RESOURCES FOR COLMAN LECTURERS
In this section, you will find a range of resources to help promote an international climate for our students on campus as well as resources for faculty and student exchange.
Campus Internationalization Survey Results
During the Fall semester, 2019, the Rector and Office of International Academic Affairs conducted surveys for faculty and students in order to assess the internationalization climate on campus.
The goal of the faculty survey (n=91) was to map the interest, ability, and relevant experience of core faculty to teach in English and take part in the internationalization of the campus, across departments and schools. Findings strongly indicate 1) our faculty sees the necessity to foster an international orientation among students as part of providing them tools to compete in the job market across disciplines, 2) the overwhelming majority of faculty is interested in being involved in international activity on campus.
The goal of the student survey (n=461) was to identify the perceived advantages and barriers that students see in studying abroad, engaging with international students on campus, and taking English content courses. While the student sample was not representative of the entire student body, findings indicated that there is interest and desire from within the student body for increased engagement in international activity both on campus and through studying abroad options.
Highlights from the surveys:
Believe that in their field/discipline, it is necessary for their students to gain international skills for the job market:
Believe that it is important for Israeli students to study courses with intensive English content:
Believe that it is important to encourage students to take part in international activities (e.g. student exchange, English courses, getting to know international students):
Percentage of faculty who would like to to be involved in activities/programs related to an internationalization agenda at the college:
Additional survey information:
- 40% of faculty have lived/worked abroad as part of their professional advancement
- 34% completed either doctoral or postdoctoral studies abroad
- 56% have been involved in an international projects in the past 3 years
- 35% have taught full courses to international students in the past
- 38% feel very comfortable teaching in English, an additional
- 26% feel pretty comfortable
- 42% would very much like the opportunity to teach a course to both Israeli and International students on campus, an additional
- 22% stated their interest as well
The student survey was distributed in two ways: 1) email sent from the Office of the Rector to all students with a link to the survey, and 2) request made within a number of classes for students to take a moment and complete the survey, if they are interested.
The characteristics of the 461 students who responded are as follows: 81% are first degree students, with the majority in the first and second year of their studies, 19% second degree students. 78% are between the ages of 21-29, 64% are female. While the sample is not representative of the entire student body, it included a relatively proportional distribution of students from across the 9 schools at COLMAN.
The optimal length of time students would like to study abroad:
Distribution of destinations students are most interested in studying abroad:
Believe that gaining international experience during their studies is an advantage in the job market:
Believe it is important to be familiar with different cultures:
Believe fluency in English is important for their career advancement:
If all students were required to take 1 or 2 an English Content Course in order to complete their degree at COLMAN, to what extent would students see this in a positive way:
Some of the reasons students may be hesitant about having a required English content course in the curriculum (students could choose more than 1 answer):
Would like to take part in an English content course with international students studying at the college:
To what extent students think it is important to have a global perspective of the subjects they are studying
Would be interested in extracurricular activities with international students on campus:
Erasmus+ KA1 Grant: Faculty/Staff Mobility
There are two categories of grants offered for faculty/staff exchange through Erasmus:
Teaching mobility: This allows teaching staff or staff from enterprises to teach at a partner Higher Education Institution abroad. All subject areas/academic disciplines are eligible.
Training mobility: This activity supports the professional development of teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as the development of involved institutions at large. The training at a partner institution may take the form of workshop events, job shadowing, observation periods, and the like. Conferences are not an eligible mobility.
Erasmus KA1 grants provide a contribution to cost for travel and subsistence during the time abroad. This period abroad can combine teaching and training activities.
Length of mobility:
Minimum of 5 days and maximum of 2 months. For teaching mobility, faculty is required during this period to teach a minimum of 8 hours per week.
How to apply:
In order to apply for a mobility grant, COLMAN must hold an inter-institutional agreement with the receiving institution and sign a Mobility Agreement outlining learning goals, rights and responsibilities. This agreement is then reviewed by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the EU Commission. If the agreement is approved, the mobility grant will be provided, contributing to the cost of travel and subsistence for the agreed upon number of faculty exchanges in the bilateral contract between COLMAN and the EU institution.
The application itself is submitted by the EU institution. It is important to recognize that institutions in the programme country (i.e. EU institutions) are eligible to submit an application for staff/faculty mobility with only ONE partner institution in a given call for applications. Hence, it is important that such partnerships are strategic for both institutions.
The Office of International Academic Affairs will work with each school at COLMAN interested in Erasmus to identify and cultivate potential partnerships in order to deepen collaboration on all levels (i.e. student and faculty exchange as well as joint programs and initiatives).
For more information about Erasmus+ faculty/staff exchange and relevant forms, see the Erasmus+ national office link here.
Before applying for Erasmus+, please contact the Office of International Academic Affairs to begin the process together with the EU institution.
English Medium Instruction
English Medium Instruction
English Medium Instruction (EMI) refers to the use of the English language to teach academic subjects (other than English itself) in countries where the first language of the majority of the population is not English.
In line with the new policy from the Council of Higher Education regarding EMI in Israeli institutions, all undergraduate students at COLMAN will be required to complete two EMI courses in the period of their studies, depending on their level of English at entrance to the college.
