Ciao everyone!

In my blog post this week, I will discuss my classes abroad and the learning environment. My classes this semester are Italian 1, Analyzing & Exploring the Global City, Beginning Drawing, Cross-cultural Psychology, and Global Workforce Management. Most of these classes are 3 hours long once a week except for the Italian 1, which is 50 min 3 times a week. My classes have been tremendous as they have taught me more about the Florentine culture and how it differs from the American culture.

Many essential skills and strengths are necessary to be successful in your academics while being abroad. One of the critical skills would be the ability to adapt. Since I am from the University of Pittsburgh and have done all of my previous schooling in the United States, I have never experienced school in another country. Therefore, I have learned that the professors have different expectations of students. For example, during the first class in Analyzing & Exploring the Global City, my professor asked every student to share personal facts about themselves for about 5 minutes each. This was new to me as introductions in the United States classes are very simple, where the person states their university, hometown, major, and one fun fact. Every student in the class felt awkward sharing more personal things about their lives, but I have learned that Italians are more open to others even if they are not close. Another skill would be time management. All of the Italian professors expect the students to be on time for class; if they are not, they will close the door and ask why they are late in front of the class. Therefore, students must be on time for class every day and 5 minutes earlier than they might be when attending school in the United States. Lastly, a strength needed in your academics in Italy would be participation. Every class’s final grade has a massive part in participation. I do not like to talk in my classes as it makes me anxious; however, I have had to leave my comfort zone and speak more during my time here.

In addition, the learning culture is different than at the University of Pittsburgh. I have already mentioned the difference between Italians and Americans in introductions in the classroom. Another difference is the class material. In my classes in Italy, we are given a canvas page, but the only available things are the readings due each week, sometimes lecture slides, and a very small syllabus. They also expect students to do a flip classroom where some material is taught and the other material we must read and learn on our own. Meanwhile, at Pitt, we are given a lengthy syllabus highlighting the entire class, recordings of lectures, homework/assignments, readings, and topics discussed in class. Most of the time, Pitt does not do a flip classroom, and the only things due outside of the classroom are homework and readings. Pitt uses Canvas a lot more in a way that is beneficial to the student to look back on if the class is missed; however, in Italy, they expect the student to find the resources for the class, and if you miss class, then it is your responsibility to get the notes. It took some getting used to and will make studying harder, but it is interesting to see how the two schools use Canvas differently.

Overall, it has taken much adjusting to the classes’ length and structure, but it has been super fun to learn new things from a different cultural perspective. I am excited to bring all the new insides to topics from perspectives I have not viewed before back to Pitt.