U.S. Students in China: Meeting the Goals of the 100,000 Strong Initiative, a new report from IIE’s Center for Academic Mobility Research with support from the Ford Foundation, presents findings from a pilot study to capture the full breadth of U.S. student participation in education abroad activities in China. 

The study finds that American students are going to China for a wide range of education activities, and based on the number of students pursuing expanded non-credit educational opportunities in China, the U.S. Department of State’s goal of sending 100,000 Americans to study in China by 2014 will likely be met. The report also addresses the challenges and opportunities for sending more Americans to China and the need for a better system of tracking student activity abroad at the institutional level. 

Key findings: There were at least 26,686 Americans participating in a wide range of educational activities in China in 2011, with more than 58 percent participating in programs for academic credit and 42 percent participating in non-credit activities and degree study. While about 76 percent of all U.S. students in China pursuing for-credit and not-for-credit education abroad were undergraduates, the number of students pursuing full degrees in China is on the rise: 2,184 Americans were enrolled in Chinese higher education institutions in 2011, a 23 percent increase over the previous year.

Read and download the executive summary and the full report here. 

Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, have generated some interesting practical and philosophical questions in the higher education community and in the general public. In his New York Times column Thomas Friedman is optimistic about the potential that MOOCs have to transform global education. 

IIE’s Center for Academic Mobility Research is also exploring the topic of online education and its potential impact on international education. Raisa Belyavina blogs for IIE’s Opening Minds about some key elements to understanding MOOCs.

IIE is pleased to announce that the print edition of Open Doors 2012: Report on International Educational Exchange is now available for purchase. Open Doors is a long-standing resource, providing comprehensive statistical analysis of academic mobility between the United States and the nations of the world.

Open Doors, published with support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, features graphic displays, especially data maps, tables, figures, and to-the-point policy-oriented analysis. 

What key trends can we expect for 2013 that will prove influential in international higher education? Dr. Rahul Choudaha, the Director of Research & Advisory Services at World Education Services explores upcoming trends in a recent University World News article. Choudaha predicts funding, regulations and technology to be the three most influential trends in international higher education for 2013. "This will be a year in which the higher education sector, under increasing pressure to justify its value, will face more regulations and greater expectations to become self-sufficient. At the same time, it will see the opportunities and challenges presented by technology-enabled models like MOOCs," Choudaha writes. 

Elmina Innovation Academy is a summer program which will equip and connect the next generation of socially-conscious innovators. The program is geared toward West Africans, but will invite secondary-school students from across the globe to connect, learn, and become the innovators who will transform the world. 

Through programming and curriculum, the academy will teach students (aged 15-18) to employ innovative frameworks to think critically, plan strategically, and execute creatively. The academy will also connect those students to academics, business leaders, and community activists to create an ecosystem built around innovative ideas. 

Elmina Innovation Academy is looking to partner with an energetic, motivated, and passionate candidate to join our Faculty. The faculty member will lead the Innovation Theory course, which will explore the innovation process and process design. Faculty members who are interested in shaping the academy’s culture of learning will also be invited to help select the content for their modules. 

Optimal candidates will have a strong interest in education, innovation, and emerging markets. They will hold an undergraduate degree from a top-25 global university, and currently be pursuing a doctorate or advanced degree in a relevant field at a top-tier program. Experience with start-up education ventures and lean organizations is a plus.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to applications@elminainnovation.org. For inquiries, please contact Ettie Philitas at ettie@elminainnovation.org.

Where does India stand, the world’s second most populous country? And how will it develop in the next decades? This is the key theme of the Academic Cooperation Association’s second European Policy Seminar in 2013, devoted to Indian higher education. The seminar "Higher Education in India" will present and analyze the present state of Indian higher education, from the prestigious IITs to run-of-the mill Indian tertiary institutions. It will also look at approaches to and examples of cooperation in the tertiary sector between India and Europe. The full program and registration information is available on the ACA website.  

Mentor and Empower Students as a Conference Speaker 

The summer 2013 Global Leadership in Action conference at the University of California, Los Angeles is intended to awaken the compassionate leadership abilities of the world's youth and give them the tools to contribute to others. This conference aims to accomplish the following:

• Educate and empower students to become responsible and powerful leaders to make a difference in the world.
• Enable students to take action to fulfill upon this power by participating in service-learning events.
• Bring individuals and organizations together who have the same commitment to contribution.

