What inspired you to create this course? This course is a part of the larger program, Community Development in Cameroon, a spring semester program in Buea, Cameroon. We wanted each student to have the opportunity to learn about, and then test the theoretical frameworks of community development. We also wanted them to develop a base understanding of community development, with the opportunity to explore particular areas more deeply through their elective courses. What are the goals for this course? We want each student to: • Understand the relationship between community development and the development strategy of Cameroon. • Develop the special communication and cross-cultural skills necessary for effective interactions with non-profit organizations at the local level. • Acquire the skills and knowledge for evaluation of a community and the effectiveness of local development projects. • Understand the theoretical perspectives of community development and how they may be applied in both domestic and international contexts. What challenges have you encountered in designing a course to be taught abroad? The biggest challenge is that this course was co-developed and is co-taught by an AEA instructor and a lead faculty member from the University of Buea. During the development of the course, the two instructors had not had met in person. The concept of experiential learning (e.g. through a service learning project) was quite new to our faculty member in Buea, so working together to determine the structure of the course was challenging, but in the end it was a huge asset to have a faculty member from Buea working on the course, as we were able to implement ideas that were quite suitable to learning in Cameroon. How has the course developed over time, and why? If this course is new, do you anticipate any adjustments based on the pilot experience? Spring 2012 was the first semester this course was taught. We have already made adjustments to the syllabus for 2013 to include more guest lecturers who are experts in the various areas of community development (economics, women’s and gender studies, etc.). We were also, ‘on the fly,’ last year able to turn an assignment in which students were to write about a fictional community development project into an evaluation of an actual community development project in a rural area that they visited. Do you believe that it is feasible to incorporate cultural learning into content courses abroad? If so, then how? Yes, if you orient the course to take into consideration the cultural considerations/influence for that content area. For example, one of the first discussions we have in the Community Development Seminar is about the cultural considerations that must be made when becoming involved in a community project as an ‘outsider.’ Determining the cultural considerations must be an integral component of one’s evaluation of a community and the needs of that community. A facilitator must learn who the decision makers are, what type of functions various sectors of the community perform, and beliefs the community may hold regarding basic development components, such as education, health, and technology. In this Seminar, students not only discuss these cultural elements, but practice engaging with them in the context of their service learning project. For example, our student who worked with Green Cameroon, learned that one must speak with the chief of the village before conducting a needs assessment in that community. So, with his mentor at Green Cameroon, they met with the sub-chief and explained their intentions to him and received his approval first. Because they were abroad, the students were able to see, first hand, the important role culture plays in community development. Did you consult any resources on education abroad that were particularly helpful in designing this course? Obviously, I consulted many sources in regards to community development and experiential learning. However, the only resource particular to education abroad that I utilized was the following: Savicki, V. (2008). Experiential and Affective Education for International Educators. In V. Savicki (Ed.), Developing Intercultural Competence and Transformation: Theory, Research, and Application in International Education(pp. 74-91). Sterling, VA: Stylus. Please describe your education abroad teaching style and philosophy. In this Seminar, I lead a couple of the initial lectures and discussions, particularly those regarding the role of outsiders, how to incorporate experiential learning, and the importance of respecting culture. However, my primary role is to facilitate the relationship between the program’s Lead Faculty member, Dr. Tambi, and the students, so that they are able to learn as much as possible from him. I assist Dr. Tambi in understanding U.S. teaching methods and the expectations of students, and I work with students to orient them to the differences they may encounter in Dr. Tambi’s teaching style. I believe that if both students and faculty are willing to make adjustments and accept differences, everyone has a more fruitful experience. What techniques or innovations do you apply when teaching overseas? We embed local teaching techniques whenever appropriate, while still incorporating the elements that are most important to us. In this case, we insisted that the service learning be an integral component of the course. (In fact, Dr. Tambi and his colleagues thought so highly of this idea that they are looking to incorporate more experiential learning into their own curriculum!) Have you noticed any differences about the level of material retention in courses taught abroad vs. courses taught solely on the home campus? I cannot make a precise comparison, as I have not taught this course solely on a home campus. However, in our course abroad, student retention of the material is quite high. I believe this is due in large part to the service learning component of the program. Students are able to observe if the theories we have learned are being practiced in their service learning organization, and if so, how effective they are. They often have the opportunity to also test theories that they have learned and then reflect upon them through their journal entries and class discussions. Although adding a service learning component is not unique to a study abroad program, I think that while abroad students are more aware of their surroundings and their observation skills are enhanced. They are able to learn from events all around them, even those that are not explicitly tied to the course. How do you contextualize and debrief experiential learning? I relied heavily on David Kolb’s theories on experiential learning. When students have an experience, they need the opportunity to reflect on that experience, develop an abstract understanding/theory, and then test that theory. We have built these opportunities into our Seminar. Students’ primary experiences come during the 5 hours a week with their service learning organizations. Students are required to keep a journal, briefly recording what they do each time they work with their organization. At least every two weeks, students must write a longer entry in which they discuss in length something that is happening with their projects and how it relates to what they are learning in the Seminar. Students are also given the opportunity to and are sometimes required to discuss their service learning during class meetings. This provides ample time for reflection. By referring to their readings, or receiving feedback from their instructor and peers, the students are able to generate theories about their experience, and then test them the next time they are with their organizations. Reference: Kolb, David A. 1984. Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J. How do you assess student learning in this course? Are there any assessment methods that are particular to study abroad? Students are evaluated based on the following: Winter readings and written responses, participation/attendance in service learning placement (5 hours per week) (includes field observations/journaling and final reflection paper), class attendance and participation in discussions, attendance and participation in site visits, evaluation of and recommendations for a Mamfe village project, response papers (to the various course themes). The assessment is perhaps particular to study abroad in that there is greater reliance on the learning from the experiential aspects of the program, such as the field trip to the village of Mamfe and the service learning projects. Students are also expected to demonstrate that they have developed the special communication and cross-cultural skills necessary for effective interactions with non-profit organizations at the local level. Comments are closed.
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