By Alex Payne.
Each spring DMACC students travel to London, England to study for 10 weeks at the University of London.
DMACC Professor Randy Jedele travels with students to London for the 10-week term.
“It is my favorite teaching experiences. I hope to get to do it again before I retire, maybe twice more,” Jedele said. “It seems like each time I go I figure out new things and better things to do with [the students]. “
The program is organized in cooperation with the American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS).
AIFS was founded in 1964 and is considered one of the oldest and largest exchange programs, according to their website. More than 50,000 participants travel with AIFS each year, and in their 49-year history more than 1.5 million students and teachers have participated in their programs worldwide, according to AIFS.
AIFS organizes the homestays for students, according to DMACC Study Abroad Coordinator Maria Cochran.
“Students stay with London families, which we think is a great opportunity to learn British culture from the inside,” Cochran said.
Money is the largest barrier, according to Cochran. The estimated $9,664 cost is a lot for many, but there are scholarships available for students to help pay for the semester.
This cost includes airfare, DMACC tuition, and AIFS program fees.
There are also additional day trips for the students—past years have traveled to Bath, Stratford, and Scotland, for example. There are at least four additional day trips, according to Cochran.
“The classes are offered over four days to give students a chance to travel over the weekends,” Cochran said.
But for many of students the classroom is out around the city of London.
“I try to have most of the classroom, or what you would call ‘seat time,’ in the morning so we can actually use the city of London as our classroom,” Jedele said.
DMACC students can register for classes for the Spring Semester London Study Abroad Program. The deadline for application is November 8. In order to enroll in the London Program, students must contact Cochran at mecochran@dmacc.edu (515) 964-6482.
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