Morocco Module of International Business Course from the University of Wisconsin

Professor Rod Matthews traveled to Morocco this spring to meet with faculty and students at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) and to teach students in his own Contemporary Topics in International Business (IB 365) course via advanced Internet video technology.

Increased collaboration between business students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and AUI is a key aspect of this IB 365 course. Based on his own cross-cultural observations of students, professor Matthews remarked to AUI students, "I am convinced that if you came back with me to Madison, you would fit in, and students in Madison would fit in here well also. It is interesting to see how similar students are all over the world."

Professor Matthews' interactive IB 365 class concluded with a lively quiz bowl session between AUI and UW-Madison students. In each round, students asked each other 10 questions about finance, economics and their respective countries. Later that afternoon, professor Matthews also taught his Introduction to International Business (IB 200) courses from Morocco using the same interactive technology.

The UW-Madison Center for International Business, Education and Research (CIBER) supported Professor Matthews' travel to Morocco through a curriculum development grant to explore possibilities for a student exchange program with AUI. The IB 365 course continues to be supported in part by CIBER and the Middle East Studies Program.


Rod Matthews, senior lecturer in International Business, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, interacts with his IB 365 students in Madison during his most recent trip to Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI), Morocco.


Business students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco quiz each other about international business topics via Internet video technology.

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