Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE®) E-Learning Schedule Through March 2011

Back in March I posted to IHEC Blog about ECE's new online e-learning initiative.  For the post today I wanted to provide an updated schedule of the next round of training sessions which are now scheduled through March 2011.  


India I: Introduction to the Educational System - July 7, 2010


Ukraine: The Educational System, its Credentials, and Online Verification - July 21, 2010


Spain: The Educational System, its Credentials, and Update on Bologna Reform - August 11, 2010


India II: India Practical Credits and Grades - August 25, 2010


Introduction to Credential Evaluation and Resources - September 9, 2010


Philippines: Educational System with a Focus on Nursing Education in the Philippines - September 22, 2010


India III: Secondary and Technical Education - October 13, 2010


China I: Reading Chinese Credentials - October 27, 2010


Practical Credits and Grades Conversions Worldwide - November 11, 2010


China II: Introduction to the Chinese Educational System and its Credentials - November 24, 2010


Overview of the Commonwealth Caribbean with Accreditation Information and Updates - December 1, 2010


India IV: Advanced Credential Evaluation Issues - December 15, 2010


Saudi Arabia: The Educational System and its Credentials - January 12, 2011


Detection and Handling of Falsifications - January 26, 2011


China III: Advanced Credential Evaluation Issues - February 9, 2011


France and the Francophone World: The Educational System and its Credentials - February 23, 2011


Russia: The Educational System and its Credentials - March 9, 2011


Turkey: The Educational System and its Credentials - March 23, 2011


You can learn more and register at http://www.ece.org/ecelearning

Microblogging over on IHEC Blog's Facebook Page

I was slow to adapt to Facebook.  About two years ago I opened a personal Facebook account and attempted to open an account for IHEC Blog but could not figure out how to do so.  Finally, in November 2009 I just sat down and tried again and I was successful.  Since then, IHEC Blog's Facebook page has gained 279 followers (who will be number 280?).  While I lose some followers here and there along the way I continue to slowly gain more followers and readers.

Why am I posting to IHEC Blog about this?

Because IHEC Blog's Facebook page is really a secondary/mini-IHEC Blog and often times the content I post there is different from what I post here on IHEC Blog and from what I post to Twitter.  All the content I post is related to international education (for the most part and I reserve the right to divert on ocassion).  To be sure, sometimes there is content overlap on these various new media platforms but I think many of you will find the content I post to Facebook to be just as interesting and helpful as you do with the content posted to IHEC Blog.  In fact, more often than not you'll find more posts on Facebook than you will here on IHEC Blog.  I try to post once a day to IHEC Blog (Monday to Friday) but I post multiple times to IHEC Blog's Facebook page.  Why?  Because it is so much easier and faster to post to Facebook than to here to IHEC Blog.

If you find value in IHEC Blog posts and are on Facebook you might want to check out IHEC Blog's Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/IHECBlogFacebook.

Recent Comments by Secretary Clinton and Under Secretary McHale Relating to International Educational Exchange

This week and next week I had planned theme weeks (publishing in the field of international education and teaching, learning and scholarship in the field of international education) but I'm unable to find my publishing grid.  These themed weeks would end with my remaining two video interviews I took during the NAFSA annual conference.  I'll blame this oversight on the NAFSA annual conference, then back to a crazy work schedule for a week, then a week vacation at Disneyland and then my dissertation proposal defense...I hope to find this grid soon and I hope they posts live up to the hype!

In clearing out my IHEC Blog Gmaill account I have found many things to post about here on IHEC Blog, to IHEC Blog's Facebook page and to Twitter and I hope those following me on all of these spaces are finding both interest and value in the content I'm posting.

For this post I wanted to highlight and provide links to remarks by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to students from the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) which you can read and watch (11:18) here and remarks by Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the United States Department of State Judith McHale at the reception for International Fulbright Science and Technology Fellows which you can read here.

Benefit for International Student from Northern Ireland who was Severely Beaten in Chicago

This is not a happy post but it is an important one.

On Friday, April 23, 2010, Natasha McShane, a 23 year old graduate student at the University of Illinois Chicago from Northern Ireland and her friend , 24 year old Stacy Starl Jurich, were brutally attacked and robbed by two assailants with baseball bats.  Natasha’s family immediately flew here to Chicago and they have remained here during her recovery.  As of June 10^th Natasha started using her arms and talking and is now breathing without assistance but is still relearning how to eat and drink.  Stacy Starl Jurich was also severely injured and her recovery is going better than expected.  Following are some links to articles about the incident as well as a link to a special website created specifically for Natasha where you can make a donation to help Natasha and her family during this difficult time.

