By Dolore Bushati, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Administration and Economics, The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies
Dr. Bushati (front, sixth from left) with her GOLE project students from ECO 1002
Incorporating a Global Online Learning Exchange (GOLE) project in my Microeconomics 1002 class was a rewarding experience.
A GOLE project involves cocreating and coteaching with an international partner university; my project would not have been possible without my international partner and collaborator, Professor Zhivka Valkova Zapryanova from Universidad Colima in Mexico, and of course, the students in her general accounting course. We embedded the project in our courses during the last five weeks of the Spring 2023 semester.
The collaboration began with an ice-breaker activity as a way for students to introduce themselves. Using the tech tool, Padlet, students from both universities wrote sentences about themselves and posted a picture.
During the GOLE project, students from St. John’s worked together with their international peers in small groups. The project focused on an international business that students chose and analyzed, combining microeconomic variables and basic accounting documents. Students from St. John’s analyzed the microconcepts such as the market structure, elasticity, and pricing policy and how they were applied to their chosen business. Students from Colima University analyzed the accounting practices of the business, including income statements, balance sheets, and the ratios showing the financial level. Students exchanged the information they gathered and wrote a group paper about the real business they had chosen.
The project helped students practice skills and deepen their understanding of the course content.
In reflecting on the project, one of my students, Anson Hee, remarked, “I achieved the student learning objectives of the course. My group and I demonstrated intercultural sensitivity and comprehension. Even though we were in different countries, we had good teamwork and understood our differences. We also learned and applied microeconomics and accounting concepts on the group project paper. I am extremely grateful I was part of this project and hope I can do it again one day.”
During the project, students got to know one another and share experiences and learn about the benefits and challenges involved when collaborating and making decisions in international business. My student Andrew Hoernecke noted in a reflection, “Through this project, I saw how sharing different perspectives and experiences among group members can help to produce better results. I learned about how effective communication and compromise can lead to successful outcomes. Overall, it was an eye-opening experience that taught me the value of collaboration.”
The virtual exchange involved coordinating with several areas and Prof. Zapryanova appreciated the support she, Colima University, and her students received from the St. John’s GOLE team in accessing Canvas and other resources. “It was an enriching experience for my students because the project was their first international collaboration,” she said.
I am positive that I will continue my participation in the GOLE program because I believe that students who participate and take it seriously benefit in uncountable ways.