An intercultural, interprofessional, immersive experience: An innovative approach to global Learning

The intent of this article is to demonstrate how an intercultural, interprofessional, and immersive student experience can be an effective, short-term study abroad option for students. Short-term study abroad programs are desired by students, particularly in disciplines where curricula are fixed across semesters and long-term programs may result in delayed graduation. Faculty from Purdue University and Sapienza Università di Roma collaborated to design a course focused on engineering and public health in the service sector, where Rome is an integral component of the course. More specifically, the intersection of topics including systems, reliability, process flow, maintenance management, and public health are examined through case studies and field experiences. Engineering and nursing students from both Universities participate in the program while the Purdue students are in Rome. Herein, we describe the purpose, goals, and content of the course as well as several lessons learned from its development and delivery.