IHEC Blog’s YouTube Channel is Looking for Subscription Recommendations

A little over a week ago I created a YouTube channel for IHEC Blog. I decided to create a YouTube channel primarily for my research activities as well as a way for me to find and archive (favorite) interesting videos related to international education and public/citizen diplomacy. The side benefit is that IHEC Blog’s channel can serve as a clearinghouse for all international education and public/citizen diplomacy related channels on YouTube. Building up the subscriptions will be a slow process but as I come across channels of interest I will subscribe to them. Additionally, as I come across videos of interest I will add them to my list of favorites. Here are the YouTube channels I have subscribed to so far:

U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (http://www.youtube.com/user/USCitizenDiplomacy)

Wandering Educators (http://www.youtube.com/user/WanderingEducators)

Education USA TV (http://www.youtube.com/user/EducationUSAtv)

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (http://www.youtube.com/user/gilmanscholarship)

Manitou Heights (http://www.youtube.com/user/rmsylte)

Fulbright Center (http://www.youtube.com/user/fulbrightcenter)

Fulbright U.S. Student Program (http://www.youtube.com/user/fulbrightprogram)

Fulbright Scholar 1 (http://www.youtube.com/user/FulbrightScholar1)

Foreign Fulbright Program (http://www.youtube.com/user/fulbrightforeign)

ExchangesConnect (http://www.youtube.com/user/exchangesvideo)

AustraLearn (http://www.youtube.com/user/AustraLearn)

What channels are missing? If you have a YouTube channel (or have recommendations for channels) that I should subscribe to on IHEC Blog's channel please leave a comment with the link to your channel.[1]

You can link to IHEC Blog’s YouTube channel here at http://www.youtube.com/user/IHECBlog


[1] Links to relevant channels only please! Please note that I reserve the right not to subscribe to a suggested YouTube channel and/or to not post comments suggesting YouTube channels.

Links of Interest for Week of Nov. 20th to 27th

Here are some items I posted and came across on The Twitter that I thought I would highlight and share this week:

IHEC Blog now has a YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/IHECBlog

isa Glancy from IIE-Mexico City talks on CNN-Espanol about how EducationUSA assists students looking to study in the United States (via @EdUSAtips)

Abstracts & presentations from recent Observatory on Borderless Higher Education Global Forum online (via @IDPDRIE)

New Blog Post: Educational and Cultural Exchanges Create Lasting Friendships in U.S. and Russia (via @dipnote)

New blog post on global public opinion on international issues by @CitizenDiplomat

Highlights from a Successful International Education Week by @NAFSA

Study abroad: New pact strengthens student exchange ties between Missouri and Panama

Subscribe to Gilman Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/gilmanscholarship

Canada Can Open a Door to Foreign Students That New U.S. Law Shuts, Report Says

Over 500 Azerbaijani students receive education abroad under state programs

Joint NAFSA-AIEA letter on proposed rule in the FR “Exchange Visitor Program-General Provisions”

Open World now has a Facebook fan page

Congrats to S. Bell from the Univ. of Chicago on her Rhodes!

US Rhodes Secretary Elliot Gerson explores the growing trend of Rhodes Scholars entering finance after Oxford (via @NAFAdvisors)

Take Action @change: Encouraging Americans to Become Global Citizens and Citizen Diplomats

50 Open Courses to Make You an Expert on China

The World’s 50 Best Open Courseware Collections

Citizen Diplomacy and Thanksgiving Day in the United States

For international students (no matter where the student is from and what country the student is studying in), holidays in a foreign land can be a difficult time. The other day I came across an interesting article entitled "Everything after that is gravy - citizen diplomacy and ambassadorial moments during Thanksgiving" in the November 20th Chicago Examiner (they frequently have articles on study abroad by the way). You can link to the article here.

Indian Engineering Education in Peril

Guest post by Dr. Rahul Choudaha, http://www.dreducation.com/

Dr. Rahul Choudaha is an international higher education professional based in New York. He earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Denver and holds an MBA and an undergraduate degree in Engineering.

The gap between quality and quality in Indian engineering education is widening. The recent decision of the Washington Accord to turn down India’s proposal to graduate from the provisional membership to full membership highlights the lack of global competitiveness of the Indian engineering education system. The primary reason for denial relate to the “concerns over the quality of faculty members and students in Indian engineering programs.”

The number of seats for AICTE (Indian regulatory body) approved engineering colleges grew from 115,000 to 653,000 (CAGR of 19%) in the ten-year period from 1997-2007. Private institutions contributed to the most of growth however, it came at the expense of quality. This is clearly evident from the reports of unemployment among engineers on one hand and on other hand there are concerns of future unmet demand by the industry. Thus, there is a significant quality gap between what industry needs and what engineering education is providing.

One of the biggest challenges for Indian higher education is that institutional practices consider quality as an option and not a requirement. This means quality does not figure as a strategic priority. In addition, over-regulation and dysfunctional reward system further stifles quality orientation. This is also evident from the number of engineering institutions opting for “voluntary” accreditation of quality offered by National Board of Accreditation (NBA). This means given a choice, Indian engineering programs are not striving to integrate quality assurance in their academic offerings.

