What’s Up with Culture?

Readers may find the website What’s Up with Culture? which is an online cultural training resource for study abroad to be quite interesting and helpful in your research and work. My friend and colleague, Bruce LaBrack, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and International Studies at University of the Pacific is author and editor of the materials.



You can access What’s Up with Culture? Here: http://www.pacific.edu/sis/culture/

Students Experience the US Election Abroad

The Boston Globe is publishing several stories for their World Class series from students from the New England area to discuss what it’s like studying outside of the United States during the election.

You can access the articles here: http://www.boston.com/travel/columns/wheretheywent/gallery/world_class_election/

NCDE Survey on Equal Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

The following message was posted by a colleague from Mobility International USA (MIUSA) to SECUSS-L and I’ve copied and pasted it here:

Survey on Equal Opportunities for Students with Disabilities asks Foreign Language Faculty and Exchange Staff Worldwide to respond.

Do you teach foreign languages or send and receive students on foreignlanguage exchanges? Are you interested in contributing to a survey about students with disabilities? You do not need to have had a student with a disability in your class or program to respond. The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange seeks your input and experience.

Take a 10-minute Foreign Language survey online at:http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/57685/disabilityinclusion

As the need to learn a foreign language grows, so does the interest andimportance for students with disabilities to take courses and immersethemselves in the study of other languages. The purpose of the survey is to learn more about foreign language faculty and exchange professionals’ preparedness, experiences and inclusive practices in regards to students with disabilities in their classrooms or study abroad programs.

Deadline to submit: December 15, 2008

The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange provides freeinformation and referral services related to the participation of people with disabilities in international exchange programs. The Clearinghouse is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, and is managed by Mobility International USA.

The Immigration and Public Diplomacy Appointments Project

I just became aware of this new and interesting public diplomacy project spearheaded by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The purpose of the Immigration and Public Diplomacy Appointments Project is to assist the next President in identifying strong candidates for key administrative positions that impact public diplomacy and immigration issues.

You can access the website for the project here: http://www.ipdaproject.org/

Arrest of U.S. Graduate Student in Iran

On Oct. 15th, Esha Momeni, a California State University at Northridge Master’s student, was arrested and is being detained in Section 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison. Momeni was in Iran researching the women’s movement in Iran and was conducting video interviews with people involved in the “One Million Signatures” campaign which aims to end discrimination against women in Iran.

You can read more here: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/10/24/iran

Top Producers of Fulbright Awards, 2008-2009

Today, the Chronicle of Higher Education has an article on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and provides a list of the top producers of Fulbright Awards by type of institution for the 2008-2009 competition. The University of Chicago ranks 6th for research institutions with 23 awards for 2008-2009. In 2007-2008 The University of Chicago ranked 8th with 20 awards and in 2006-2007 The University of Chicago ranked 7th with 18 awards.

You can access the Chronicle article here: http://tinyurl.com/67pk8b

IELTS now accepted by more than 2,000 U.S. Institutions

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) has been gaining consistent ground on TOEFL for many years and is now accepted by more than 2,000 institutions in the United States.

You can read more from a recent press release here: http://tinyurl.com/6hlla2

Free Student Memberships to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs

The McCormick Foundation has generously given the Chicago Council on Global Affairs a $25,000 donation in order to offer all new students complimentary memberships for this program year. There is no limit on memberships for this offer- they are encouraging as many as possible to take advantage of this deal.

Please feel free to pass along this link, to teachers and students or anyone with student connections.

U2: The Hype and the Feedback – Call for Papers

An academic conference exploring the music, work and influence of U2 is scheduled for May 13-15 in New York City. The keynote speaker for the conference is Anthony DeCurtis

CALL FOR PAPERS:


U2: The Hype and The Feedback is the first conference to examine U2’s considerable catalog of music as well as their influence in the areas of the music and entertainment industry, popular culture, humanitarian relief and the global politics of peace and social
justice. We invite proposals for papers, presentations or panels on any topic relating to the music, work or influence of U2 that would appeal to an audience of scholars, students, journalists, musicians and intellectually curious U2 fans. Some suggested areas for exploring, critiquing or seeking a better understanding of U2 are:

Lyrical/textual studies The business of rock ’n’ roll
Music composition Music and cultural engagement
The performance of rock ’n’ roll The Spirit in/of rock ’n’ roll
Artist, audience and fan dynamics Peace efforts and social justice
Art and the rock aesthetic The rock star activist
Artistic collaboration The multi-genre modern rock star
Technology in the studio/on the stage Notions of celebrity and fame

We encourage proposals from established or independent scholars; faculty, graduate or undergraduate students; journalists, critics, musicians and fans. Please submit 300-350 word abstracts for papers, presentations or panels. Individual presentations should last 15-20 minutes, with panels designed to last one hour. Submissions should include a cover letter with relevant contact information and a vita or resume for each presenter.


