2020 UPCEA Annual Conference

International Network Track

Sponsored by

Rethinking Study Abroad:  Alternative Models Offering Greater Accessibility & Affordability
Marina II | Track: International
Level: Applied | Format: Presentation | Tag: Noncredit/Alternative Credential
Study abroad is a transformational experience for most students.  The opportunity to gain a global perspective that can be applied to multiple situations is an essential element of higher learning and critical thinking. The challenge for many students and their families is accessibility due to affordability. Whether the student is first generation, traditional age, or an adult learner, study abroad can be viewed as an ‘add-on‘ or luxury item, when it comes to making choices about educational finances. A panel consisting of UPCEA International Network leaders will share alternative affordability models that can be operationalized on our campuses.  Consideration will be given to policies and planning,  infrastructure, global partnerships, external grants, and community engagement. The panel will share best practices, as well as engage in discussion with participants on action steps for implementation.

• Terry Borg, Northern Illinois University
• Marissa Lombardi, Education First (EF)
• Breeda McGrath, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Moderator: Julia Ivy, Northeastern University

Developing a Microcredential
Marina II | Track: International
Level: Strategic | Format: Presentation | Tag: Noncredit/Alternative Credential
Colleges and universities are faced with changing learner demands and the increasing perception that shorter credentials can be a successful way to progress a professional career.  According to Pearson’s Global Learners Survey, learners are expressing a preference for shorter duration credentials to support career development.  Shorter credentials, such as microcredentials, have been evolving in the US but a key challenge has historically been the lack of clarity around the meaning of a microcredential and different terminology used across platforms.  To help develop the microcredential as a meaningful credential with meaning for employers and learners, the European MOOC consortium has developed a European standard for microcredentials which allows for consistency and clarity.  The University of California at Irvine Division of Continuing Education and FutureLearn (part of the European MOOC consortium) have announced the launch of the first microcredential with a U.S. institution.  Predictive Analytics will launch on the FutureLearn platform in April 2020.  This session will focus on the path to the development, promotion and long-term applications for the microcredential format.

• Brian Breen, University of California, Irvine
• Holly Shiflett, FutureLearn

Moderator: Adam Fein, University of North Texas

International Perspectives on Learning Experiences for Lifelong learners: Monterrey and Hong Kong
Marina II | Track: International
Level: Foundational | Format: Presentation | Tag: Policy
In this collaborative session, leaders from two institutions will showcase specific initiatives which have successfully addressed learner access and outcomes, with a particular emphasis on learning design. For Tecnológico de Monterrey, design architecture for learning experiences has had a cathartic response on program design, and the preliminary results of the application of a delivery model (INSPIRA) will be shared. In the instance of HKUSPACE, which serves a uniquely compact, urban location, the implementation of government initiatives for Vocational and Professional Education (VPET) for this region (the Greater Bay Area, or GBA), alongside a growth in learning technologies and quality assurance will be addressed. Additionally, presenters will conclude with analysis of future trends and suggest ways in which collaboration with North American institutions could be a fruitful initiative.

• Maria del Carmen Temblador, Tecnologico de Monterrey
• William Lee, The University of Hong Kong
• John Cribbin, The University of Hong Kong

Moderator: Sandra Janusch, University of Washington

UPCEA Trail Stops hosted during Networking Break

Taking its cue from Boston’s historical journey, a “Freedom Trail” presentation is an opportunity to host a thematic conversation at a metaphorical “stop.” Supported by each of the six UPCEA Networks—affinity groups for the areas of practice that make up professional, continuing, and online education, these informal conversations are hosted around a specific topic in the Exhibit Hall during one of the various 30-minute Networking Breaks during the conference, offering a chance for engaging, thoughtful conversation between attendees and presenters. This experimental format is particularly designed to provide opportunities for attendees to expand both their professional knowledge as well as their individual networks, in low-risk, engaging, and likely small group dialogues.

Creating an Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program for an International Audience
Galleria | Track: International
Level: Applied | Format: Freedom Trail | Tag: Diversity & Inclusion
In preparation for the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Congress, participants in the two (2)-one week in-country sessions (in Bahrain) learned cutting edge innovation and entrepreneurship ideas and practices through hands-on activities and discussions in a classroom environment promoting creativity and learning.  The primary goal of the course was to develop the entrepreneurial mindset. Learning objectives for the course included developing competency in the use of the Business Model Canvas, utilizing lean startup methodologies to further develop business ideas and implementing design thinking to promote innovation.The second component of the "Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program" consisted of a two-week experience at the U.S. campus of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA.  This unique innovation and entrepreneurship session was specifically designed for Bahrain's most promising young entrepreneurs.  This intensive learning experience exposed Bahraini innovators and entrepreneurs to a wide range of thinking and focused on how government and industry can work together to promote the entrepreneurial mindset.   The program included trips to local business incubators, accelerator programs, and venture capital firms in Allentown, as well as Philadelphia, a major metropolitan hub of innovation

