Eder Teaches in Panama Through Fulbright Program
Students in the Management Information Systems seminar, which Dr. Lauren Eder taught at the Universidad de Panama, came well prepared for the midterm. Eder had assigned an open-book, open-notes, no-Internet three-hour exam for which the students had to answer two to three questions.
“The students came in with ink cartridges and paper. Some students even brought in printers,” Eder said. “In an emerging country like Panama, people do what they need to do to get something done. The students don’t rely on the university to supply these items.”
Similar to her class, Eder, the chair of the Department of Computer Information Systems, became resourceful and adaptable while teaching the three-week, 48-hour Ph.D. seminar as part of a Fulbright Specialists Program during Rider’s winter break in January.
Eder has traveled to several emerging and developing countries, such as China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Ecuador and Peru. “When you leave the U.S., you really appreciate the things we have and take for granted,” she said. “As faculty, here, we take for granted that we have Blackboard to upload PowerPoint slides and articles.”
However, the Universidad de Panama did not have such a content management system, so Eder turned to Google, using Google Documents and iGoogle to post her course information. As only 12 of her 37 students spoke English, her class also utilized Google Translate for their midterm and research paper.
When she travels, Eder also gains a sense of cultural adaptation. “The idea is if you are going to be working in a different country, you learn how to adapt to a culture. You can’t push your own way of doing things,” Eder explained. “In Panama, it’s more laid back. You have to have an open mind.”
For example, she realized people in Panama take their time getting to places. On the first day of class, while the start time was scheduled for 8 a.m., the students did not start trickling in until 8:30 a.m. The students also came back to lunch 45 minutes late. So, Eder adapted to the time.
The seminar was composed of students with all backgrounds, including marketing, finance, human resources and accounting. Most of the students were in their late 30s and 40s. The oldest student was 70 years old. He had an accounting and computer science background and owned a ranch.
As the seminar was held on Fridays and Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eder had time to take in Panama’s beautiful sites, rich culture and seafood fare. To read more about Eder’s adventure, visit her blog at http://www.fulbrightinpanama.blogspot.com/.
Eder said she learned about the teaching opportunity in Panama through Dr. Sigfredo Hernandez, associate professor of Marketing. Hernandez had helped Dr. Juan Mojica from the Universidad’s College of Business, set up a graduate program in 1992.
Last year, Mojica started the Universidad’s first doctoral program in business and was looking for an instructor to teach a seminar. Hernandez asked around the College of Business Administration to see if anyone was interested.
“When I heard about the opportunity, I wanted to do it. I wanted the opportunity to share knowledge,” explained Eder, who had already applied for the Specialists Program and was looking for a place to teach. “I had never taught a doctoral class before, but I knew I could.”
The Fulbright Specialists Program, a component of the Fulbright Scholar Program, provides short-term academic opportunities, usually two to six weeks abroad, to U.S. faculty and professionals.
“I think about all of these things I would have never have known if I did not take advantage of the Fulbright Program,” Eder said. “It’s an excellent opportunity for students and faculty.”
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