This Tip is about helping to design courses for a Masters Degree in Croatia.
The Small Business Center in Osijek
The small business center in Osijek was just started two years ago. This was at a time when they feared that no one would make use of their training and small business counseling services. (Entrepreneurism is a very new concept there.) It was gratifying to learn that it now had over 44 clients. It could not handle all of the course and counseling demands!
Designing Courses for the Masters Degree
Thanks to Sanja, an associate professor at the School of Economics, University of Osijek, we were kept very busy. The first week I alternately met with Sanja and with Ljerka. Sanja needed help to develop a 20 hour Creativity and Innovation course. I worked with Ljerka to develop a 20 hour Presentation Skills course. Both courses begin April 13-15 with the inception of the masters degree program in Entrepreneurism there.
Teaching a Train the Trainer
The second week, I met with a different professor each morning for four hours to help with their second or third semester course for the Masters Degree program.. Then I taught a train-the trainer from 2 pm-6 pm for all professors who will be involved in this masters program. The emphasis was on having them use interactive learning activities. This in lieu of them giving 90 minutes of straight lecture. The group was open, enthusiastic, and very appreciative. I also learned a lot, myself, as they each had to explain their area of expertise (intelligent systems, statistics, economic finance, etc.) to me before I could help them.
Amazingly, almost everyone spoke English. They had a broader vocabulary than most Americans. And each apologized for their English. This left me even more apologetic about my complete lack of facility in their language!
Ljerka
On the last afternoon of training, Ljerka presented a 45 minute segment of a lesson we had co-created in Presentation Skills the previous week for the Masters Degree program. It used all sorts of interactive learning activities and audiovisual aids. She did a brilliant job. Ljerka modeled what we expected of each professor. She established a very high benchmark.
Ljerka and I actually managed to design all 20 hours of her course. This was primarily due to her:
- great facility with the English language. (She teaches it, with a beautiful British accent),
- quick and perceptive adoption of the techniques, and
- amazing energy and enthusiasm.
Sanja and I were able to design over 12 hours of her 20 hour course.
Auditing Masters Degree Courses During the Next Visit
The exciting thing was that I knew I would be going back in July. At that time, I would be auditing all four of the courses that would be nearing completion in the first semester. (Professors at St. Louis University are designing the other two courses.) In addition, I will work more intensively with the professors who will be conducting the second and third semester courses. So, I will actually be able to watch the designs in full fruition!
Of course, I brought 20 pounds of candy. This was opposed to the 85 pounds that I brought two years previous. Then, I had trained five days in Osijek and five in Dubrovnik, along the Adriatic. I also brought koosh balls, which they loved and which I left with them. In addition, I showed my cartoons, but didn’t choose wisely. There was a cute one about a wife using a football analogy to get her husband to take out the garbage. However, football in Croatia means soccer which is arranged very differently than football!
Seth
While I was working, Seth spent the entire day with Jadranka and Danijel’s three children. Danijel, is a veterinarian. Tomi turned 14 while we were there and spoke and understood English. Denis was 10 and understood English a bit, but didn’t speak it.Ivana was 8 and didn’t speak or understand English.
The children had only four hours of school a day. As a result, one or the other two were always home for Seth to play with.
Jadranka
Jadranka, who works for the School of Agriculture, took time off from her work for the duration of our stay so that she could entertain Seth. When I found out about this, I felt very guilty about such an extreme imposition on her time and income. However, she assured me that, as academic staff, she could make up the time later. She also saw this visit as an investment in her future- her children.
This beautiful, vibrant, loving woman took Seth and her children:
to all kinds of parks,
bicycling,
playing outside,
to the city pool (which is new and puts Madison to absolute shame!), and
to the zoo.
Seth and Jadranka
She fed Seth lunches. In addition, she oversaw his getting his huge amount of homework done. He is very conscientious and worked continually to complete it. It was completed before we returned to Madison.
Seth also went to give a talk in Tomi’s class about America. He used postcards and books of America and Wisconsin that we brought. He was a huge hit. The children privately asked him questions, such as whether or not he had a girlfriend! They invited him to return the next day to visit the zoo with them. Jadranka also sewed up his left shoe. Their small and protective dog (who was in a cage) took a healthy bite of Seth’s sock when Seth inadvertently walked too near the dog’s enclosure.
It was a wonderful trip to Osijek. This ended with all of the professors, Jadranka, Danijel, their children, and Seth and I sharing a lovely dinner at a very nice restaurant. A lovely and generous send off.
The world is an increasingly small place. The warmth and generosity of people we met gave us a true feeling of connection. It would be wonderful if all children could travel to at least one other country and live with the people there. Once you have been in another country, it is impossible not to care about the health and well being of the people there. It would be a true investment in a peaceful world future.
If you would like to discuss my international travels for work, please book a call using https://laurelandassociates.com/contact/
