IEM On-Site Perspectives: Team Spain
Dates: January 5 – 24, 2017
Summary of Experience
During the month of January, ten IEM students completed an on-site perspective in education abroad management course, led by Dr. Paige Butler, in Madrid, Spain. Prior to departure, we took part in creating and presenting our own pre-departure orientation sessions. In Madrid, we were based at Sede Prim, the Middlebury Language School. We visited two public universities in Madrid (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid y Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) in addition to a small private university (Universidad Nebrija). We also visited the University of San Diego and Syracuse University Madrid centers along with third provider CIEE and had a talk with the director of CEA Madrid. Our class sessions focused on debriefing site visits, utilizing standards of best practice and comparing/contrasting programs, models, and missions. We had the ability to observe on-site orientations for new students beginning the Spring semester. These orientations focused on health and safety while in Madrid and also allowed us to interact and speak with the program participants. In addition, we observed presentations regarding mental health that I found very useful when considering the creation of my own orientations going forward.
Prior to departure, our group took the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) as a way to familiarize us with a widely used intercultural competency measurement tool. On site in Madrid, we worked with an IDI Qualified Administrator to provide us with a detailed look into our group score and the meaning behind the IDI and the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). We had the option to receive personalized feedback regarding our individual scores which has proven valuable as I continue to work on increasing my own intercultural sensitivity.
Finally, in pairs, we worked on projects related to international education management. My partner and I created a competitor analysis for an intercultural competency consulting firm in Madrid, along with a review of their website and corresponding suggestions and templates for enhanced marketing and branding. In addition, we observed and recorded an intercultural orientation session for students at Sede Prim and generated web content including photographs.
MIIS Students site visit to Universidad Nebrija
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