Abstract:

The pandemic meant that students missed out on educational trips abroad and the benefits and experiences that they bring. We argue that in the post-covid recovery period, short-term study trips, far from being a ‘nice to have’ can be an essential development opportunity for students.

In May 2023, ten undergraduate students from the School for Business and Society at the University of York in the UK, had a remarkable opportunity to meet professors and students from the Business Administration & Economics Department during a two-day symposium that was held at the main campus of CITY College, University of York Europe Campus, Thessaloniki.

Students had an enlightening learning and networking experience. They presented and discussed their own new venture ideas from their respective 'Business Planning' and 'Entrepreneurship' modules, they were exposed to industry perspectives on sustainability and Environmental Social and Governance trends through inspiring talks from CEOs of four large Greek companies and they visited Cisco’s Digital Transformation and Digital Skills Centre.

We found few examples of study trips being aligned to an equivalent module in a partner institution. This module specific focus allowed academics to link the trip to the learning objectives of the module which enhanced the relevance and student experience further.

We have conducted an empirical study gathering data from interviews and focus groups from both students and staff from York and Thessaloniki to understand the impact of short-term study trips.

Our findings demonstrate positive consequences of short-term study trips for both staff and students, including networking opportunities, joint research opportunities for staff, and the development of cross-cultural working skills for everyone involved. Students have built relationships with each other and their Thessaloniki counterparts that have lasted months beyond the 2023 visit. They have also gained valuable experience to add to their CV as they begin their job search for life beyond university.

We also found that short-term study trips cultivated interpersonal skills and confidence in participants that went underdeveloped during the pandemic.
Our data shows short-term study trips have significant positive impact on students and staff alike.

We also discuss the limitations of the study and make recommendations for future research into short-term study trips.

Keywords:

Post-covid, student trips, undergraduates, cross cultural working, entrepreneurship, sustainability, interpersonal capabilities.