The Forum on Education Abroad Fireside Dialogue
Our Students: Who are they and what can we do about that?
Denver, CO, March 23-25, 2012
The Forum on Education Abroad is pleased to offer a Fireside Dialogue for education abroad professionals to be held in conjunction with the 8th Forum Conference in Denver, CO in March, 2012. "Our Students: Who are they and what can we do about that?” is intended for professionals in education abroad seeking to understand and work successfully with the current generation of students both within their institutions and the field. This Fireside Dialogue will bring together no more than 30 professionals and two expert leaders in an informal setting for 1 and 1/2 days of facilitated, collegial discussion focusing on the development of key skills essential to understanding and effectively working with current students. The leaders represent two very diverse areas of higher education. They will share their experience and expertise in an open, frank dialogue among all participants.
Purpose:
In order to maximize curricular and programmatic effectiveness, one needs to understand the behavior and learning skills of our students -- the first generation raised on social media. This Fireside Dialogue will assist education abroad professionals in identifying and building the critical skills needed for understanding and successfully working with current students through engaging in an open, collegial dialogue with expert leaders.
Content: Major topics to be discussed include:
- Just who are our students, and what is their make-up?
- How can we adapt to their learning styles without giving up entirely on the founding notion of The Academy?
- How can generational differences become sources of conflict and misunderstanding and how can we profit from these differences both programmatically and academically?
- What strategies exist for capitalizing on technology to enhance learning abroad for our technology-dependent students?
- And while it would be easy (and probably pretty damn amusing and cathartic) to simply bask in the glow of “Ah, sweet cynicism,” we will seek positive outcomes.
Format: The Fireside Dialogue is characterized by highly interactive, informal discussions based in part on advance readings and participant writing. The Dialogue will be both unique and challenging in that the participants will be active in developing and carrying out the agenda. Participants will be asked to write short pieces in which they describe a particular challenge that they are facing related to one or more of the Dialogue topics. These writings will be due one month before the Dialogue and will be shared with and read by all participants to help to form a basis for the discussion. Additional short readings related to the topics may also be shared, and participants will be encouraged to recommend any to the group. The expert leaders will openly share ideas and insights.
Leaders:
Tim Perkins has spent his entire professional career developing innovative programs in and with universities. Among the programs and projects he founded: Communication Skills Center - Oregon State University; Martha’s Vineyard Summer Workshops on Teaching Writing - Northeastern University; Division of International Programs - Boston University; and international branch campuses - Drexel University. He currently resides in SW France on a hilltop in the monastery for which he is overseeing restoration, and, directs programs and the site for Saint Francis University (PA). He has held positions as instructor of English, Assistant Dean, Assistant Vice President and Vice President in universities, and also worked in the private sector on educational projects. Most of Mr. Perkins' innovations have been fueled by his asking challenging questions about the status quo, and by his ability to view both the commercial and the academic potential of ideas.
Charles Morse is a licensed mental health counselor who has worked in various settings in the field for the past 30 years. Over the past eighteen years he has worked at the Student Development and Counseling Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI); in the position of Director for the past six years. In 2006 Morse was awarded a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for suicide prevention and mental health promotion on campus. With the grant WPI has developed and implemented comprehensive gatekeeper training, with some innovative elements of student involvement. Morse also has been extensively involved in training faculty and staff who travel abroad with students in how to recognize and respond to mental health issues as they emerge. In 2011 he co-presented two sessions at the annual Standards of Good Practice Institute: Health, Safety and Security at Northwestern University on the topics of preparing faculty and staff to respond to student mental health distress while abroad and sexual assault prevention programs for students who are preparing to travel abroad.
Schedule:
Friday, March 23: Evening dinner discussion and introductions
Saturday, March 24: All-day discussion at seminar site with meals provided
Sunday, March 25: Breakfast, morning discussion and noon departure
Location: The “Our Students” Fireside Dialogue seminar will be held at the University of Denver. An important part of the Fireside Dialogue is the conversation that occurs outside of the seminar: for this reason, we have reserved a block of rooms for Fireside Dialogue participants at the Loew’s Denver Hotel at a special rate of $99/night (including wireless), a short shuttle ride from the University of Denver Campus. While it is expected the participants will lodge at the Loew’s Denver Hotel to experience all of the benefits of the Fireside Dialogue, participants may opt to keep their rooms at the Forum Conference hotel.
Registration: Participation in the Fireside Dialogue will be limited to 30 participants in order to foster in-depth discussion. Participants are required to be professionals in education abroad serving a higher education population. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and a waiting list will be maintained. The application deadline is December 9, 2011. Participants will be notified of their acceptance to participate no later than the week of December 19, 2011.
Fee: The early bird, Forum member fee for the Leadership Dialogue is $350 (for non-members $400), which includes dinner on Friday evening, all meals on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday.
To apply:
A pdf version of this information is available here.
The application form is available here.
