Joshua Gunson: A Profile of a new GISMA Student
Background
Joshua Gunson is an Australian student studying at GISMA Business School’s Hamburg campus. We spoke to him recently via Skype in order to understand why he selected GISMA and how he’s finding working from home.
Joshua is studying MSc International Business Management, delivered at GISMA Business School and awarded by Kingston University, and joined GISMA in February 2020. He joined the school as he wanted to learn in his native language of English, improve his German language skills, and gain international experience.
On discovering GISMA, he realized that Kingston University is a partner, and began researching the postgraduate course.
Hamburg
Joshua loves the Hamburg campus as well as the lifestyle. The city offers plenty of social opportunities including restaurants and many cultural attractions like galleries, museums and concerts taking place year-round. Hamburg is Germany’s second largest city and is well-known for being a hub of science and education. It also has great transport links connecting you to the rest of Germany and the world. The locals don’t mind if you cannot speak German, they’re willing to communicate in English, as long as you’re friendly!
Studying from home
Joshua was able to complete his first module, Fundamentals of Business Management, in-class before being asked to study his second module online due to COVID-19. He says the best thing about working from home is that he can view the content of upcoming lectures beforehand to prepare; he does this by making use of Blackboard Collaborate– an online educational platform where academics can post study materials and assign work.
Joshua and his GISMA classmates also work with Canvas, a learning management system, also available as an app, which integrates several learning tools to help learners and staff connect. Joshua also uses email and WhatsApp to stay in touch with the GISMA community. He commented: “When the news that we must work and study from home came, I was happy. GISMA and Kingston University had provided all of the necessary tools online, so I was able to continue my studies without deferring and possibly facing visa issues. Also, I enjoy working from home at my own pace, and I especially like that I don’t have to catch public transport so often.”
Regarding future plans, Joshua intends to remain in Germany after graduating from GISMA in order to take up a PhD.
