The Scholar Ship - A campus with a difference

Below is an article i have written for the University Observer about an exciting new educational project launched this September.

Every year many students make the decision to attend a semester in a different country and experience an alternative culture and way of learning in a new environment, this academic year has heralded the launch of an even more international program named “The Scholar Ship” which over the period of a semester takes place in three continents and eleven cities, The Scholar Ship is a semester away with a real difference.

The Scholar Ship is an exciting new project launched this September that involves students and staff taking to the seas for “a semester long academic program aboard a dedicated passenger ship that traverses the globe as an ocean going campus.”

The Scholar Ship is a joint project organised and accredited by a number of Universities around the world including the University of Cardiff and the prestigious University of California, Berkeley, and is a truly international project boasting a faculty and student body from right around the world, which the organisers say helps to create a unique “global community”.

Students who enrol in this unique learning program take part in a sixteen week long voyage that combines traditional class based learning with relevant field activities at many of the port calls made by the vessel throughout the semester, which departs from Hong Kong and finishes in Amsterdam, and includes port calls to cities such as Shanghai, Bangkok, Cape Town and Lisbon to name but a few

Dr. Joseph D. Olander, president of the Scholar Ship program insists that the initiative does not have mere novelty value, instead he argues that the project has real educational merit and claims “There is no other program positioned to deliver the type of personal development and career enhancing opportunities that the Scholar Ship Offers”

The program offers a wide variety of fields of study at both an under graduate and post graduate level, with the organisers stating that “The Scholar Ships curriculum has been designed to develop the intercultural competence and leadership skills of our students.” Courses available on the Scholar Ship range from “International Business” to areas such as “Sustainability Development” and “Conflict Studies” as well as humanities based subjects, providing a great choice of subjects to suit any student.

However, very predictably such an amazing experience does not come cheap, with fees for the next departure of The Scholar Ship in January 2008 standing at $21,395 for under graduate level and are slightly higher for post graduate studies at $22,900, with prices like these it is easy to see that a voyage on the Scholar Ship is considerably more of a financial commitment than a semester here at UCD. The course fees quoted by the organisation cover most of the relevant costs for the semester including accommodation, food, travel and tuition, however do not include costs such as learning materials or travel costs getting to and from the ports of departure and arrival, these extra costs may add another $5000 to the already hefty bill.

So should you decide that all this land based college is a bit too boring, and you have some money to burn, why not consider enrolling in an educational voyage aboard the Scholar Ship.

School...?

Today heralded the beginning of the end for my college days, as I start my final year in UCD I could not be more excited about what I am going to learn and experience over the next few months.

However as great as college has been for me, I still despair at the numbers of people who go to college and stay there because you are “supposed to”, and to not go or to leave would be against the norm so they just go through the motions and stay enrolled so they don’t look stupid.

I think that career councillors in schools need switch their approach from “What college course will you be doing” to telling students to think long and hard about whether college is right for them, and remind them that college is not the be all and end all of life.

Consider the following people:

the chances are that if you are reading my blog, you are using either a product made by one of the companies founded by the fine gentlemen below, all of them DROP OUTS from college... just thought I'd say.

Lecturers: Good vs Bad

Bad Lecturers

1. Can't use powerpoint - most lecturers see it fit slides that are poorly animated, poorly constructed and packed full of text to the point of illedgibilty. If you're going to use it, use it well.
2. Cannot communicate - I'm sure that in their college days they were the best and brightest of whatever academic field thet studied...it just so happens they are not very good at explaining in language us students can understand (esp economics, accounting, finance)
3. Are solely responsible for low attendance numbers - "lying in bed is a better use of my time than listening to you"
4. Engage in "one way traffic" - of the attitude "I will be speaking for the duration, questions shall not be tolerated"
5. Class is over when its over - Once my 1hr slot is up class is over and I dont want to talk about it.

Good Lecturers (few and far between)

1. Add Value to the subject - They don't merely read out their slides to you verbatim, they bring their relevant life/work experience and add a human aspect to the factual content
2. Create Good Presentations - Understand what material overload is and avoid it...they might even use pictures/audio/videos to back up their information in multiple formats
3. Make you want to go to class - There is no better feeling than getting out of bed and actively want to get to the bus and into class asap, creates a great class atmosphere too.
4. Make it a two way process - they ask questions, and invite questions to be asked, interactivity>"listen here YOU"
5. Are your teachers in and out of class - the class may be over, but if you ever need to ask them questions or just want to talk to them about the subject...they are there and want to do so
6. Leave a lasting impression

Thoughts on College + Accountancy

I'm sitting in class right now and to be honest i am an annnnnngry eddy. Management accounting is possibly the most boring course i have taken to date, its competing with financial accounting for the crown. Notice that the common denominator is accounting, i have no interest in accounting, and the overhead abortion rate can go an jump off a cliff for all i care.

i think its really stupid that we are forced to do subjects in second year (out of three) that we dint want to do and have no intention on pursuing to a further level, its just stupid and not productive.

The college complains of students not achieving high enough results in their degrees? By forcing us to take unwanted subjects it results in people like me being disgruntled (but then again when am i gruntled) and wasting everyones time from me to the lecturer.

Anyone wanting to become an accountant, have fun.

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