Chicago's Irish Come Together For Natasha McShane 

Chicago's Irish comes together for Natasha McShane

Women Beaten With Baseball Bat, Robbed In Bucktown

Click Here To Donate

Searching for Literature and Documents from the Very Early Days of the National Security Education Program (NSEP)

My current research efforts are focusing on the National Security Education Program (NSEP) and I’m posting to IHEC Blog to see if readers have any literature or documents from the very early years of the program and the legislation that created the program (The National Security Education Act of 1991).   Do you have in your personal or office libraries old articles from publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education or the NAFSA Newsletter or copies of associational/organizational statements and/or letters of concern that you would be willing to share?  Do you have any recommendations for books or other library accessible materials I should check out?

Examples of article clippings and copies of letters I have already been able to collect and have added to the Bury Book International Education Library and Archive include:

Chronicle of Higher Education articles
- Expanding International Study, Critics are still bothered by program’s defense and intelligence ties (November 24, 1993)
- First Winners Picked in National Security Education Program (June 1, 1994)
- Federal Fellowship Program, After Rocky Start, Enters Second Year (September 28, 1994)
- Federal Foreign-Study Program Names Scholarship, Fellowship Winners (May 12, 1995)
- National Security Education Program Changes Controversial Service Requirement (October 4, 1996)
- National Security Education Program Keeps Award Level, Despite Fall in Applications (May 30, 1997)
- Service Requirement Broadened for Federal Foreign-Study Program (October 3, 1997)

NAFSA Newsletter
- Conference inconclusive, but Boren Trust Stays Alive (November 1993)

NAFSA Government Affairs Bulletin
- NSEP Clears Another Hurdle (November 1993)

Educational Associate (the newsletter for members of the Institute of International Education)
- National Security Education Program a Reality (October-December 1993)

Associational/Organizational Letters of Concern

- Letter from Presidents of the African Studies Association, Latin American Studies Association and Middle East Studies Association of North America to Senator David L. Boren (February 14, 1992)

- American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) “ACLS Resolution concerning the National Security Education Act” (circa 1992-1993)

- Letter from the Association for Asian Studies to Senator David L. Boren (March 1, 1993)

- Letter from Social Science Research Council to The Honorable Albert Gore, Vice-President of the United States (July 19, 1993)

Institutional Letters and Policies
- Copies of several institutional letters to the National Security Education Program stating how they will handle the first pilot application cycle in 1994; copies of institutional summaries on how they handled the first pilot application cycle; institutional communications/summaries distributed to prospective NSEP applicants informing them of the concerns within the academic community about the NSEP.

Books
- International Education: Its History and Promise for Today by Theodore M. Vestal (1994).  Vestal provides an excellent early history of the program and how Senator Boren was able to get NSEA passed in the political environment of the day.

I’m also interested in learning about institutional policies about NSEP during first few years of the program. Early SECUSS-L posts/discussions (circa 1993 and 1994), via the SECUSS-L archives, shed some light on the temperature on NSEP within the field of study abroad but I want to learn more about various institutional approaches to and perceptions of the idea of the NSEP during its first year (or two) of operation.  Additionally, the discussions are fascinating to read and I wish we had more discussions/debates in our field!

I understand that obtaining and providing literature and documents pertaining to the early years of the National Security Education Program may be challenging on many levels but if anyone has anything to share it would be greatly appreciated!

Photo credit:  Cliff1066

IHEC Blog is Going on a Family Vacation

Early tomorrow morning I will be heading out with the family on our family vacation and the day after I return I'm scheduled to defend my dissertation proposal so I'm hoping for no flight delays!  I hope to be able to post to IHEC Blog next Thursday, June 24th but the craziness involved with returning to work and Chicago life after a week of vacation may make this quite difficult.  I do believe, however, that I will resume my normal IHEC Blog, IHEC Blog Facebook page and Twitter activities on Monday, June 28th.

I will be on my iPhone (and will have my laptop along with me as it seems I will need to do some work/prep for my dissertation proposal defense during my vacation) and I anticipate that I may post occasionally to Twitter and Facebook (like I did during the NAFSA conference in Kansas City two weeks ago) on anything related to international education and/or intercultural issues that I may come across on our vacation.

