Wednesday March 14th | 4:15 - 5:15PM
International Programs With Mind, Hand, and Heart - The MIT Experience
Track: International || Level: Applied || Location: Atlantic
In 2017, MIT ran a program on innovation in the UAE which saw men and women working together on project teams, something rarely demonstrated in the Middle East. Participants from previously disadvantaged communities In South Africa, attended a transportation workshop and broke out into a native song as a “thank you” to the faculty team. MIT’s Professional Education International Programs seek to not only export leading technical knowledge and expertise but to support the social advancement of society and humanity. This session will address the benefits of being mission-led while simultaneously having to achieve financial targets. Learn about adapting program content and designs responding to cultural traits and sensitivities for mutual success.
Moderator: Brian Cook, California State University, East Bay
Thursday March 15th | 8:00 - 9:00AM
International Student Recruitment, Retention, and Success: From Outreach and Support to Optional Practical Training
Level: Strategic || Location: Atlantic
Recruiting international students remains an important part of enrollment management strategies at many U.S. institutions. While most campuses provide marketing resources and programming to attract international students, relatively few give any thought to designing pre-departure and during degree efforts, post-degree work support, and re-entry programming which are also important factors in international student engagement and success. This session will provide strategies for designing programs and resources with integrated student outcomes as intentional parts of the design element. These include programming and resources that can be delivered both online and in person. Specifically, this session will focus on a not-well-known visa program that had over 300,000 international students working in the United States in 2017. Presenters will discuss potential benefits and pitfalls of the program which is called Optional Practical Training (OPT) and suggest strategies for implementing it as a tool for international student recruitment and success.
Thursday March 15th | 9:30 - 10:30AM
How Universities Are Responding to Trump Administration Policies on Immigration
Level: Strategic || Tag: Policy || Location: Laurel CD
This session will feature a panel of experts from universities, political advocates and strategic advisors for the education sector. Panelists will share their perspectives on the impact of Trump Administration policies on immigration are impacting students and scholars at colleges and universities. Participants will discuss in roundtables how their universities are responding to the policy changes and share with the larger group.
Moderator: John Caron, Johns Hopkins University
Future Ready: Aligning Internationalization Strategies With Emerging Growth Opportunities
Level: Strategic || Location: Atlantic
As institutions prepare for the impending “unbundling” of higher education, they are rethinking and innovating their portfolio of degree programs to complement with non-degree, professional training, intensive English and blended learning. This is especially critical in an environment of increasing competition for talent, resources and reputation. The future of international higher education is likely to be accelerated by institutional strategies that leverage partnerships, technology and insights to meet shifting student demand. This interactive panel discussion will bring together leaders from diverse institutional contexts on how they are experimenting with new models, prioritizing their resources and aligning their strategies to maximize the potential of global growth opportunities.
Moderator: Rahul Choudaha, StudyPortals
Thursday March 15th | 1:45 - 2:45PM
It Takes a Village: A Blueprint for Planning Successful Short-Term Study Abroad Programs
Level: Applied || Tag: Emerging Leaders || Location: Laurel CD
This session is for those who are responsible for developing, leading, or managing short-term education abroad programs. We will cover a full spectrum of topics from program development, risk mitigation, coveting institutional buy-in, design and implementation and everything in between. This session will also explore the roles and responsibilities of upper administration, faculty, staff, students, marketing, travel, operations, and external and overseas stakeholders.
Moderator: Mary Angela Baker, Salisbury University
Tales From the Old Country: The Fall and Rise of Continuing Education in England
Level: Applied || Location: Atlantic
Following a significant change to student financing rules in 2007 and subsequent significant course fee increases, the number of adult students engaged in England in part-time lifelong learning declined by 50 percent during the ensuing decade. At the same time around two thirds of the specialist continuing education units in English universities either closed or greatly reduced in scope. While documenting the causal factors and sectorial consequences of this decline, this session will focus on the increasingly optimistic policy landscape that is now beginning to emerge, particularly as UK Government, English regional economic development agencies, industry, communities and individuals reflect on the consequences that the Brexit referendum will have on the knowledge economy. The session will further consider the new Apprenticeship Levy and its likely impact on continuing education, and will utilize case studies from the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education to highlight a range of key issues.
Thursday March 15th | 4:30 - 5:30PM
Bridging Oceans: Creating Culturally Sustainable Curriculum Models in Global Education
Level: Applied || Location: Atlantic
High quality education, with robust educational outcomes, strong collaboration and strategic curriculum delivery, is not solely an American desire. Thousands of students and educational professionals around the world travel the globe to achieve such a dream. We have seen it first hand as part of the Galileo-Saudi Arabia Educational Leadership Project. With decades of educational experience, we knew that freshly designed curriculum models would be required to reach and teach this new level of global learner - individuals with strong educational pedagogy, curriculum paradigms, and delivery systems through their own experiences, yet seeking a more global, research-based perspective. We developed robust curriculum models that proved highly effective while being culturally sensitive and allowing room to build their own individual capacity for educational growth. We look forward to sharing some of these effective curriculum models in the hopes of expanding international partnerships and enhancing global education and discussions.
Moderator: Gian Mario Besana, DePaul University
Friday March 16th | 9:45 - 10:45AM
International Collaboration Through the Latin American & European Continuing Education Network (RECLA)
Level: Strategic || Location: Dover AB
International collaboration is a key success factor on the present and future of Continuing Education, among academic institutions involved in this field. To create significant contributions, the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network (RECLA) – created over 20 years ago – promotes different initiatives among its members. Such initiatives have allowed these institutions to enrich their continuing education value proposition, while sharing experiences, best practices and creating collaboration initiatives to improve the state of the art of this academic field in the region. Through this presentation, the main characteristics, results and impact created by RECLA are outlined. Also, the specific experience of Tecnológico de Monterrey – a Mexican university and active member of RECLA – is presented. The projects, collaboration and results achieved represent relevant findings for future work to be performed, to enrich university-based continuing education as a key success factor for professional development.