Proposals, with any attachments, should be e-mailed to proposals@U2conference.com by November 1, 2008. Please direct questions about proposals to this same address.

NAFSA has a Wikipedia Entry

I just found that NAFSA has a Wikipedia entry. You can access the entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAFSA. Readers who are NAFSA members way want to add to the Wikipedia entry.

Global Horizons for UK Universities by Fielden for CIHE (2008)

During my recent research efforts I came across the executive summary from a report by The Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) entitled “Global Horizons for UK Universities” to be very interesting so I thought I'd inform readers.

You can access this six page document here:
www.cihe-uk.com/docs/PUBS/0711IntHEsumm.pdf

Fortress Embassies

I just read an interesting blog entry on the Foreign Policy Association Public Diplomacy and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election blog that I thought readers would find interesting. The blog entry entitled “Our Backward Public Diplomacy” discusses how the traditional forms of U.S. public diplomacy efforts are decreasing/retreating and are now changing to the virtual world of the State Department website and to relocating U.S. Embassies from the center of cities to more fortified structures on the outskirts of world cities.

You can access the blog entry here: http://tinyurl.com/6opa2z

Les Etudiants Internationaux: chiffres clés / International Student Mobility: Key Figures

CampusFrance recently published the following French-English paper Les Etudiants Internationaux: chiffres clés / International Student Mobility: Key Figures. It’s a good read and should be of interest to many readers. You can access the report here:

http://editions.campusfrance.org/chiffres_cles/brochure_campusfrance_chiffres_cles08.pdf

THE-QS World Rankings

Readers who are interested in the various rankings of world universities are probably aware that the THE-QS (Times Higher Education and British publish QS) rankings were recently published. You can access the rankings here: http://tinyurl.com/4hutba

AAPLAC 2009 - CALL FOR PAPERS

The Association of Academic Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean (AAPLAC) seeks proposals for papers and panels for its 20th Annual Conference, to be held at Central College in Pella, Iowa, on February 19-21, 2009

In honor of AAPLAC's 20th anniversary, the 2009 Conference theme is: The Role of Study Abroad in Preparing the Next Generation for the New "Global Century" Paper topics might include but are not limited to:
Increasing Diversity in Study Abroad
Intercultural Communication
Ethnography
Program Evaluation and Assessment
Reflective Practices

Please submit proposals for panels and/or abstracts of papers to:
Dr. Diana Rodríguez-Lozano
Department of Foreign Languages
Mount Saint Mary's University
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
Email: lozano@msmary.edu
Phone: 301-447-5820 / extension 4826
Fax: 301-447-5806

Deadline for submissions of proposals for panels or abstracts is November 15, 2008. For more information about AAPLAC, please visit our website: www.aaplac.org

Call for Proposals - NC State Undergraduate Assessment Symposium

Call for Proposals - NC State Undergraduate Assessment Symposium
Aligning Pedagogy, Curriculum & Assessment
Embassy Suites, Cary, NC April 24-26, 2009
Proposals are due by 5:00pm on October 31, 2008

The NC State University Office of Assessment will begin accepting proposals on September 1, 2008, for presentations at the 2009 Undergraduate Assessment Symposium. Our theme this year is Aligning Pedagogy, Curriculum & Assessment. Consistent with this theme, we are especially interested in proposals that highlight assessment efforts that seek to enhance undergraduate student success by illuminating the interactions between pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and learning. The Symposium, now in its seventh year, brings together faculty members and administrators from around the country to share ideas and learn from each other about the assessment of the total undergraduate student experience. We are pleased to have Dr. Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and co-author of When Hope and Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today's College Student, as our keynote speaker.

GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSAL proposals should present assessment efforts that are in a mature stage of development, rather than in a planning or pilot stage. Special consideration will be given to proposals that address how assessment results were used for planning and improvement. Sessions should engage participants and should focus on how participants can implement the methods and strategies presented in a more general sense in addition to focusing on how the presenters made them work on their campuses. Participants should leave each session with something that can help them to improve assessment on their campus. Sessions should be interactive, engaging and provide opportunities for audience participation. Please note that strong preference will be given to proposals describing assessment practices, activities, and/or methods that have been implemented for at least one cycle. The sessions will be 60 minutes in length; laptops and LCD projectors will be provided in each room. See instructions below for submitting your proposal.