We haven't told our kids where we are going and they simply think that we are heading up to visit family in Milwaukee (fun indeed) but early tomorrow morning we will wake them and spring the news that we are heading  to this castle and the surrounding area...without clicking on the photo credit link below can you guess where we are headed?

Photo credit:  bubble_gum

Video of the Week - IHEC Blog Interview with Ruth Sylte about GoAbroad.com & Social Media at #nafsa10

During the 2008 NAFSA annual conference in Washington, DC, Ruth Sylte of the Manitou Heights Group interviewed me about my blog and how use it to tie in with my side consulting business (International Higher Education Consulting).  Ruth uploaded it to her YouTube channel it was my first taste of YouTube (aside from watching funny videos) and the potential this medium has to offer the field of international education as well as my own consulting work.

As I was sitting at O'Hare Airport on my way to the NAFSA annual conference last week in Kansas City I came up with the idea of doing my own interviews with colleagues and posting them to IHEC Blog's YouTube channel.  Well, I was successful in that I was able to conduct three brief interviews with great colleagues.  What I like best is that the topics discussed with my colleagues are all very different and will represent a specific IHEC Blog theme of the week for two more weeks.  With the exception of Monday of this week, all IHEC Blog posts this week have focused on technology/social media use in international education.  I find it fitting to end this week of posts with my interview with Ruth at the GoAbroad.com booth (@GoAbroad on Twitter) for this video of the week!

Old School Communication during the 2010 NAFSA Conference

As I was walking through the Kansas City Convention Center during the NAFSA Annual Conference last week I came across the message boards (pictured here) off to the side and not along a main traffic path for conference attendees.  The NAFSA message boards have always been a great way for colleagues to communicate and connect with each other during the conference and they continue to serve an important purpose for many.  I took this picture of the message boards with my iPhone.  As you can see, there are not that many message boards available for attendee use.  For those of you who have been to a number of NAFSA conferences take a moment to think back ten, five or even two years ago and the number of boards available/necessary for conference attendee use and the number that is now available in 2010.  Vastly different, no?

The rise of technology has decreased the use of and need for the message boards for many conference attendees.  In the early years of smart phone use the main form of communication between conference attendees was via e-mail and, anecdotally, I believe that e-mail remains the main form of smart phone communication between NAFSA conference attendees today.  I was certainly on e-mail throughout the NAFSA conference but I found Twitter, followed by text messaging and Facebook, to be the best communication tool for me during the conference.  While I missed a couple of direct messages about connecting for dinner or connecting for related functions I found it to be the best way to connect with many colleagues I wanted/needed to connect with.  NAFSA has had the Conference Connection for many years now and I always register but never use as it mostly leads to template solicitations from other conference attendees.  I did hear from many (via twitter, of course) that they found the new Conference Connection to be an excellent tool for planning their conference and @NAFSA indicated that a Conference Connection iPhone application for Vancouver 2011 (#nafsa11) was being considered/researched!  In fact, I think an entire #nafsa11 iPhone application that integrates Conference Connection with other vital conference information (like the discount code for the airport shuttle).  I want to commend @NAFSA for setting a Twitter #hashtag for their conference (#nafsa10) and I recommend that all international education related conferences follow this trend as there are many colleagues who can't attend conferences and are actively following the conference backchannel and appreciate what people are communicating/posting.  It literally takes 20 seconds (often times less) to come up with a #hashtag for your conference.  You can read my related post about conference hashtags here.

Those of you who attended the NAFSA conference last week, what tools did you use to communicate and connect with colleagues as well as prospective partners/collaborators?

Tweet the Twalk: Find out what Web 2.0 Technology is all about (NAFSA Region VIII Workshop)

NAFSA: Association of International Educators Region VIII has a nice selection of On Demand workshops.  One of the workshops that caught my attention is the one entitled “Tweet the Twalk: Find out what Web 2.0 Technology is all about” which is scheduled to take place from July 12-30 so participants should plan to be available for various periods of time during these dates.  The curriculum was created by Mandy Reinig of Penn State Altoona (@PSUaaAbroad on Twitter).  I'm posting the following description of the workshop with the permission of Mandy.

