"GAINING INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES WHEN STUDY ABROAD IS UNAVAILABLE"

When: Wednesday,January 26th, @12pm-1:00
Where: ​Online-via Zoom
Speakers: Erin C. Johnson, Hannah Gorsline, Grace Nelson, Allie Zucker

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Podcast Creation as a Mechanism to Explore and Expand UI Students’ Cultural Intelligence

Change is a ubiquitous in the international business environment and reflected in the increasing number of employees embarking on international assignments, and the high-paced flow of information around the globe spurring innovation that connects business partners across national borders.
The increasing complexity and dynamism of the international environment requires that future business leaders develop cultural intelligence (CQ) in order to successfully establish relationships and accomplish their goals.  Cultural intelligence is defined as “a person’s ability to function effectively in a variety of contexts – both internationally and domestically” (Cultural Intelligence Center, 2022).  Study abroad programs have long been a preferred mechanism by which many university students were able to develop CQ.  However, even before the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of study abroad programs, rising costs and other factors prevented a large number of students from pursuing these opportunities. Through a project of creating podcasts in her International Business Environment course (IBE), Professor Erin Johnson fosters the development of her students’ cultural intelligence by leveraging technology to engage students with this experience. Working in small groups, students conducted field research and interviews, analyzed their findings, and crafted a series of persuasive podcasts .In this session, Professor Johnson and her students will share their experiences with this project.  Specifically, Professor Johnson describe the structure and goals for the IBE podcast project followed by a student presentation of podcast excerpts.  Students will reflect on the process of podcast creation and answer the question of whether participating in this project did, in fact, increase their CQ.  

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Dr. Erin Johnson is an Associate Professor of Instruction at the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa.  Dr. Johnson teaches courses on negotiation, leadership and international business.  She has a long-standing interest in global business and cross-cultural collaborations.  She has partnered with universities in Poland, China, and Kosovo to create global virtual collaborations for her students in the context of their coursework.  Most recently, students in her International Business Environment course participated in a short-term global virtual teams projects with students at the University of Business and Technology (UBT) in Pristina, Kosovo.  Professor Johnson plans to continue this collaboration in the Spring 2022 semester and is hoping to travel to Kosovo to meet her colleagues later this year.

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My name is Hannah Gorsline, and I am a senior at the University of Iowa studying Marketing, with a minor in Rhetoric and an International Business Certificate. I am involved in various student organizations on campus, including Delta Sigma Pi, the Professional Business Fraternity, Women in Business, and the Marketing Institute. I also serve as a Senator within Tippie Senate, alongside a dozen other Tippie students. I am passionate about finding ways to increase my cultural intelligence and am very grateful for the opportunity to share our findings from our podcast in Professor Johnson's course. ​

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My name is Allie Zucker and I am a Marketing Management major at the University of Iowa with a physical activity and nutrition science minor as well as an international business certificate. I am also involved in multiple organizations on campus such as Women in Business, American Marketing Association, and Marketing Institute. I have a love for traveling and enjoyed learning how to enhance my cultural intelligence this past semester! ​

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​My name is Grace Nelson and I am a marketing sales major at the University of Iowa with a certificate in international business certificate and a minor in communications. I am involved in the American Marketing Association and have a position in the fundraising committee through the University of Iowa. This summer, I am planning on interning globally in Dublin, Ireland. Throughout my experience at Iowa, I have worked very hard in expanding my cultural intelligence, and hope to expand it even more in the future.