TRACKS
I. Academic Disciplines: This track is for proposals addressing unique challenges faced by the various disciplines in carrying out assessment including how to more effectively assess academic disciplines, how faculty and administratorscan work together to develop effective assessment strategies and how disciplinary accrediting bodies impact assessment activities.

II. Academic Support Services: This track is for proposals that address effective ways of dealing with the special challenges presented when assessing academic supportservices, including tutorial services, advising services, library services, honors programs, orientation programs and living-learning communities.

III. Assessment Tools: This track is for proposals submitted by sponsors at the Silver level or above addressing sponsor solutions to campus assessment issues. Proposals should give background on the issues faced at the institution that led to the use of the product and how the use of the product impacted assessment, planning and improvement at their institution. Proposals must have wide appeal and cannot be simply a product demonstration.

IV. Community Colleges: This track is for proposals that address proven approaches for meeting the unique assessment challenges faced by community colleges. Topics may be from any of the other tracks with particular relevance given to their application at community colleges.

V. Experiential & International Education: This track is for proposals that address how to assess the impact of international education and experiential education (including service-learning, undergraduate research, cooperative education and internships). Topics include how to more effectively assess international and experiential education programs that are tied to the academic curriculum, assessment aspects that are unique to international and experiential education, and best practices regarding assessment in these areas, including specific tools and methods.

VI. General Education: This track is for proposals that address innovative approaches to assessing general education and how assessment of general education has been connected to planning and improvement. Other topics that may be included in this track are how commercially available tests are being utilized to assess general education and how portfolios can be integrated into general education assessment.

VII. Institutional Effectiveness: This track is for proposals that address assessment of institutional effectiveness. Topics include how assessment results can be more effectively linked to strategic planning and budgeting, effective institution-wide systems for assessment, organizational levelassessment, and institutional accreditation.

VIII. Student Development: This track is for proposals that address how to assess the impact of S tudent Development programs and services on student learning and development. Proposals should address how the unique relationship these units have with students provides special assessment opportunities and challenges.

IX. Symposium Theme ~ Aligning Pedagogy, Curriculum & Assessment: This track is for proposals addressing the interactions between pedagogy, curriculum and student learning, and assessment practices that lead to enhancements in all three areas.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSALS All proposals must be submitted electronically. Faxed or mailed proposals will not be considered. If you cannot submit your proposal via the online form, please fill out the proposal form completely and emai lit to virginia_mccollum@ncsu.edu.

DIAC

Familiar with this acronym? If not, you’ll probably know it in due time. Plans are underway for DIAC (short for Dubai International Academic City) to become the Middle Eastern hub for approximately forty universities educating 40,000 students. You can read more about DIAC here: http://tinyurl.com/3kjfnl

Expanding Education Abroad at U.S. Community Colleges

The Institute of International Education (IIE) just released the third white paper in their study abroad policy research series. This third paper entitled Expanding Education Abroad at U.S. Community Colleges was written by Rosalind Latiner Raby with contributions from IIE’s Membership and Higher Education Services and Research & Evaluation colleagues. You can access the paper here: http://tinyurl.com/3ptlov

NAFSA TLS Call for Poster Session Proposals

The TLS/KC welcomes you to submit a proposal for a poster presentation for the 2009 conference on the theme “Fostering Global Engagement through International Education.” The submission deadline is Friday, November 14, 2008.

Proposal guidelines and additional details about the submission process can be found on the NAFSA Web site: www.nafsa.org/proposals.

POSTER FAIRS

Internationalizing the Curriculum and Campus Poster Fair
This poster fair wishes to focus on the following aspects of campus and curriculum internationalization: Curriculum integration of study abroad; innovative approaches to internationalizing on-campus curricula; innovative methods of integrating intercultural elements into on-campus programming; effective use of international education research for internationalizing the campus and curriculum; and innovative programming for international students for integration into campus life.

International Education Research Poster Fair
Topics may cover research related to any area of international education, especially those emphasized by NAFSA. Those areas include: international student and scholar services; international education and internationalizing the curriculum; intercultural and cross-cultural communication; recruitment and preparation of international students; English language training; education abroad; international education leadership and linkage agreements; cross-border educational issues.


There is a new online proposal format for the 2009 Annual Conference. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your proposal.

TLS welcomes poster proposals on the following topics:

What pedagogies of international education exist and how can they inform our work? Do we need new models?

