MCI - Management Center Innsbruck – Internationale Hochschule GmbH

Joint course "Organizational Behavior" with Seton Hall University (USA)

Keywords

• - "University cooperation"
• - "international cooperation"
• - "International and intercultural competence"
• - "Teaching staff mobility"

Short description

Objective

• Benefits for the students: Enabling an international learning experience • Strengthening the partnership through regular agreements and maintaining personal contact. • Use of course synergies, as "Organizational Behaviour" is anchored in the curriculum at both institutions. • Joint financing of the course by sharing the costs between the partners involved. This includes the provision of teaching staff, premises and infrastructure. Joint financing ensures the sustainable and efficient realisation of the course.

Target group(s)

• - "Lecturers"
• - "Students"

Area

• - "Incoming"
• - "Internationalisation"
• - "Internationalisation of studies and teaching "
• - "Outgoing"

Framework

The "Organizational Behavior" course is held together with students and lecturers from Seton Hall University (USA) in Innsbruck.

Steps/Activities

For this course, lecturers from Seton Hall University (USA) come to Innsbruck with a group of their students to conduct the course "Organizational Behavior" together with MCI students (incoming and regular students). The MCI provides the course facilities and covers the lecturers' travel and accommodation costs. The lecturers' course fees are paid by Seton Hall University, as they also teach their own students as part of a study trip to Innsbruck. The course supervision is organized by MCI. This course has already been successfully carried out several times in the past and has been very well received by both sides. Regardless of course participation, future outgoing students who will spend their exchange semester at Seton Hall University are invited to a joint lunch where they can get to know teachers and fellow students at Seton Hall University. This course provides students with the theoretical foundations to understand and explain the behaviour of individuals, groups and organizations. The aim is to improve leadership and management skills and to promote change and effectiveness in organizations. It includes practical exercises to apply the concepts learnt and strengthen self-awareness. The course is led by Prof Karen Boroff, Ph.D., and includes theoretical content as well as practical simulations and exercises.

Impact

• Learning learning, developing intercultural competence: This course brings together an exciting mix of Seton Hall University students and MCI students from Austria and around the world. "There is no better way to understand organisational culture than to immerse yourself in work cultures from around the world" Prof. Karen Boroff, Ph.D., Seton Hall lecturer. • Opportunity to make international contacts, promotion for a semester abroad at MCI, promotion of exchange: Through extracurricular activities, MCI students have the opportunity to network with students and lecturers from Seton Hall University. In addition, the US-American students get to know Innsbruck and can be encouraged to spend an entire exchange semester at MCI. • Consolidation of cooperation: Further projects have emerged from this close cooperation (e.g. development of a joint "Certificate in Destination and Event Management")

Lessons learned

The format is an excellent way of offering US-American students a genuine immersion experience at their own university over a relatively short period of time and making Austria an attractive "study abroad" destination The format is also ideal for familiarising non-mobile students with a US-American teaching concept (case study method) and for working in intercultural teams. The format requires very close coordination between the partner institutions, resulting in positive effects for the institutional and personal partnership.

Further links to the manual