Evaluation Forms
For Faculty
For Students
Internationalization at Home
Internationalization at Home (IaH) is broadly defined as “the purposeful integration of international and intercultural dimensions into the formal and informal curriculum for all students within domestic learning environments”. (Beelen & Jones, 2015). It has become a strategic priority in higher education policy, research and practice in recent years, with a magnification of importance since the outbreak of COVID19 and the subsequent reduction in mobility of students.
To succeed in the global economy today, more and more companies are relying on a geographically dispersed workforce and virtual international communication. Adapting to this changing job market, institutions of higher education must find ways to prepare students to work in different cultural settings, function successfully in global teams and understand global trends.
Towards this end, Internationalization at Home puts an emphasis on creating a global learning environment, primarily for those students who do not study abroad (i.e. the overwhelming majority) to ensure that all students, not just those who are mobile, gain an international perspective and skillset to succeed in the job market.
Students today inhabit an interconnected and global economy, growing more connected at exponential speed. All disciplines are seeing changes to their field in light of this. It is therefore critical that the curriculum students learn reflects this reality and gives them the opportunity to acquire intercultural skills and an international orientation for their professional and personal lives.
The process of incorporating international, intercultural and global dimensions into the academic curriculum is referred to as internationalization of the curriculum.
COLMAN on-campus training
The Center for Academic Excellence, together with the Office of International Academic Affairs, encourages lecturers to incorporate an international dimension in the curriculum and learning outcomes when possible, in a way that is most suitable to the course subject. Each year training will be provided to lecturers interested in finding a way to adapt their curriculum with international content.
Below are some practical tips and resources for designing a syllabus that entails an international perspective
- Incorporate texts, articles, and videos from international sources.
- Ask students to compare and contrast international and cross-cultural research findings.
- Include materials from national, international and intergovernmental organisations.
- Use international examples/case studies.
- Include presentations / guest lectures from industry professionals with international experience in the specific area of the course.
- Design activities that require students to think through a specific cultural lens.
Resources for Internationalization of Curriculum
Virtual Mobility or Virtual Exchange refers to facilitated sessions in which students meet virtually in real time to discuss a variety of themes with peers from different cultural backgrounds, learn about the viewpoints of others while critically reflecting on their own, learn from experts and practitioners, and improve their language and communication skills.
Why is virtual mobility important?
- Provides opportunities for students who cannot or do not want to go abroad to have an international learning experience.
- Allows for students to gain an intercultural experience that will help prepare them for working in international teams and virtual settings.
- Enhances students’ soft skills.
Models of Virtual Mobility Courses
There are various ways in which instructors can incorporate virtual mobility into the classroom. Among the most popular:
- Partner with a colleague from an institution in a different country who teaches a similar course, or at least within the same discipline. Find a joint assignment that you can both offer students to do through virtual teams across classes. In this model, each of the instructor’s courses are completely independent, joined only by the component of a shared assignment that integrates their students virtually. The advantage of this model is that it does not take much time to develop and can be connected to courses that differ even substantially in their content.
- Create a Collaborative On-line International Learning (COIL) Course, in which two instructors from institutions in different countries design and deliver a course collaboratively to both of their classes. In this framework, students interact virtually both in the class setting and through shared assignments. This model offers students the most intense virtual exchange experience, but is also a significant amount of work and time on the part of the instructors.
- Offer virtual mobility as an extra credit assignment by encouraging students to take part in the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange for student to student dialog. Students can register independently and pick from a number of discussion group topics to participate in. As part of the program, the facilitator can provide feedback to instructors regarding the student’s participation, thereby providing some objective standard by which to offer the extra credit to the student. While this platform is innovative and designed to integrate into already built courses, the downside is that the topics of the discussion groups may not be directly related to the course material.
COLMAN on campus training
The Center for Academic Excellence, together with the Office of International Academic Affairs, are available for lecturers who are interested in developing courses with a virtual mobility component, both on a one on one basis and as group training for faculty.
In addition, the Office of International Academic Affairs periodically sends out information to faculty about training and platforms promoting virtual mobility and assistance in course designs which include a virtual mobility component.
Resources for Faculty:
7 Tips for Implementing Virtual Mobility: EAIE article by COLMAN’s Director of International Academic Affairs on considerations for institutions to implement Virtual Mobility.
Uni Collaboration and SUNY COIL Center: Information for institutions and instructors about virtual mobility
Erasmus+ Virtual Mobility Platform: Website for instructors and students to learn how to get involved in virtual mobility through the Erasmus+ platform.
Introduction to Virtual Mobility: Presentation by the Erasmus+ Virtual mobility
WILLIAM was a three-year Erasmus+ Capacity Building Initiative for Internationalization at Home led by COLMAN’s Office of International Academic Affairs.
Co-funded by the EU Commission, WILLIAM was a consortium of 12 Israeli and European institutions who worked together to advance Internationalization at Home within Israel and the EU. Over the course of the project, WILLIAM tested and scaled new ideas within partner institutions and disseminated best practices across a diversity of higher education institutions.
The role of COLMAN as the coordinating institution was threefold: Lead the consortium in collaboration about Internationalization at Home, advance the project’s agenda on a national and international level, and manage progress made by the consortium and by each individual partner institution.
VISITING LECTURER TRACKS
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RESOURCES FOR VISITING LECTURERS
