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The 20-21 inaugural academic year for the Iconic Florence Remote Learning program at FUA-AUF has hosted students, based in international locations, involved in courses ranging in topics from art history to photography, food and wellness studies, and professionalizing placements. This student perspective comes from Humber College, an FUA-AUF affiliate based in Toronto, Canada, and describes the outcomes gained through a digital communication experiential learning placement.
Vanessa Garcia, Spring 2021 Iconic Florence student:
As a student entering my final year of studies at Humber College, I was anxious to see how remote learning would influence my work-placement experience throughout my final college semester. I wasn’t sure how the shift to remote placements would affect my on-the-job learning and exposure to real world projects.
I was absolutely ecstatic to learn about FUA-AUF’s unparalleled approach to a remote learning
placement. The Iconic Florence Special Project Experiential Learning course is an
incredibly well-structured placement opportunity that gives students exposure to the city of
Florence through a learning by doing methodology. Students in the SPEL program get to complete projects with FUA-AUF Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI) from a professionalizing placement perspective. With these dynamic learning environments and projects, students gain community exposure and simultaneously benefit from an all-encompassing learning experience that integrates both theory and practice.
As I complete my Iconic Florence SPEL placement in Digital Communication, I have gained
invaluable insight into what goes into developing web content for professional websites. Iconic
Florence has provided me with the opportunity to not only work on professional projects with
real institutions in the community but has also allowed me to develop and adopt a global viewpoint.
My academic experience has pushed me to consider multiple different perspectives and approaches that I wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to and I have, unsurprisingly, become more open to
many new ideas, issues, and problem-solving solutions as a result.
Going into the placement, I was certain that I would come out of it with a stronger portfolio and skill set that would undoubtedly help me in my professional career moving forward. However,
something I hadn’t foreseen was that I would come out of this program with a refined global
lens that allows me to move through the world and interact with others in a more meaningful
and impactful way. There are countless benefits to participating in the Iconic Florence Remote
Learning program, and if given the chance, I urge future students to take advantage of this
once in a lifetime opportunity.
Iconic Florence courses are scheduled in FUA-AUF 3-week sessions in the fall, spring, and summer academic seasons. For more information on Iconic Florence remote learning course offerings at FUA-AUF, please visit upcoming academic schedules with the “Iconic Florence” designation.
Contact: admissions@fua.it