Here are just a few of the sessions confirmed for the conference – check back for updates. You can also use the top navigation bar or read more here to register, or see workshops and presenters.
A Sense of Belonging Attending a university in a different country and feeling a sense of belonging are two different things. This session focuses on the intersection of international education and diversity, inclusion, and equity. What research has been published regarding international student's sense of belonging? What are the implications for practice? Presenter: Linda Bollivar
Nonresident Tax - The Survival Guide The session is designed to give practical advice, address fears/concerns the audience may have about tax preparation, leaving the audience confident with the overview of student/scholar filing obligations. Presenters: Neil Duffy, Elvera King
Right on the Mark(s): Converting Grades from India This presentation focuses on converting different grading systems from India into US grades and GPAs. Areas of focus are the traditional marks and class/division ranking, newer Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) grading reforms, outlier institutions, and evaluation methodologies for each. Examples include grades from both secondary and postsecondary levels. We also discuss various approaches and methodologies, such as Scholaro’s and AACRAO’s grade conversion philosophies. The presentation will include practical time with real documents to practice grade conversion and GPA calculation. Presenter: Brock Goldflies
Increasing International Graduate Student Sense of Belonging This 60-minute session will provide an overview of a participatory action research (PAR) project at a Midwestern university aiming to better understand international graduate students’ sense of belonging. This session will introduce practitioners in international education to recent research in the field while also providing a roadmap for how to conduct their own participatory action research with this often-underserved population, international graduate students. Presenters: Anna Press, Murray Findlay, Mark Maranto, Keith E. Jones, Guofang Wan, Ph.D.
Job Search Strategies: Essential Steps for Launching Your Career in IE In this interactive session, participants will gain a broader perspective of IE career choices, become more familiar with where to find jobs in IE, and learn tools for improving their candidacy and application materials. Presenters will facilitate exercises to practice reviewing job descriptions, preparing for interviews, and more. The session is ideal for anyone hoping to break into, or advance within, the field of international education. Presenters: Amy Nusser, Andie Ingram
Digit-All's Well That Sends Well: Digital Dos During the Pandemic Digit-All's Well That Sends Well: Digital Documentation Growth and Changes During the Pandemic Era will explore the expansion of digital document issuance by higher-education institutions. We will focus on digital documentation from the Americas, Europe and Asia. Presenter: Daniel Patlan
IEI Mentorship Program Learn about IEI's Mentorship Program! In this session, you will hear how the Mentorship Program provides valuable and personalized networking and professional development opportunities. Meet the program coordinators and a panel of current mentors/mentees from this year's cohort. Presenters: Amy Nusser, Andie Ingram
Global Infusion in Statistics The session will demonstrate how Statistics classes infused with Global Statistics and Virtual Exchange with EDUAfrica have contributed to meeting General Education Outcomes in Global and Multi-cultural Literacy. The session will start with "Upgrade Your Worldview" on gapminder.org (fun interactive introduction), then look at student work including discussion assignments on "Upgrade Your Worldview", peer-to-peer collaborative projects with Technical University of Kenya, individual projects using global data, and final reflections focused on the following objectives: Students will begin to develop a sense of global awareness, cultural competence, and civic responsibility by being able to: 1) Identify the cultural and socioeconomic perspectives of living in a global society. 2) Describe, interpret, and analyze measures from cultures other than their own. 3) Compare and contrast measures from other cultures with each other and with the United States. Presenter: Lori Jones
Bringing DEIJ into the Future The 2020 resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement reignited conversations on diversity and discrimination issues. And while progress has been made, integrating ideals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice has come with a learning curve. As we move forward into the 2020's it is deeply pertinent that we continue the work to create spaces for people of all backgrounds and experiences. This session will provide various resources and ideas on this topic, and give opportunity for participants to share their own experiences of what has worked for them, and the strategies they plan to implement in the future. Presenters: Lily Andrules, Sara McGuinn
Shall I Stay or Shall I Go? Are you contemplating whether or not to stay in the field of international higher education? You're not alone! The pandemic has many of us reconsidering our priorities, and the Great Resignation means that there are quite a few job opportunities both within and outside of higher ed. This session will include reflections from informal interviews of folks who have decided to leave the field as well as folks who have decided to stay. The information could be useful to you if you're considering a career change yourself; if you're a manager looking for more insight on what motivates your employees to stick with a job or find something new; or you're a new professional curious about what the ups and downs of the field are like. Presenter: Sara McGuinn