Description: This workshop is targeted for those international education professionals who have seen and heard about Web 2.0 technologies, such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and wikis, but have not had the time or the experience to know how or what to do with them. Participants will be able to take away active Web 2.0 accounts and will learn and be able to try out the various types of Web 2.0 technologies currently in use in the international education field. In addition, they will get the opportunity to talk with others in their field about the best ways to use them effectively and efficiently all without having to leave their office or computer.

Participants will use the Moodle - Key To School site (similar to Blackboard or Angel) to access
tasks, step-by-step instructions on completing tasks, and discussion boards to share questions, feedback, and ideas on each new technology presented. New tasks will be posted every few days so that participants can log on at their convenience within the 2-3 day time frame to learn about the next web technology and complete the task. Mandy Reinig, the trainer, will moderate the online discussions, provide resources and feedback, and answer questions throughout the course. She will also be available by phone and email should any of the participants have problems with the site or need assistance. The entire course will take place online. There will not be any set times participants will need to be online or join a conference call. Detailed instructions on how to join the online course will be provided to participants once registrations are finalized.

Time Commitment: Each task should take no more than1-2 hours. Participation in the discussion forum is a required part of the course, but can be as limited or involved as your time permits.

Trainer Bio: Mandy Reinig is the sole Education Abroad Advisor at Penn State Altoona. She is also the part-time Instructor in ESL and Instructor of the study abroad pre-departure courses on the campus. She is extremely experienced with Web 2.0 technologies and has presented on the topic at the NAFSA Regional and National conferences. She has had several articles published on technology related topics in the International Educator magazine.  Mandy enjoys learning and using new technologies and finding ways to incorporate them into her one person office to better
service her students and her colleagues.

Cost: $125 (NAFSA Member) $200 (non-member)

You can register for this on demand workshop (as well as all the others) here.

Seminar on Using Social Networking to Promote International Educational Exchange by the American Chamber of Commerce in France

I regret to inform that this seminar was held earlier today!  As I was clearing out my Gmail inbox (for my IHEC Blog and related activities) today during lunch I came across this interesting seminar hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in France via a Google Alert I received while I was at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators annual conference last week.  While I wish I could be posting in advance of the seminar so those in France who would be interested in attending could register,  I thought it was still interesting and important to highlight on IHEC Blog.

The use of social media is taking off more and more each day in the field of international education (I’ll be posting much more about this in the coming days and months) and this is a very unique seminar in my opinion.  What is most interesting to me is that the American Chamber of Commerce in France (in partnership with the U.S. Embassy) is focusing a free seminar on our field and the use of social media to promote international educational exchange!  The following is a copy and paste job of the description of the seminar:

Subject : Social networking and education

Speakers : Steve Hargadon, Social Learning Consultant

Participants : Limited to 45

Location : AmCham France

The U.S. Embassy, in partnership with the Training and Education Taskforce of the American Chamber of Commerce in France, invites you to attend the seminar: “Using Social Networking to Promote International Educational Exchange” Social Learning Consultant, Steve Hargadon, will discuss and present the many different internet social networking tools that can be used to develop classroom exchanges and that can be extended to other organizational exchanges as well. Mr. Hargadon is the founder of the social network, Classroom 2.0 (www.classroom20.com) and has served as a consultant for PBS, Ning, and the KnowledgeWorks Foundation among other institutions. For anyone interested in developing classroom exchanges between French and American schools, or strengthening a cultural or institutional exchange (such as a Sister City relationship), this seminar is not to be missed! This is a free event - limited to 45

Let us hope that we see more of this in the future!  Here is the link to the original announcement of the seminar.

Photo credit:  innusa

WorldChicago

The International Visitors Center of Chicago is now called WorldChicago.  Here is a brief history of the organization that I obtained from the e-mail update I received:

"Our new name, WorldChicago, reflects the growth of our organization during the last 58 years. We are tied to the emergence of Chicago as an international city," said Peggy Parfenoff, executive director. "Our commitment to encouraging citizen diplomacy, one handshake at a time, has resulted in thousands of leaders and students learning more about Chicago and its people who are part of a vibrant professional, academic and cultural community."

With Chicago roots more than half a century old, starting in 1952 as the Hospitality Center of Greater Chicago and for the last 40 years as the International Visitors Center of Chicago, WorldChicago is a name that updates our image and allows us to expand our work in Citizen Diplomacy.  WorldChicago will continue to host the same international exchange programs as the IVCC and will continue to host 800 visitors per year from all over the world."

You can link to the WorldChicago website at http://www.worldchicago.org/

Photo credit:  kevindooley