About
The VaCIE-VCCS International Exchange program is a faculty exchange between the Virginia community colleges and the further education systems of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and also with Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India. Its name reflects its debt of gratitude to the Virginia Council on International Education (VaCIE, pronounced vay-cee) which, in the early 1990s, acted in an advisory capacity for the exchange founder, Becky Thomas, and its current relationship with the Virginia Community College System. It was formerly named the VaCIE-CEMP exchange (CEMP was the Cheshire Education Management Programme in England), but when the coordination of the program in the U.K. moved from Anne Grady at CEMP to Bob Bissell, Head, Open Learning Center at Glasgow Caledonian University midway through the 2003-4 exchange cycle, the name changed to the VaCIE-VCCS International Exchange to reflect the financial support of the VCCS, the oversight of the Director of Professional Development at the VCCS, and to reflect the parity among our partners in the U.K., the Netherlands, and India. Within the United Kingdom, colleges participate from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. In the Netherlands, the coordinator is Dr. Peter Van Amelsfoort, Director of Internatiuonal Projects at Koning Willem I College in Amsterdam; two-year ROC colleges throughout the Netherlands participate. In the fall of 2006, Dr. Ajitava Raychaudhuri , Professor and Coordinator of the Center for Advanced Study at Jadavpur University, will coordinate the exchange of the first group of faculty and staff from Jadavpur University in Kolkata.
The purpose of the exchange is to learn new educational techniques, to study the approaches taken by different educational systems, and to learn something of the history and culture of another nation. This broadens one’s intellectual perspective and better prepares faculty for an increasingly multicultural and international classroom. The need for multicultural sensitivity and a global perspective is all too apparent here in the United States. The Latino population has reached the size of the African-American population and certain Virginia jurisdictions, such as Arlington and Norfolk, have students from more than 50 nations. It is equally relevant in Western Europe, as London and Amsterdam have become a world-wide melting pots. With the addition of Jadavpur University as a partner, the opportunity for a greatly enhanced global awareness becomes possible.
The structure of the exchange is that every Virginia delegate is matched with a Dutch, British, or Indian faculty member, preferably from the same discipline. The European and Indian delegates come to the United States for a two-week visit in October. Virginia delegates make their return visit to India in February and to Europe in May after commencement. Participants observe classes, interview administrators, visit libraries, and pursue other academic activities in line with their interests. Each delegate, as part of the application process, creates a proposal regarding what is to be accomplished. A library administrator, for example, may wish to study database systems, Internet usage, and on-line catalog systems. A French professor could see how e-mail pen pals and class trips can be used to make language learning more active. A math instructor may wish to study how group projects are used to acquire and present quantitative concepts.
The exchange uses the home visit concept in which each delegate stays in the home of his or her partner. This often fosters a rich introduction to the everyday life and social customs of the host country; it also offers enough down time to allow numerous opportunities to discuss educational techniques, aspects of culture, or national trends in higher education in depth. The home visit approach keeps the exchange inexpensive for the sponsoring colleges. However, it does require delegates to be flexible, tolerant, and adaptable. Often, it results in lifelong friendships. The Indian exchange varies slightly; Indian delegates will stay in the home of their Virginia partners, but Virginia delegates will be housed at the Jadavpur University Guest House when they travel to Kolkata in February.
While the exchange has academic purposes, during evenings and weekends delegates
have a chance to explore the cultural offerings of the country they are visiting; the websites listed on the Related Links page are designed to give delegates an introduction to the history and culture of the participating countries.
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