Bertulu, Giovanna

Kim, Sharon

Santilli, Sara

Sestu, Valentina

Taylor, Will

Waechter, Bianca

Williams, Amy Elizabeth

English

College of William & Mary: W&M Publish

The William & Mary Educational Review Volume 3 Issue 1 Article 6 11-1-2014 The University of Cicerone & Matthew College Giovanna Bertulu Sharon Kim College of William & Mary Sara Santilli Valentina Sestu Will Taylor College of William & Mary See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/wmer  Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Bertulu, Giovanna; Kim, Sharon; Santilli, Sara; Sestu, Valentina; Taylor, Will; Waechter, Bianca; and Williams, Amy Elizabeth (2014) "The University of Cicerone & Matthew College," The William & Mary Educational Review: Vol. 3 : Iss. 1 , Article 6. Available at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/wmer/vol3/iss1/6 This Articles is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in The William & Mary Educational Review by an authorized editor of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@wm.edu. The University of Cicerone & Matthew College Authors Giovanna Bertulu, Sharon Kim, Sara Santilli, Valentina Sestu, Will Taylor, Bianca Waechter, and Amy Elizabeth Williams This articles is available in The William & Mary Educational Review: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/wmer/vol3/iss1/6 Dean Jones of Matthew College isa former counseling professor who isinterested in creating an exchangepartnership for the graduate studentsin the counseling program to study atan Italian institution of highereducation. One of Dean Jones’research interests isinternationalization of counseloreducation and the counselingprofession. As a result of this interest,and coupled with a growing interestidentified by professional counselingorganizations and programaccreditation bodies to expandcounselor education training andpractice internationally, Dean Jones isexploring study abroad partnershippossibilities in Italy.Matthew College is a medium-sized public university located on theEast Coast. The counseling programat Matthew College acceptsapproximately 30 students each yearfor its master’s programs and 5students each year for its doctoralprogram. The program is accreditedby the Council for the Accreditationof Counseling and RelatedEducational Programs (CACREP), anational accrediting body forcounselor education programs. Due tothe program’s CACREP accreditation,specific courses are required in eachprogram of study; these courses aredesigned to address competencyobjectives identified by CACREP.Dean Jones has a friend andcolleague, Professor Marzia, who is anItalian vocational counseling andpsychology professor at the Universityof Cicerone. The University ofCicerone is a large public university inItaly that enrolls approximately 200individuals in its assessment andcounseling degree programs. Theuniversity offers master’s degrees inassessment and counseling, with afocus on vocational counseling. Theprogram is not governed by anaccreditation body, although inresponse to the Bologna Process, theuniversity has standardized its creditsystem to align with other Europeaninstitutions.Professor Marzia is interested inexploring a possible study abroadpartnership with Matthew College andDean Jones; however, he has severalconcerns. First, English is not alanguage commonly spoken by theItalian population; therefore, Italianstudents may not be able to travelabroad. Dean Jones comments thatthe language barrier may also preventthe students from working together inThe University of Cicerone& Matthew CollegeGiovanna Bertulu, Sharon Kim, Sara Santilli,Valentina Sestu, Will Taylor, Bianca Waechter, Amy E. Williamssmall groups, as collaboration is not acommon form of instruction at theUniversity of Cicerone. Further, thelanguage barrier may prohibit studentsfrom interacting with one another witha common vocabulary of professionallanguage. Specifically, in the context ofvocational counseling, terms such asmental health, career, goals, andcollaboration may not be recognizedbetween students.As Dean Jones continues planningfor a successful partnership of studyabroad experiences with the Universityof Cicerone, Professor Marziawonders how the credit system will beequated between the two universities.The University of Cicerone does notutilize the American system foroffering course credit, nor does itutilize similar structures of instructionfor its courses. Professor Marziawishes to provide a meaningful yet fairexperience for the students fromMatthew College, but does notunderstand how course credit could beoffered with an incompatible system.Although both Dean Jones andProfessor Marzia are dedicated toestablishing a partnership betweentheir two institutions, aligning theinterests of each is difficult. AlthoughMatthew College is committed tointernationalization, the administrationat Cicerone has reservations.Bureaucracy further slows this processas many administrators are hesitant toestablish a partnership and do not seethe value in establishing internationalrelationships. Student exchanges areexpected to be equal betweeninstitutions, especially concerningfinancial resources. Because of thedifferences in tuition between theAmerican and Italian systems, creatingequal exchanges will be difficult.Dean Jones seeks the support ofhis faculty to explore the possibilitiesof an academic sequence for theproposed program. Along withProfessor Marzia, they select acommittee of faculty at eachinstitution to steer the development ofa potential course of studies formaster’s- level