ABINGTON, Pa. — Natalie Sylvester and Lauren Berg are veterans in the world of courses that required short-term study abroad at Penn State Abington. A recent 10-day stint in Germany counted as Sylvester's third and Berg’s second time traveling with their class, which are also known as embedded programs.
Accompanied by Joe Oakes, associate teaching professor of computer science, and Jake Benfield, professor of psychological and social sciences, they practiced concepts from their design thinking course with students and faculty at Hof University near Dresden. Design thinking develops skills to synthesize what is desirable, equitable, technologically feasible and sustainable while developing innovative solutions to challenges.
Berg and Sylvester learned from the contrasts between the American and German mindsets and higher education systems and details such as 24/7 access to Hof’s facilities struck a chord.
“The European perspective is very different," Berg said. "In America, we are given step-by-step instructions while in Germany, the students are given a task and expected to follow through and figure it out on their own. That's how we worked at Hof. It was hard, but now we are using it here."
Sylvester, a third-year cybersecurity analytics and operations major, agreed.
"The differences in our education systems are very apparent," Sylvester said. "Germans put more trust in their students, so they are not afraid to be wrong, and they keep trying. It was very interesting to see the cultural barriers in education and see that cultural stereotypes about the Germans were not true.”
The students from both universities wrapped up their joint work on a project that began when the Hof group visited Abington last fall. They collaborated on a model for a fictional company’s transition from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. They combined their findings and dug into them in Germany.
Sylvester and Berg agreed the skills they are developing through courses with short-term study abroad will be key to their success after graduation.
"The embedded courses force you to be adaptable because you are working with people from different backgrounds, and you learn to overcome cultural barriers. It absolutely gives you a perspective on education and culture and really shows you there is so much to learn outside the class,” Sylvester said.
Berg, a fourth-year criminal justice major with a minor in psychology, said she signed up for the design thinking course because she wanted to boost her technology skills.
“I realized that my tech skills were lackluster. This trip highlighted for me how technology cross-references with my major and minor, and how you need all sorts of skills and all sorts of people to solve problems,” she said.
Sylvester will embark on her fourth trip this spring to Japan as part of a course on climate change and organizational behavior. She previously traveled to Scotland for a cross-disciplinary course in information technology, criminal justice and psychology and to Hof for a combined business and technology course.
“I chose these courses because I thought it would be a cool way to experience another culture and see a different part of the world, while also learning," she said. "Meeting people from another nation is special because it really allows you to be immersed into a new culture and see how different things are in another country."
Berg also completed the course in Scotland with Sylvester, and she said she plans to enroll in her third course with a travel component next fall.
The embedded courses always highlight the country's culture with Abington faculty and students visiting important sites and enjoying local dishes. The students were in Germany during Thanksgiving, so they celebrated by making traditional food such as spaetzle.
“The highlight of the trip for me was learning German history, and we bonded and had fun with the Hof students,” Berg said.
As they both prepare for more travel through Abington’s short-term study abroad programs, the duo encouraged other students to participate.
"Even if you can’t find a trip that's specific to your major, see if you can enroll in a course. It gave me perspective, experience, and knowledge. Sign up for an embedded course as soon as possible and do as many as possible,” Berg said.
“Traveling through the embedded programs that Abington offers is truly a once in a lifetime experience, so if you get the chance, you should definitely take it,” Sylvester said.
Scholarships and financial aid may be available to defray costs of the travel portion of embedded courses. Recent courses included social media in Jamaica and technology in China and Germany. This spring students are enrolled in three embedded courses: "Climate Change and Organizational Communication with Travel to Japan," "Advanced Business Intelligence for Afro-Caribbean Culture" and "Literature and Empire: Identity, Culture, and Self in Ghana."
About Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington provides an affordable, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. With more than 3,100 students, Penn State Abington is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 26 majors, accelerated master's degrees, undergraduate research, the Schreyer Honors College, NCAA Division III athletics and more.