India? Why India?
As part of my Master's Degree program, The University of Maryland
(
http://www.umd.edu/ ), offers great once in a lifetime opportunities to gain real world experiences while earning Graduate School credit at the same time.
In 2012, I was fortunate enough to take a short term study abroad program that studied Libraries and Cultural Heritage Institutions in St Petersburg, Russia (
http://darrellsrussiatrip.blogspot.com/ ). Ever since, I have kept my eyes open for other Education Abroad opportunities that can earn credit in UMD's iSchool (
http://ischool.umd.edu/ ).
On New Year's Day 2014, my
International Opportunities in Information Studies: India journey will begin. Don't know much about India? (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India ) Neither did I before I started my research.
Here is some information on what I will be doing while studying abroad while in India.
The Course
According to my syllabus & the class website: "Students will study the information management practices in corporations
and academic/research institutions in the cities of Bangalore and
Mysore, India."
.jpg)
The course will provide a "great opportunity to visit and travel in India and understand the
culture from a developing country perspective. Students will
observe and study the information environment in those organizations and
information management practices. Students will discuss with
professionals in those organizations the business models and information
management issues.
In addition to professional visits to software companies and
academic/research institutions in the cities of Bangalore and Mysore,
many sight seeing places (like famous Mysore Palace and 12th century
temples known for architecture) will be visited."
Highlights include:
-
Learn outsourcing activities by visiting leading consulting firms
like Tata, Infosys, etc. Research facilities such as Microsoft and Abbott, India.
-
Guest lectures on innovation and leadership by the leading authorities in India
-
Interact with local people and understand the importance of tacit knowledge
-
Visit NGOs and understand their work in development
Course Work
Many people ask..."How do you get credit for taking a trip?" It is more than a trip, we have literature to review & digest before we go, along with a short paper highlighting what we have learned to this point & what we hope to learn more about while abroad. While in India, we will have nightly reports to complete & then
an oral presentation of our impressions on
the last day at Bangalore. After returning to the U.S., we will have a longer more detailed paper due.
The course description says: "Ten days prior to departure, students will prepare a three-page paper
that should include a summary of findings from the literature search and
review of provided websites. It should also include the area of
interest that the student intends to pursue during the field study.
While doing field work in India, students are expected to keep a daily
journal documenting their impressions and experiences, as well as the
learning outcome, at each site visited. Upon return to the United
States, students will write a comprehensive report on the entire outcome
of their field study in India"
There are many objectives students are expected to achieve.
Upon
completion of this course, the student will:
Understand
the area of information management practices in developing environments;
Comprehend
differences in the information environment in developed and developing
countries;
Understand
the information management models in the business/consulting firms and
understand “outsourcing” practices;
Observe
the role of tacit knowledge in oral societies;
Investigate
knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing activities in organizations; and,
- Develop
a global view in information management.
Accommodations
While in Bangalore, we will be staying at the Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship.
(
http://www.xime.org/ ). "At Bangalore, India we will be staying at XIME--a business school.
Executive accommodations will be provided with well furnished rooms with
attached bath rooms. WI-FI is also available as well as other
facilities: transportation, laundry, and requested meals."
At Mysore, we will be staying at Infosys (
http://www.infosys.com/ ) --one of the leading consulting
firms in the world--and all facilities listed under XIME are also
available here.
All in all it should be a great opportunity. My intentions are to update this blog daily without all the boring schoolwork portions of what I learn. I also will try to post more photos on my Facebook page for everyone to view.
https://www.facebook.com/darrell.robertson.372
Before I leave, feel free to read the blog of last year's class. Due to popular demand, this is the 3rd year in a row UMD has offered this Study Abroad India course.
http://mls.umd.edu/2013/02/incredible-india-reflections-on-india-by-the-2013-study-abroad-class/
.jpg)
