Building relationships: A perspective on how to achieve teaching success in study abroad programs

Study abroad programs have become increasingly popular in recent years as vehicles to prepare students for the global work environment. This paper describes a perspective on how to maximize teaching effectiveness in these programs via developing personal relationships. Based on the teaching of a Principles of Marketing course in Florence, Italy, the author discusses how the special characteristics of the study abroad program enabled the formation of deep faculty-student and peer relationships. Key faculty-student relationship factors were connections outside the classroom, career discussions, and assignment/exam reviews, while key peer relationship factors were interactions between students outside of class and field trips. The author notes how the importance of these factors is supported by current theory and research. He also describes how the factors led to higher teaching performance in Florence than in the U.S. as measured by student evaluations, marketing core question ratings, grades and attendance. Ideas for future research on the impact of relationship variables in study abroad programs are suggested.