Educator Webinars
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Register to attend an upcoming webinar designed especially for international education professionals or watch a recording of a past webinar you may have missed. All events are 60 minutes or less.
Upcoming Webinars
Advising for IFSA Study in Shanghai
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
12 p.m. Eastern | 9 a.m. Pacific
IFSA Study in Shanghai options will resume in Spring 2024! Join Institutional Engagement Manager Joshua Howse and Enrollment Counselor Brittany Brooks to refresh your knowledge and learn about updates to our Shanghai program options. Ideal for students who want to embrace the unfamiliar, these programs help students explore a culture thousands of years in the making, in a city that’s facing the future head on. Join us and be ready to share the latest with your students!
Available On Demand
Advising for IFSA Programs
Advising for IFSA Australia and New Zealand Programs
New to advising for IFSA Australia or New Zealand programs, or just need a refresher? Join IFSA to learn details about Oceania program locations, academic offerings, and the unique support and cultural engagement opportunities we provide on-site. This webinar will help you guide your students to the right IFSA program to meet their goals and allow you to articulate how they can make the most of their time abroad.
Advising for IFSA Oxford and Cambridge Programs
The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are two of the most prestigious universities in the world, with unique educational opportunities for students. Join IFSA and special guests from Whitman College (WA) and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor to review the key details of the IFSA Oxford and Cambridge programs and discuss advising strategies for helping students develop competitive applications.
Advising for IFSA Prague and Tech Career Accelerator Programs
With an expanded curriculum across four programs, IFSA’s semester-length programs in Prague offer students the opportunity to experience a city that is leaning boldly into the future and the ability to gain the professional skills most desired by employers. Join us to learn about the new name of the Reimagining Europe in Prague program plus our three new program options. IFSA will present the newly designed social science and computer science classes, our two vibrant host institutions, customized internship placements, and the daily life that students can experience in this exciting capital city!
Advising for IFSA’s Tech Career Accelerator Program
Join IFSA leaders for a discussion of the IFSA Tech Career Accelerator program. This program was intentionally designed in consultation with computer science faculty from partner universities across the US. This webinar will explain the program structure, course offerings, experiential learning activities, and extracurricular experiences available on this unique program. Located in Prague, this program is an ideal choice for students looking to remain on track with their computer science degree and engage with an international tech community while spending a semester in a European capital.
Advising for Non-Traditional Locations: Peru
Join Danny Gibbons, Director for Peru Programs, as we discuss advising for the IFSA Peru program. He will cover some of the dimensions of the culture, an overview of the educational system and teaching traditions, and what students can experience in their daily life while living and studying in this country. The session will include dedicated time for discussion of how to effectively advise students about the IFSA Peru program.
Advising for IFSA Rome Programs
How do the IFSA Rome programs differ from what is already out there? Join IFSA Rome Resident Director Francesco Burzacca, Ph.D. as he explores the structure of the five IFSA programs in Rome and shares the intentional program components that will bolster student engagement and success on these academically rigorous programs.
Advising for IFSA Spain Programs
With two locations in Spain, IFSA gives your students the ability to find precisely what they are looking for in a study abroad and internship experience — in Spanish or English. Available in Seville and Barcelona, IFSA programs are intentionally designed to broaden our participants understanding of Spanish culture and maximize their interactions with their host community. Learn key details of the programs to highlight in your student advising sessions.
Custom and Faculty-Led Programs
Faculty-led Programs Made Easy
IFSA is pleased to share our exciting Ready to Go! faculty-led program templates. Featuring opportunities in Buenos Aires, Edinburgh, London, Prague, Shanghai, and Sydney, these templated programs include co-curricular activities, logistical, and health and safety support, and can be tailored to your institution’s learning objectives and faculty plans. Danny Gibbons, IFSA Resident Director in Peru, discusses how Ready to Go! programs can enable you to quickly deliver faculty-led programming on your campus.
Strategies for Developing Faculty-led Programs
IFSA’s Custom and Collaborative Programs Team is pleased to share insights on working with faculty to successfully develop impactful custom programs. In this presentation, we will share tools and strategies to make the program development process simpler and more efficient and introduce IFSA’s new Ready to Go! program templates which enable you to jumpstart faculty-led programming on your campus. (Presenters: Jill McKinney, Director of Global Engagement at Butler University; Anne Frey, Education Abroad District Manager at Portland Community College; and Emily Beck, IFSA Director of Custom and Collaborative Programs)
IFSA General
A Regional Approach: IFSA Health and Safety
Join us for an overview of IFSA’s innovative approach to Health and Safety. Tania Gonzalez, IFSA Health and Safety Regional Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, will walk us through real-world examples to introduce and illustrate our comprehensive and customized approach. We will share an overview of the Regional Health and Safety Model at IFSA and discuss tackling tough questions from students and parents.
IFSA Pro Tips
Short engaging refreshers on working with IFSA, our programs, and our processes. Perfect for new and experienced advisors alike! We’ll spend a few minutes reviewing some basics and then open things up for Q&A based on what you need to support your students as they consider and apply for programs.
IFSA 101
Join Lillian Read, IFSA Director of Institutional Engagement, for an introductory webinar on IFSA. In this session, we will discuss the commitments that frame IFSA, what’s included in IFSA programs, the student application process, IFSA scholarships and grants, demonstrations of our Advisor Portal and CHART: Searchable Course Database, and more! This session is perfect for new advisors or folks looking for a refresher on IFSA offerings.
