It's been useful to go to the class on designing study abroad courses with University of Minnesota Teaching and Learning Center. Everyone shared their course ideas in a variety of world countries. I had a chance to bounce off some ideas, too.

My "dream course" would be Eurasia- or Eastern Europe-based short-term experiential course centered around local, sustainable farming/food systems/small scale and micro-scale farming and health. Potential countries include Rumania, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Albania, Ukraine; the title could be “Sustainable farming and public health: science, public policy, and environmental activism”. The course could also be based in the U.S. or Europe and connect to an overseas institutional partner utilizing technology (Ning, Skype, social media), possibly using adventure-learning methodology as well.

The local food movement has increased momentum in recent years in the U.S. and Europe, motivated in part by the growing dependence on fossil fuel and the beliefs that: 1) eating locally will reduce the amount of total fuel consumed in the transportation of goods to marketplace; and 2) environmental benefits will also result through a reduction of emissions and pollution (UNC Gillings School of Public Health). In other places this tradition of growing food locally even if one lives in the city has always existed - like in Russia. It was still surprising to me, even knowing a long wide-spread tradition of micro-scale family farming in Russia, that private household plots, with a maximum size of 2 hectares (5 acres), produce an astonishing 93 percent of the country's potatoes and 80 percent of the vegetables, either for personal consumption or for sale at local markets (USDA, 2005).

Another question is, can eating locally and supporting a sustainable food system impact more than just environmental issues?  Can it also impact a population's health and regional economic viability? This class would engage students in exploring these questions and the three areas that traditionally have been considered separately -- health, environment and the economy in relation to local, sustainable food systems. Participants will map, discuss and debate approaches to sustainable farming in Europe and the United States, therefore moving from simple tasks like stakeholder mapping to interpreting policies, contextualizing farming and food practices, and comparing and evaluating approaches to farming, food, and public health at the family, city, and state levels.

Working on my LinkedIn profile with the help of awesome Cate Brubaker from Small Planet Studio. This way you are really making sure you are using this platform to make an impact you hope for: showcasing what's unique about you, using the language is relevant to your target audience, paying attention to keywords and other details. After I am done, it'll be interesting to see how consistent is my profile - my "virtual business card" -  across various social media platforms (FaceBook, Twitte, Flickr, etc.).

As advisers and program coordinators in international education, we often rely on clear, well-executed documents in every aspect of our work. We write proposals, strategic plans, reports, social media content, and language for many other pieces that have to reach multiple audiences, - and this type of writing is VERY different from what we are used to in academia. So, looks like some of the best practices in evaluation field could be very helpful, - like this simple 8-step process:

1. Get to know your readers and their needs
2. Define your purpose
3. Gather background information
4. For larger documents, create a mind map
5. Write a topic outline
6. Free-write your first draft (then take a break from it)
7. Edit and format to create your second draft
8. Proofread to arrive at your final draft

• Session on conducting evaluations in Hmong communities:  how to adapt one's communication style, language, survey tools, and design to build a relationship of trust and cooperation with these increasingly diverse family- and group-oriented communities.
• 25 Low-Cost/No-Cost tools for program evaluation.  Susan Kistler of American Evaluation Association presented a great collection of digital tools such as tools for data cleaning, social network analysis, data visualization, and mind mapping.  I’ve already bookmarked the following: Kuler (color schemes from Adobe), Google Alerts (to stay on top of latest news in your client’s profession), Google Refine (data cleaning tool), and Tableau (can be used as an interactive dashboard),
• Facilitation Skills for Evaluators.  Jean King shared 11 strategies to interact with stakeholders in evaluation and foster positive experiences.  Her book, Interactive evaluation practice: Managing the Interpersonal Dynamics of Program Evaluation, is due out soon! I left with a practical handout on each strategy, including on physical movement, tangible tools, and data visualization.
• Key things funders look for in evaluators.  A panel from the St. Paul, Bremer, and Minneapolis Foundations shared what funders look for in evaluators:  (1) interpretation – not translation – of what the grantee is doing, (2) be a collaborator — the evaluation is by and for the grantee and the funder, (3) ability to help grantee narrow in on most important measures, and (4) have passion for what you’re doing as an evaluator (or an international educator, I might add!).
• Meaningful and Accessible Reporting.  Dr. Laura Bloomberg from the Humphrey School for Public Affairs presented several key tactics to make reporting matter: (1) Be empathetic to those you are reporting to and follow the platinum rule of “do unto others as they would like to be treated,” (2) Follow the approach, Message-Audience-Medium (in that order) when creating a report.  Identify what you want them to remember, who you want to read/review the report or act on its findings, and what factors will carry the message. (3) The evaluator’s reporting tool kit includes: the ability to talk about what is being evaluated and findings to someone unfamiliar with the project, writing a killer paragraph, keep a written report to 10 pages or less, and using archetypes, composites and illustrations.  Reports pass this test if findings will be of value to evaluation users, can help obtain more funding, and provide users with necessary information for program development.

I sometimes felt a little overwhelmed with all the ideas and possibilities.  It helps to start with prioritizing what you need to learn and do your job. 

A question for you: what is something you learned at a professional development event that you have since incorporated into your practice?

When I think of new trends in study abroad and new skills I need to develop,  I have to first identify my strengths. What has allowed me to do my work well earlier and will likely be an asset in the future? According to (a fairly accurate, I think) Clifton's StrengthsFinder instrument, I do well collecting, "mining" for information, data organization and analysis (Input), discussing or explaining complex ideas or processes to others (and, probably, to myself first:) using Intellection), making sure that problems get solved (Restorative) and everyone around me is happy and content, working productively together (Harmony) and growing in any way possible (Developer). Of course, these are areas I still need to develop further, but it's great to have specific talent areas to focus on sometimes (instead of only looking at the negatives - qualities I do not possess, that are not at the core of who I am).

And I also believe that my unique background as a foreign-born professional with first-hand study abroad experience allows me to effectively address student concerns and promote international understanding in academic communities.

After working in study abroad advising at the University of Minnesota for about a year (right before I left on my own second extensive study abroad experience, this time at Hiroshima University in Saijo, Japan), I am thrilled to keep in touch with my colleagues. I have been keeping informed of the issues in the field via attending Minnesota Study Abroad Professionals meetings; scheduling multiple informational interviews at local universities; subscribing to NAFSA and SECUSS-L listserves, presenting at pre-departure events for UMTC students (for some Russian classes and for the oldest study abroad program in MN - Students for Amity among Nations Program, or SPAN - before students embark on a trip to Russia), and singing up for presenting at the upcoming Minnesota Study Abroad Returnee Conference again. It has been a busy spring!

On another note, It looks like the NAFSA Foreign Born International Educators SIG is no longer active. As a foreign born professional, I can see the value of such group, and would be curious to know of its agenda. However, I can also see how dividing professionals into "foreign-born" and "native" can be more counterproductive than useful. As international educators, we are collaborating with people who are bi- or tri-cultural on a daily basis, so it is only natural that we should be sensitive to specific challenges such people face while learning from their unique perspectives and encouraging such students and professionals to build on them in their selected field of work or studies. Similarly, I would apply this same advice to myself, without necessarily feeling I need additional support while competing in the study abroad job market, for instance.