Source: http://www.education.nic.in/tech/tech_nba.asp

The problem is evident, urgent and systemic. It calls for solutions that more comprehensive and collaborative. Without the support of industry support, regulatory reform and institutional transformation, Indian engineering education is at the risk of created overeducated and underemployed youth.

Indian quality assurance system in engineering education requires an overhaul. A recent report by UNESCO, A New Dynamic: Private Higher Education, argues that "quality mechanisms must find a balance that ensures high levels of provision while at the same time not constraining appropriate innovation that responds to the evolving public and private education sectors."

French Embassy Partner University Fund (PUF) - Call for Projects

For the third year, the Embassy of France to the United States and France American Cultural Exchange (FACE) announced a call for project proposals of the Partner University Fund (PUF).

Here is a brief description of the Partner University Fund obtained from the website:

"Grants provided by the Partner University Fund support research and graduate education partnerships between French and American Universities with emphasis placed on novel, innovative and, when relevant, interdisciplinary approaches that involve exchanges across national and disciplinary boundaries.

Applicants are expected to develop new or deeper partnerships through the collaboration. The PUF Grant Review Committee will value, when applicable, evidence of institutional commitment to the development of joint or dual degrees even when the partnership starts with simple shared teaching and research exchanges.

PUF seeks to fund research and graduate education projects in all disciplines without exception. It also encourages interdisciplinary projects when relevant."

The application deadline of December 15, 2009 is quickly approaching but there is still time to submit a competitive application. You can learn more about the Partner University Fund here.

What should be the Next Web 2.0 Tool(s) for the Field of International Education?

I don't have an answer to this question but I found myself thinking about this over lunch.

I started IHEC Blog in February 2007 but didn't start blogging on a regular basis until June of 2008. I opened a Twitter account in February of 2009. I tried to start a Facebook page for my side consulting business and couldn't figure out how to do it (but instead have connected with many people from high school, college and my early professional career when I worked with juvenile delinquents and individuals with developmental disabilities). I finally figured out how to make a fanpage on Facebook for IHEC Blog only two months ago. I'm also on several Ning networks (such as ExchangesConnect) and other random sites. All of my experiences on these networks has lead me to connect with many great people and these new connections have lead to many collaborations on various projects which is why I signed up in the first place so I'm meeting that goal.

I'm certainly no expert but having a presence on all of these networks has allowed me to sit back to watch and learn about how the many stakeholders in the field (the students, the faculty, the study abroad offices/providers, the researchers, the international education organizations, etc.) have been using the web 2.0 tools in their work. I've been learning much just by observing what is happening in these networks. Some people, offices, providers and organizations are using web 2.0 tools very effectively while others I feel could better capatilize on the power/value that web 2.0 tools can provide. Things are moving and changing at such a rapid pace and the web 2.0 is changing the way the world (and the field of international education) communicates, interacts and does business. Check out this video (4:22) if you aren't convinced[1]

I'm excited and interested to see how these tools and networks will evolve and how the field of international education adapts them into our work. Google Wave Perhaps?[2]

So back to my question...What should be the Next Web 2.0 Tool(s) for the Field of International Education? What have you wanted to do with any of these tools that you can't do now?

[1] Many thanks to @APIstudyabroad for putting this video on my radar. Stealing a little from Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) ~ @APIstudyabroad is doing it right!

[2] Over the weekend I was invited to preview Google Wave ~ much appreciation and thanks to the person who invited me! This person and I connected via various web 2.0 networks and have only communicated electronically but someday in person over a frosty mug!

Links of Interest for Week of November 13th to 19th

This is my 450th post to IHEC Blog and I'm continuing with my weekly Friday post highlighthing some of the posts I made to Twitter as well as some of the posts others have made to Twitter this past week.

My plan to find time in the evenings this week to do some of my own analysis of the Open Doors 2009 data did not happen as I thought. Stay tuned as I hope to find some time in the near future as I'm sure I'll have something to say and post to IHEC Blog. Until then...please enjoy these links:

New International Education Blog on the scene! Really good stuff so check it out at www.melibeeglobal.com

Educational and Cultural Exchanges Create Lasting Friendships in U.S. and Russia (@dipnote blog post)

Take Action @change: Encouraging Americans to Become Global Citizens and Citizen Diplomats (via @CitizenDiplomat)

"Conflicting International Enrollment Trends at U.S. Institutions of Higher Education" on WENR

Full U.S.-China Joint Statement

Revisiting an old IHEC Blog post for IEW ’09 ~ “Dear President Obama – What’s Your International Policy?”

“Put Germany on Your Resume”

DrEducation.com posted a nice analysis of IIE Open Doors data for Indian students enrolled in US institutions

British Council Sets Up Fund for Partnerships With U.S. Colleges

Profiles in International Education: Brian Whalen by @WanderingEds