report – 96. Retrieved April 27 from https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/
World Health Organization. (2020c). WHO characterizes COVID-19 as a pandemic. Retrieved
March 18, 2020 from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen
World Health Organization. (2020d). Report of the WHO-China joint mission on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Retrieved February 15 from https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf?sfvrsn=fce87f4e_2
Zull, J. E. (2020). The art of changing the brain: Enriching teaching by exploring the biology of learning. Stylus.
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2020-08-12
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Ward, J. G., Martin, M., & Ward, Y. D. (2020). A Phenomenological Study:: A Pre-departure Study Abroad Course Interrupted by the COVID-19 Outbreak. Archives of Business Research, 8(8), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.88.8816
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Copyright (c) 2020 Yaprak Dalat Ward, James Ward, Michael Martin
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