对于太阳城娱乐官网大学科尔尼分校的学生来说，出国留学并不是什么新鲜事。 In fact, it’s been an option at 太阳城娱乐官网 for over 30 years. However, thanks to Dr. Timothy Burkink, who recently returned to the classroom after about 14 years in full-time administrative work, students now can benefit from his desire to “create shorter-term study abroad” opportunities integrated within the regular curriculum.

Through his collaboration with Dr. David Kosina, assistant professor in the Department of Economic and Managerial Studies at Palacký University in the Czech Republic, Dr. Burkink has recently completed a pilot program which he hopes will “serve as a model” for other courses in other majors across 太阳城娱乐官网’s campus. With the unwavering support of the 商业与技术学院’s Dean Jares, Dr. Burkink was able to take the experiential learning offered at 太阳城娱乐官网 way beyond the classroom, all the way to the Czech Republic.

伯金克曾经收到过根据自己的优势进行教学的建议，他利用自己在行业的经验为学生提供背景，帮助他们更好地理解课程。 当他30岁在一家公司工作时，他设法进入了当地的一所社区大学，在那里他与商业主席交谈。 He shares that he “loved college while (he) was in it” and missed it. When he accepted a job teaching a course one night a week, a decision he says “changed (his) life,” he chose to return to graduate school and later to enter a doctoral program. 尽管到那时为止，他的生活中已经包含了各种各样的商业经验，但对他来说，进入课堂是很容易的。 当他决定转向管理时，这是为了给他两全其美，因为他可以在教育环境中实践商业。

After spending over a decade in administration, Burkink found that he missed being a faculty member and wanted “to work with students” in the classroom again. This decision also gave him the “opportunity to start exploring some of (his) research interests again.” 因此，最近的市场营销课程导致了横贯大陆的旅行成为现实。 He “hopes it’s a model for other faculty members” as he desires to fuel the enthusiasm of 太阳城娱乐官网 students by facilitating real-world scenarios for them to fully experience today’s workforce. “Learning by doing is something that has always been important” to Burkink who took this belief to the next level with this project.

他的学生中有3名在读研究生，6名在读本科生。最近，他们从一次旅行中回来，终于看到几个月来的辛勤工作有了成果。 These students participated in what Burkink describes as “a perfect model to help our very practical-minded students get international experience while continuing progress toward their degree.”

Dr. Burkink travelled to Palacký University in September of 2022 and Dr. Kosina followed up with a trip to 太阳城娱乐官网 two months later. 这开始了一种伙伴关系，加强了两大洲的营销计划，为未来的努力铺平了道路。 While each professor maintains his own classroom, this project was created to allow “students from different backgrounds, strengths, and motivations” to work together. Burkink’s eight-week course began on January 23, 2023, with a deep dive into the focal companies, the industry, and other aspects of the marketing environment. Through Zoom meetings and weekly emails, 太阳城娱乐官网 students were able to work with not only Palacký University students but also the consulting clients located in the Czech Republic. 这个独特的体验式学习项目导致了营销计划的发展，在课程的最后一周，太阳城娱乐官网学生前往捷克共和国向实际的咨询客户现场展示。

While one group of students worked with Dr. Kosina’s university on an initiative to expand the business school offerings, the other two were able to work with Veles Technology, a start-up virtual reality headset manufacturer located in the Czech Republic.

As Burkink stated, “the crux of the course is serving as consultants for actual clients.” 随着这个试点项目的成功，他希望这种类型的经验将成为所有太阳城娱乐官网学生的标准。 国际机会菜单的愿景，让学生选择从他们的课程设置的一部分，无论他们的专业，是一个伯金克博士希望留下作为他的太阳城娱乐官网遗产的一部分。

在他们最近从2023年3月10日至3月18日的旅行中，这些太阳城娱乐官网学生能够与位于中欧的同学进行面对面的合作。 当他们最终与目标受众见面、完成项目、参加讲座时，他们收集了剩余的数据。 However, it wasn’t all work for these students. 安排一些休息时间对Burkink博士来说很重要，他确保学生有时间参观和享受奥洛穆茨和布拉格所提供的一切。

随着这次旅行的成功，他相信这种体验式学习将成为太阳城娱乐官网文化的重要组成部分。 Through the unwavering commitment of everyone at 太阳城娱乐官网, something that is already part of the school’s culture, he is confident that projects like this one will soon “become as commonplace as what internships are now.”

伯金克博士已经证明，他愿意付出额外的努力，在这种情况下，他愿意付出5000美元，并希望人们知道，他的办公室大门永远是敞开的。 Anyone interested in planning a similar project doesn’t have to travel far to find out how to make it happen. 去拜访一下Burkink医生。 He’ll show you the way.