For more information about the conference or to express interest in becoming a conference speaker/mentor, please visit the conference website.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and the Institute of International Education are pleased to announce the EducationUSA Training Institute: Enhancing Advising Expertise (Level 2) programs, to take place in the spring of 2013. Accredited U.S. higher education institutions are invited to submit proposals to host the on-campus portion of the Training Institute (April 28 – May 4, 2013). In addition to reimbursement for adviser expenses (lodging, food, transportation, materials), campus hosts will receive an honorarium of $6,000. Visit the EducationUSA website for more information and to download the host campus application.

The EducationUSA Training Institute is an intensive training and professional development program designed to provide EducationUSA advisers with the knowledge and skills needed to enhance their effectiveness and build professional competency. The training aims to further advisers’ skills, knowledge, and attitudes in the following five core competency areas: 1) Helping students have a successful study experience in the United States; 2) Advocating for U.S. higher education; 3) Managing and advising center; 4) Representing and advocating for EducationUSA; and 5) Contributing to the knowledge base of the EducationUSA network. Each 2-week EducationUSA Training Institute is comprised of a Washington, DC-based workshop, including sessions at the U.S. Department of State, and an on-campus training element, with site visits to public and private institutions. The Training Institute is a core activity of EducationUSA’s Professional Development Program and is offered several times each year, targeting different levels of advising.

The on-campus portion of the EducationUSA Training Institute: Enhancing Advising Expertise, (Level 2) program will take place April 28 – May 4, 2013. The Level 2 program is designed for experienced advisers with a firm grasp of the basic skills and knowledge needed to perform their jobs, and a successful track record of working with students. Building upon their previous training as well as their professional experience, the program will increase advisers’ depth of knowledge on key topics related to advising students, supporting U.S. institutions, managing an advising center, and representing and advocating for EducationUSA to a variety of audiences.

In close collaboration with EducationUSA staff, host campuses will design and carry out the on-campus portion of the training program. Campus responsibilities include securing faculty and staff to deliver and facilitate training sessions, providing on-campus meeting space and other facilities, and arranging all program logistics, including lodging, meals and transportation.

Questions about the program, hosting responsibilities, or the host campus application should be directed to Matt Washburn, Program Officer, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, washburnmp@state.gov.

The nomination deadline of February 15th, 2013 for the 9th annual Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East is fast approaching. This prize recognizes outstanding work being conducted jointly by two individuals, one Arab and one Israeli, working together to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East. The two individuals whose work is judged to be most successful in bringing people together and breaking down the barriers of hatred will share a $10,000 prize. Please send any questions or comments to goldbergprize@iie.org. A copy of the nomination form can be downloaded here. 

 

The fully-funded program is open to Ph.D. students from Africa, Asia, and Latin America working in disciplines related to international and development studies, and provides an opportunity to present and discuss their research in a seminar format. The workshop is organized jointly with the El Colegio de México. For the full description and application, follow this link.

This fully-funded program is open to outstanding young university teachers from universities in developing and emerging countries who are pursuing advanced research in areas bridging the fields of international and development studies. For the full description and application, follow this link. 

Twelve students have won places at top U.S. universities, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Dartmouth, through the Sutton Trust’s  first ever U.S. summer school, run in partnership with the U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission. 

The Trust also announced that there will be a record 1700 places at its nine United Kingdom summer schools this year, with Edinburgh and King’s College London joining Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Imperial, Nottingham, St Andrews and UCL in the program.

  

Those interested in applying for a place at a U.S. or a U.K. summer school this year should visit www.suttontrust.com for more details. 

Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) and RISE professional are funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and have established themselves as outstanding opportunities to combine serious research with a rewarding study-abroad experience. The programs are targeted to students from the fields of engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences (geology) and related disciplines.

RISE undergrads have the opportunity to work on cutting edge research projects at top research institutions (e.g., Max-Planck-Institutes) and universities in Germany. Students are paired with German Ph.D. students in a unique mentoring partnership to ensure immediate integration into hands-on lab work and a built-in social network, with an excellent opportunity to develop new technical skills. RISE participants receive a scholarship to cover living expenses. To learn more about RISE and RISE professional, please visit the RISE website or email rise@daad.de.