Hello Everyone! I'm working on a project that I think is already a great resource for study abroad in Germany, but I wanted to get some feedback and see if you have any new ideas for ways we can better use the European Study Center for German language teaching.
You will notice on our website, http://www.studyabroad-germany.eu/
that the European Study Center currently houses a study abroad program
aimed towards students who do not speak German. We of course welcome applications for that from students all over the US. However, we would also really like to expand the program and that's where your input would be very helpful.
The European Study Center in Heidelberg, Germany is run in partnership with CEPA Europe which specializes in customized educational programs abroad. That means universities/colleges wanting to set up a program here have the option to tap into any or all of the resources at the European Study Center and make the study abroad program that is the perfect fit for their students.
Some of the possibilities I've thought of for this center are:
- German Language Center: The International House Heidelberg is an integral part of our European Study Center and offers intensive German language courses at all levels. Faculty from your German department may also choose to teach courses in classrooms available at the European Study Center. Cultural excursions are arranged to fit the needs and interests of the students.
- Direct Enrollment: Students may choose to take the majority of their courses at a local university while living at the European Study Center. This will allow them to experience German student life with a built-in support system to provide housing, help with residence permit paperwork, organize cultural excursions and simply be available if help is needed.
- Become a Partner: Send a group of students with a faculty member who would be interested in teaching additional courses at the European Study Center. Your students would be able to choose from the many other courses offered at the European Study Center and at the SRH University Heidelberg. The courses taught by your faculty would in return be open to all students at the center.
- Branch Campus: Set up your own campus in the heart of Europe. Our facilities are well equipped to house several groups of students simultaneously. Heidelberg is renowned for academic prestige and technological advancement as well as hundreds of years of history. It is centrally located in Western Europe making travel to other cities convenient and affordable. You can put us to work making a branch-campus for you that features a study program which emphasizes exactly what you want and takes your students to the cultural and professional sites you choose.
Do any of you have any ideas for other ways the European Study Center could be used? Are any of you interested in working with us to further develop the ideas listed above or new ideas of your own?
I look forward to hearing from members of the ACTFL community about building the German language component of the European Study Center. Thanks for your help!