• Joseph Kornfeind, Muhlenberg College

• Jane Hudak, Muhlenberg College

Moderator: Marissa Lombardi, Education First

Creating Pipelines for US Government Educational Programs in the Middle East
Marina II | Track: International
Level: Foundational | Format: Case Study | Tag: Policy
The U.S. Government funds a wide array of educational programs around the world, and many of these programs have different histories, stated goals and funding agencies. This presentation explores efforts that have been made to link these programs in a coherent way to produce pipelines for learners and to meet educational, development and public diplomacy goals. The cases used will include the work in Egypt of the American University in Cairo and Bard College programs in the Palestinian West Bank, with a focus on the English Access Microscholarship program and Education USA (both funded by the State Department) at the pre-college level, compared to the Access scholarships to Al Quds Bard and the Higher Education Initiative in Egypt (both funded by the US Agency for International Development). The presentation assesses the difficulties in aligning program goals with different agencies, constituencies and implementers, and the ways in which these challenges are informed by continuing education efforts in both cases (and how implementing these programs over time changes how these institutions conceive of their own continuing education mission and goals—and develop new capacity around that expanded mission).

• James Ketterer, The American University in Cairo

Moderator: Jorge Zumaeta, Florida International University

International Network Meeting Spotlight: Power the Use of Data to Optimize your International Recruitment Strategy
Grand Ballroom E
Level: Applied | Format: Newtork Meeting Spotlight
Finding the best-fit student for your University in a fast-changing world is not an easy task. Students have more options than ever and easy access to information. What are you currently doing to have a global impact? Learn how universities use valuable data to develop digital marketing strategies to promote their programs and discover the most suitable candidates for them.

• Martha Jordan, Studyportals

• Gregg Charron, Boston University

Moderator: Brian Cook, California State University, East Bay

State of the Art of Continuing Education in Latin America
Marina II | Track: International
Level: Applied | Format: Presentation
We will present the self-assessment survey for CE units developed by the RECLA working group on quality and accreditation and the results from a test run with a non-representative sample of more than 100 universities, most of them in Latin America. The survey results show an interesting panorama of strengths and weaknesses across many dimensions of academic management and shed light on challenges and opportunities in the region. The results also serve as a benchmark for universities across the region to assess their own development against top performers and against the field average. From this perspective, RECLA is using the survey questionnaire to organize a peer consulting service for its members. We will present this program to UPCEA members to build an understanding for the challenges and opportunities in the region. With a more sophisticated image of what is happening in South America, we want to encourage UPCEA members to keep exploring possibilities for cooperation. We will suggest two models of cooperation: Participation in the peer consulting program to help partner universities address their weaknesses, and leveraging the strengths present in Latin American universities to develop mutual programs and improving offers for both university communities. We are looking forward to receiving ideas from the audience for additional cooperation models.

• Margarita Guarello, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
• Markus Lang, RECLA

Moderator: Brian Cook, California State University, East Bay

Empowering Students via Digitally-enabled, Work-integrated Experiential Learning

Marina II | Track: International
Level: Foundational | Format: Workshop
This workshop presents innovative digital/online methods for Continuing Education instructors to employ applied project-based learning (APBL) and work-integrated experiential learning (WIEL) in the classroom. APBL and IEL are types of experiential education which integrate a student’s academic studies with a workplace or practice setting, often collaborating directly with an employer while supervised by the instructor. In this hands-on,  participatory workshop, participants will learn about new trends and digital tools in APBL/WIEL, discuss opportunities and pitfalls, and tour a virtual APBL/WIEL library. We will also explore how moving APBL and WIEL online  can enhance inclusion, accessibility and diversity goals, particularly for students from underrepresented groups. During the session, the presenters will also discuss how online project-based learning reduces or eliminates geographical barriers, and how this helps international students as well as students from underrepresented groups.

• Christine Brooks-Cappadocia, York University
• Lisa Fanjoy, Ryerson University

Moderator: Gary Chinn, Pennsylvania State University

Achieving Global Outreach and Impact by Breaking the Barriers of Language and the Physical World Through Online & Blended Learning
Marina II | Track: International
Level: Strategic | Format: Presentation | Tag: Diversity & Inclusion
By eliminating the barriers of language and the physical world via online blended learning in multiple languages, continuing education can expand its global outreach in the Spanish speaking world and transform societies socially--especially impacting women by lowering the STEM gap for the new emerging middle class in parts of Latin America. How are leaders in professional, continuing, and online education driving growth and innovation and creating deeper learning journey’s in our competitive global markets? What are the key opportunities, challenges, and strategies to realize the growth and social impact? This presentation will discuss the history of professional online learning at MIT Professional Education and describe the anatomy of its global learning strategy that builds upon its strengths and brand of mens et manus (mind and hand) learning by doing in order to impact the world for the better—mind/hand/heart.

• Clara Piloto, MIT

Moderator: Elizabeth Valencia-Borgert, St. Cloud State University