counselors. The firstissue they encounter during thisdialogue is the lack of a term forcounseling in Italian. As the professorsand faculty members continue toexplore what a course of studies mightlook like, further issues are uncoveredthat highlight the differences inorientation to education between thetwo systems. A primary challenge isfound in creating coursework offeringsthat meet the needs of each trainingprogram. While faculty in MatthewCollege’s program emphasizeexperiential and practical teaching andlearning experiences, the faculty atCicerone prioritize lecture-basedtheoretical knowledge as key to thedevelopment of counselors. A secondchallenge is identified in selectingcourse materials, as the languagelimitations of students in bothprograms make the text selectionprocess a complex undertaking.Additional concerns are raised byfaculty members at both institutionsregarding the core tenets of trainingrequired by each location’s licensingagency. Because CACREP guides thecourse offerings and learningoutcomes of Matthew College’sprogram, a further concern is raisedabout the adherence of the Italiancourse offerings to these standards.Prior to adjourning, the committeedecides that the use of aSpecial Section: W&M in Italy 19comprehensive exam would meet theneeds of both programs to measurelearning outcomes, although the typeof exam becomes an issue of furthercontention. Following thesediscussions, the faculty membersexpress frustration at theoverwhelming complexity ofdeveloping this program. Nonetheless,both groups of faculty continue toidentify the great benefits of beingable to make this program a reality forstudents, particularly with the growinginterest in internationalization ofcounselor education and counseling.Student access is also a concernfor this exchange partnership. Fundingis a challenge, especially for studentswith lower socio-economic status.Students with visual, motor, orcognitive disabilities may also havedifficulties in participating in theexchange. Appropriate instructionalmaterials need to be developed forstudents with visual, motor, or otherimpairments. Of additional concernare the challenges concerning culturaldifferences; the differences betweenItaly and the United States can bechallenging for students studyingabroad in either country for a varietyof reasons.Although there are manychallenges presented in thecollaboration efforts of Dean Jonesand Professor Marzia, a successfulprogram between the universitiescould be valuable for students fromboth institutions. Matthew College andthe University of Cicerone plan tocontinue to seek appropriate solutionsto the differential structures within thetwo existing programs in order tocreate globalized learningopportunities. They decide that thebest place to begin is to find novelsolutions to the most pressing issuesof implementation.Questions1. What are the benefits associatedwith the internationalization ofthe counseling programs at eachinstitution? What are thepossible risks and liabilities ofthis?2. In what ways does the languagebarrier impact aspects of theplanning, implementation, andassessment of the students’experiences in this program?How might these challenges bemanaged?3. In what ways do educationalvalues of each culture impact theplanning, implementation, andassessment of learning activities?How might these challenges bemanaged?4. What challenges do faculty facein implementing this program?What solutions might youpropose to make this programmanageable for faculty andbeneficial for students?5. What student support issues areidentifiable in this situation? Howmight faculty at each institutionplan for and manage issues ofstudent support before, during,and after participation in theprogram?6. In what ways might the facultypromote equal access for allstudents to this opportunity?What challenges prevent this andhow might faculty plan to addressthese concerns?7. Overall, how might eachinstitution promote thisexperience to faculty members20 The William & Mary Educational ReviewSpecial Section: W&M in Italy 21who may be apprehensive aboutor opposed to changing theprogram and studentcomposition of their classes?What might be the argumentsfaculty would give for notwanting to take on this task?What counterarguments wouldyou offer in response?About the AuthorsGiovanna Bertulu is a graduate research assistant for the University of Padova inPadova, Italy. She holds a master’s degree in Educational and DevelopmentalPsychology.Sharon Kim is a graduate student in the Counselor Education program at theCollege of William & Mary.Sara Santilli is a PhD student in the Career Counseling program at the Universityof Padova in Padova, Italy.Valentina Sestu is a student in the Educational and Developmental Psychologyprogram at the University of Padova in Padova, Italy.Will Taylor is a second year master’s student in the Higher EducationAdministration Program at the College of William & Mary. He is a graduateassistant in the Reves Center for International Studies and will pursue a career inthe field of study abroad after graduation.Amy E. Williams is currently a second-year Ph.D. student in the CounselorEducation program at the College of William & Mary.Bianca Waechter is a graduate of the Community and Addictions CounselingProgram at the College of William & Mary. She currently works as a CareManager at The Farley Center at Williamsburg Place.

The University of Cicerone & Matthew College

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The University of Cicerone & Matthew College

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