Collaboration in Orientation /Reorientation Programming for Exchange Students

Monmouth College and Coe College

Partners Project Final Report

Project Description/Summary

See italic type for reports on each of the project objectives. For the original project proposal, please see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/global_partners_project.htm. For a mid-year report of this project, please see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/GlobalPartnersMidReport.htm

Project Goal: Focusing on exchange programs offered through each campus, Monmouth and Coe Colleges will develop a collaborative orientation/reorientation experience for students preparing for and returning from international off-campus study exchange programs and for international students on these exchanges at Monmouth and Coe Colleges.

Objective 1: To establish a joint committee comprised of faculty/staff members from Monmouth and Coe Colleges that will plan, oversee, and evaluate orientation and reorientation activities for exchange students (The term exchange student is used for Monmouth and Coe students who study abroad on exchange programs and for international students who come to our campuses as exchange students.)

1.1 Global Partners Project Conference (6/14-17/2001) attendees from Monmouth College and from Coe College will work with their academic deans to designate at least one conference attendee and up to two other faculty/staff members from each institution to serve on a team that will comprise half of the Exchange Program Acclimation Committee.

During the summer of 2001, the following individuals were identified as members of EPAC: Deanna Jobe, Pam Carstens, and John Chaimov from Coe College and Ken McMillan, Helen Ochs and Tom Sienkewicz from Monmouth College. Tom Sienkewicz agreed to serve as chair. All six individuals continued to work closely on this project throughout the academic year.

1.2 The Committee will develop clearly articulated objectives for a one-day orientation/reorientation program.

The EPAC Committee developed the following program objectives for the project: 1. to prepare American students for the general problems and challenges of living and studying abroad 2. to assist American students returning from exchange problems in their process of reacclimatization to the United States 3. to assist international students in their process of acclimatization to the United States 4. to make all of these students more aware of cultural differences and ways to deal with such differences.

1.3 The Committee will meet in person at least one time prior to each one-day program in order to plan orientation/reorientation activities for exchange students.

EPAC met twice, once in Moline, Illinois, on September 19, 2001 and again in Columbus Junction, Iowa, on January 15, 2002 to plan these activities. By the end of the second meeting, there was strong consensus among committee members that such planning sessions would no longer be necessary unless the composition of the committee changed significantly.

1.4 The Committee members will maintain regular contact via phone and e-mail throughout the planning process.

The committee has been able to do most of its work via e-mail. Without this tool, collaboration of this sort would be much more difficult and time-consuming.

1.5 The Committee will develop a written agenda addressing the articulated objectives for the orientation/reorientation program and identify the individuals who will be responsible for organizing and leading the various activities.

For the agenda for the fall orientation/reorientation program in Monmouth, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/reorientation_program.htm. For the agenda for the spring orientation/reorientation program in Cedar Rapids, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/SpringProgram2002.htm.

1.6 The Committee will develop an appropriate Feedback Form that students will complete at the end of the one-day orientation/reorientation program in order to assess how effectively objectives for the program were met.

For a copy of this evaluation form, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/program_survey.htm. This form was used at both the fall and spring programs.

1.7 The Committee will discuss various strategies for helping the program students adjust to their exchange schools and communities, and work with appropriate personnel to ensure a smoother transition.

Such strategies were part of the discussion at both orientation/reorientation programs.

1.8 Using information from the Feedback Form along with anecdotal information from facilitators/presenters, the Committee will evaluate the effectiveness of the program and make any necessary changes for the next program.

For an analysis of the feedback form for the fall program, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/summary_of_reorientation_program.htm. For an analysis of the feedback form for the spring program, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/Orientation %20Meeting%20Summary%2004-02.htm. Both of these analyses were prepared by John Chaimov of Coe College.

1.9 Activities 1.2 through 1.8 will be repeated in the spring for the orientation/reorientation program for exchange students going abroad fall semester of 2002.

The spring orientation/reorientation program took place at Cedar Rapids on April 20, 2002.

1.10 The Committee will meet after the second orientation/reorientation program to assess the overall effectiveness of the collaboration between Monmouth and Coe Colleges.

Members of the committee did not feel that such a meeting was necessary. They felt that the surveys were effective tools in assessing the effectiveness of the (re)orientation programs and that the collaboration between the schools was well-established by the first two meetings of the committee. Since four out of the six committee members also attended both (re)orientation programs, the committee as a whole felt that it has sufficient context for assessing its activities without meeting for a third time.

1.11 The Committee will formulate a final report to the Global Partners Project outlining the project objectives and how effectively they were met through the activities supported with a Partners Project Grant.

It is the purpose of this report to provide a summary of the collaborative efforts between Monmouth and Coe during the academic year 2001-2002.

Objective 2: To hold two orientation/reorientation programs, one in the fall and one in the spring, for exchange students.

2.1 Susan Dagit of Monmouth College and Pamela Carstens of Coe College will set dates for two one-day orientation/reorientation programs during the academic year 2001- 2002. (These dates have tentatively been set for November 17, 2001 and April 13,2002.)

The first of these sessions took place at Monmouth College on November 17, 2002, the second in Cedar Rapids on April 20, 2002.

2.2 A one-day program for exchange students will be hosted during the fall semester on the campus of Monmouth College and on the Coe College campus during the spring semester.

For the fall program, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/reorientation_program.htm. For the spring program, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/SpringProgram2002.htm.

Eighteen Coe and Monmouth students participated in each program. They were accompanied by two members of the EPAC committee from each school. Four of the students attending the fall program would be exchange students in the spring semester. Four were international students. The other eight were returnees from exchange programs. In the spring the profile of participants was slightly different. Seven were approved for exchange programs for the following fall. Six were international students. Only one was a returnee from an exchange program.

While generally pleased with student attendance, the committee recognizes that not all eligible students from either school attended these sessions. For the spring session, Monmouth experimented with some success with requiring attendance for students approved for exchange programs for the fall semester. It is more difficult to persuade returning students to attend. If these programs continue in the future, some effort should be made to increase student participation.

For John Chaimov's summary of the fall program, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/summary_of_reorientation_program.htm. For John Chaimov's summary of the spring program, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/Orientation %20Meeting%20Summary%2004-02.htm.

2.3 International students and other personnel from both campuses will participate as resource persons in the programs.

At least four international students were present at both programs. Several Monmouth College faculty members also attended part of the fall program. Students at the fall program were welcomed by Dr. George Arnold, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Monmouth College. Students at the spring program were welcomed by Dr. Laura Skandera-Trombley, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Coe College.

2.4 Students who participated in an exchange program the previous semester will attend the program as resource persons and as part of their reorientation process.

Eight returning students participated in the November program. Only one attended in the spring.

Summary

Students attending these programs benefited from the experience. While students approved for exchange programs in the next semester probably felt the strongest need for these activities, the returning and international students also benefited from the experience. The mix of student types was especially useful in allowing students themselves to control the agenda and share information with each other. To a certain extent, the returning and international students seemed pleased to serve as "experts" for the departing students and the departing students definitely valued the experiences of their peers even more than those of the more mature people present. Members of the committee agree that this model is quite successful and are hopeful that Coe and Monmouth will be able to continue such collaborative activities in the future, and even to invite representatives of nearby schools, like Cornell and Knox, to attend as observers.

For a description of the grant which funded this activity, see http://department.monm.edu/offcampus/GlobalPartners/global_partners_project.htm.

For more information about this project, please contact Tom Sienkewicz at toms@monm.edu.

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