Identity Issues Emerging from International Educational Exchange
One frequent result of an international educational experience is questioning one’s cultural/personal identity. While the intensity of such experiences varies by population (global nomads, heritage-seeking students, minority groups, etc.) such challenges need to be effectively addressed by sponsoring institutions. How can international educators deal with such identity issues?

Cross-cultural and Intercultural Education
Where are the intersections between intercultural learning and critical thinking, civic engagement, global civil society, service learning and other complementary themes?

How is citizen diplomacy influencing international education and vice-versa?
What does research suggest about the outcomes for international students in the U.S. and U.S. students studying abroad? Are the outcomes the same or different? How do these outcomes compare with other international studies?

Teaching and Learning Challenges in Internationalizing the Curriculum and Campus
The pedagogy of internationalizing the classroom poses challenges for faculty, both in identifying the level of awareness and learning styles of their students and in addressing students who are at different stages of awareness but in the same classroom. What research and practices exist to assist in the process?

What is the role of faculty in internationalization?

What are the linkages between foreign language learning and culture learning?

Cross-Border and Transnational Educational Movements
Cross-border, “borderless” and transnational education movements are influencing higher education worldwide. What must international educators know about these trends to prepare for the future? How will GATS influence the standing of the U.S. and other nations as education continues to grow as a service traded internationally? How are joint and dual degree programs breaking down borders in education? What models and approaches are working, and what issues exist in implementing them in various countries and in various types of institutions?

Research and Trends in International Education
What are the burning topics in the field of international education that need to be researched? Where are the gaps in the literature that need to be filled? What research exists in other fields that can contribute to the TLS mission?

Challenges in International Education
What will international education look like in the next decade? What global trends will influence higher education globally? How does international education influence global trends?

How is assessment being driven by accreditation? What is the relevance for International Education?

How do you use international education research for advocacy in your organization?

How can researchers in international education publish their work?

How are you using old theories in new ways?

What is the role of the faculty in the internationalization of higher education?

Questions?
Please contact the TLS Knowledge Community team members:
Intercultural and Cross-Cultural Communication: Gayle Woodruff gwoodruf@umn.edu
Internationalization: Joe Hoff joseph.hoff@oregonstate.edu
Research: David Comp dcomp@uchicago.edu
Workshops: Barbara Kappler bkappler@umn.edu
Annual Conference General and ESL: Joann Halpern joann.halpern@liu.edu
Faculty Representative: Bruce LaBrack blabrack@pacific.edu
TLS Chair: Inge Steglitz steglitz@msu.edu

Learning Across Cultures

As the Teaching, Learning & Scholarship (TLS) representative to the NAFSA: Association of International Educators Subcommittee on Information Management (SIM) I'm involved with finding and working with authors on NAFSA publications. At the August SIM meeting in Washington, DC it was decided that a revision of Learning Across Cultures was needed. The first edition of Learning Across Cultures was edited by Gary Althen and published by NAFSA in 1981. The second edition, also edited by Althen, was published by NAFSA in 1994. While this publication continues to sell at a consistent rate each year it's time that a revised edition come to market. Anyone interested in contributing to this publication should feel free to contact me.

Higher Education Groups Send Letter to Presidential Candidates

On September 24th the seven major higher education groups (AACC, AASCU, ACE, AAU, NAICU and NASULGC) sent a joint letter to both presidential candidates that discussed many higher education issues including the importance of increasing international education efforts in the United States.

You can access the letter via the NAFSA: Association of International Educators NAFSA.news vol.13 no.36 here: http://tinyurl.com/4fakkk

The Pearson Test of English

In today’s insidehighered.com I found an interesting article about the publishing company Pearson throwing its hat into the English language testing for college admissions. The Pearson Test of English, with time, will increasingly challenge the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which has experienced increased competition over the years from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). What’s unique about the Pearson Test of English is that it will provide institutions with applicant scores as well as digital recordings of the students speaking portions of the examination.

You can read more here: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/10/02/english

Cross-Border Higher Education in the Caribbean

IHEC readers who are interested in global cross-border higher education trends will find a new publication (155 pages) focusing on the Caribbean to be of interest. The book Foreign Providers in the Caribbean: Pillagers or Preceptors? provides analysis of cross-border higher education in Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands. You can access the abstract and the entire book in PDF format here: http://www.col.org/colweb/site/pid/5310

Foreign Providers in the Caribbean: Pillagers or Preceptors? (2008)
Edited by: Stewart Marshall, Ed Brandon, Michael Thomas, Asha Kanwar and Tove Lyngra
Publisher: Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver