International Study Abroad Mentoring Project

The international business study abroad (IBSA) course is an opportunity to expose students in the College of Business Administration (CBA) to a global learning environment. CBA Students and alumni continuously express not only an appreciation for such an experience; but continuously reach back to share with students newly embarking on such a journey. Based on the report of past students and alumni, we decided to capture the experiences in a pilot project focusing on the mentor-student relationship in an IBSA context. During the Winter Term 2017 IBSA experience, we paired past CBA Alumni with students enrolled in the IBSA course. After the experience, students and alumni shared what their benefits from their mentor-mentee relationship during the study aboard experience. The qualitative data analysis for specific themes investigated the mentor-mentee relationship and the benefits from such an interaction. This analysis resulted in a refined process for the Winter Term 2018 IBSA experience. The presentation will include the course design, the qualitative analysis, and a 2-year comparison. The significance of this research is to facilitate future avenues for exploring how to get alumni more engaged through a non-traditional learning environment.