Beyond the Traditional Orientation For many programs and institutions, student orientation is a discrete event that happens at the beginning of a student's experience - when we're sending students abroad, maybe we do a pre-departure orientation; when we're welcoming students in, maybe we do a few days of on-site orientation. But how could we expand beyond this conceptualization and create a culture of ongoing guided learning for students? Hear some examples from professionals in different knowledge communities and at different stages of developing extended orientation programs, and feel free to share ideas of your own! Presenters: Sara McGuinn, Akiko Ota, Carmen Hernandez
High School Equals Undergraduate Credits? This session discusses various perspectives on secondary-level courses on international credentials that may potentially be considered for undergraduate credits in the United States. In order to be considered for transfer credits, the presentation will provide reasons and examples on what, how and why credentials from a select few countries are worth reviewing. Presenter: Bernard Ramos
International Enrollment Management (IEM) Roundtable Participants are encouraged to brings in unusual foreign credentials for a game of "Stump the Credential Evaluator". Afterwards, join a peer-led, open format roundtable discussion on the current state of International Enrollment Management (IEM) in Illinois. Topics covered will include enrollment trends, current recruitment strategies, and goals for the future. Presenter: Robert Morley, Rachel Krein, Tony Marotta, Kara Johnson
Evaluating Afghan and Other Refugee Credentials This session will discuss specific challenges for refugees and displaced persons applying for further education in the U.S., including unofficial, incomplete or nonexistent academic documentation. We’ll examine alternative methods of assessment and practical steps institutions can take, including suggestions outlined by UNESCO and the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR). Presenters: Karin Brown, Zak Holochwost
Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Field Representative Updates Your Illinois-based Field Representatives will present the latest updates available from SEVP. Presenters: Saskia Hofman, Kelly Pilleux-Petronia
Leveraging Alumni to Rebuild Education Abroad With shrinking IE offices and constraints of resources, peer advisors and engaging with education abroad alumni is more important than ever. In this session, we will cover peer advisor and ambassador program models, which will include training examples, DEI strategies to incorporate into said programs, as well as how to engage with alumni that have studied abroad during COVID and beyond. Presenters: Shelly Alfaro, Jonny Porter
2021-22 Update on immigration developments, issues, and strategies for international students and educators Longtime NAFSA member and immigration attorney Scott D. Pollock returns to sift through what has changed and what stays the same on legal issues of concern to international students, advisers, and educators, including: up to date travel requirements in the age of COVID-19; visa issuance concerns at U.S. consulates; significant policy changes over the last 2 Presidential administrations, including changes to the B-2 to F-1 bridging requirement; dealing with USCIS processing backlogs and delays; the current state of DACA; updates on privacy rights of international travelers and travel tips; and more. As with previous years' sessions, this interactive discussion will focus on what is fact or fiction, provide practical advice for students, advocacy strategies, legal challenges, and available resources and organizations that educators and students can use for assistance or support. Presenter: Scott Pollock
Language, Race, Nationality, and Ex-/Inclusion at Predominantly White Institutions This presentation will discuss racism and micro-aggressions within the contexts of language, race, nationality, and power. Difficulties adjusting to a new culture often become linked with issues of different ethnicities and racial backgrounds (Darder, 2012; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Sleeter, 2001). While most research focuses on the experiences of diverse students and their White teachers, much less is known about the experiences of teachers from different language backgrounds and teachers of color at predominantly White institutions. Based on a research study using autoethnographic accounts, workshop presenters will first share insights and strategies from teachers who are culturally and linguistically diverse and teaching at a PWI. The audience will also be given an opportunity to discuss similar challenges they have experienced in order to build the same support for diverse faculty as well as our diverse students. Presenters: Yurimi Grigsby, Michelle Soonhyang Kim, Israel Espinosa
Facilitating Oral Classroom Participation by International Students Oral participation is an expectation in American postsecondary classrooms, yet many linguistic and cultural factors might limit the oral contributions of international students. Oral classroom participation is significant to fostering the academic enculturation that students go through in American higher education as they learn the language of their discipline. In this presentation, we report international students' suggestions for university instructors to better assist them as they learn how and when to participate in class, as revealed through three university-wide online surveys and three focus group interviews. The participants will be invited to discuss their own expectations and the ways they articulate them to students in order to support inclusive classroom environments that appreciate linguistic and cultural diversity and encourage participation. We will demonstrate some strategies instructors can use to help international students succeed in appropriate oral participation. Presenters: Michelle Soonhyang Kim, Yurimi Grigsby, Israel Espinosa Is Studying in the US Worth It? In January 2022, Interstride surveyed 1,087 students on how they felt about their study abroad experience and career exploration so far in the U.S. The respondents – 56 percent studying at the graduate level, 34 percent undergraduate, nine percent doctoral or postdoctoral, and one percent other - represented over 100 countries across the globe. Interstride will share the findings on the sentiments and motivations of these students from the research. Presenters: Nitin Agrawal, Anna Esaki Smith