IFSA 102
Join Margaret McCullers, IFSA Director for Strategic Initiatives, to discuss IFSA program and academic updates that have occurred during the pandemic. Discussion will include IFSA’s approach to Spanish language instruction in Latin America, new models for semester and short term programs, including the Career Accelerator program structure, IFSA customized Health and Safety support, and IFSA’s efforts to promote equitable access to study abroad programs.
IFSA Tech Career Accelerator
Helping computer science majors get career-ready, this program teaches the skills today’s employers want as students complete essential computer science coursework, developed and launched in partnership with elite U.S. universities and STEM colleges.
IFSA Career Accelerator Program Q&A
IFSA Career Accelerator programs are designed to help students prepare for life beyond college. By blending study abroad with career preparation, Career Accelerator programs provide the most complete skill set available today, giving students a competitive edge in sea of job applicants. Stop by this Q&A session to speak with the IFSA team about this new innovative program structure.
IFSA Student-Centered Learning
Join Dr. Ray Casserly, IFSA’s new Director for Global Learning and Assessment for a virtual event to discuss the IFSA vision for student-centered, future-focused learning that emphasizes inclusive intercultural growth. This event is for campus-based staff, please use your institution email to register. Those that register will receive a recording of the session following the event.
IFSA Life
IFSA LIFE: Australia and New Zealand
IFSA programs in Australia and New Zealand are ripe with opportunities for your students no matter what their future goals may be! Connect with the IFSA Team in Australia and New Zealand to learn more about programs and the student experiences available in this region! You learn about your students will connect with local cultures, housing options, and more! Refresh your advising talking points for programs in this region with this virtual event, you may even win a prize during our live event! (Presenters: Christi Hoover, IFSA Regional Director Regional for Asia and Pacific; Fiona Pearson, Director for Australia Programs; and Sian Munro, Director for New Zealand Programs)
IFSA LIFE: Ireland and Northern Ireland
Meet the IFSA team working on the Emerald Isle during this virtual event. Suzi Breslin, IFSA Director for Ireland and Northern Ireland Programs, will share information about the IFSA student experience in Ireland and Northern Ireland. We are excited to share information about academics, Irish identity and culture, housing and more! This event is great for advisors looking to connect with our IFSA team in Ireland, strengthen advising talking points for IFSA Ireland programs, and even have a virtual sneak peak of the IFSA Ireland office! Join us for the live event and you may even win a prize!
IFSA LIFE: Latin America and Caribbean
Join Diana Arízaga, IFSA Regional Director for Latin American and Caribbean, and Tania Gonzalez, Regional Manager for HSS Latin America, to learn about the wide variety of cultural experiences and opportunities students have access to within IFSA Latin America and Caribbean programs! Resident staff will talk through what a typical week can look like for an IFSA student at each IFSA site within this region. Our team will share details about language, food, housing, academics, student support, health and safety, and more! This session is for advisors looking for a taste of all the variety and different cultural experiences IFSA programs within Latin America and the Caribbean have to offer.
IFSA LIFE: UK
Join Terence Coetzee, Director of England and Wales Programmes and Operations, and Kevin McNamara, Manager of Scotland Programmes and Operations, as they describe an average day in the life of an IFSA student in the UK—even though there is nothing average about an IFSA study abroad experience! The variety of options in the UK give your students the ability to find precisely what they are looking for in a study abroad experience. Learn key details about IFSA staffing, housing options, academics, student support, health, and safety that students have access to during their program.
Leadership Series
LEADERSHIP SERIES: Partnering with Career Services for Enduring Impact
As education abroad providers work to cultivate the long-term impacts of study abroad, we may be overlooking an important partner. On campuses everywhere, career service centers focus on leveraging four-year degrees for professional careers. How can we team up with them to make study abroad part of this conversation? Join us for an intriguing look at how innovative efforts could help give education abroad a more integrated role in higher education outcomes. (Presenters: Godlove Fonjweng, Ph.D., Executive Director of International & Intercultural Programs, Prairie View A&M University; Joseph Catrino, Executive Director of Career & Life Design, Trinity College Connecticut; Judy Hopkins, Internship Development & Career Coach, Washington State University)
LEADERSHIP SERIES: Articulating the ROI of Education Abroad
Higher education is under increasing pressure to validate the return on investment (ROI) of a college degree. A growing body of research has shown education abroad’s relevance to the critical value higher education seeks to provide, including degree completion, deeper learning, and career readiness among others. However, most outcomes are incidental benefits for which programs were not originally designed. This discussion explores how we might demonstrate the value of studying abroad differently as we design for intentional outcomes. (Presenters: Holly Hudson, Ed.D., Texas A&M University; Gary Rhodes, Ph.D., California State University at Dominguez Hills; and Jennifer Summerhays, Trinity College-Hartford)
LEADERSHIP SERIES: Cultivating Women Leaders
This Women’s History Month, join a discussion on women’s leadership in international education. Built on a legacy of white male leadership styles, how can we leverage the strengths of women’s leadership in today’s work? From how women get started in this field to how they navigate their career journeys as they rise, this session explores how women support each other, pay equity, advocating for oneself and the role men can play in leveling the playing field. (Presenters: Lily Lopez-McGee, Ph.D., Diversity Abroad; Sarah E. Spencer, M.A., OnPoint Global Strategies & Coaching)
LEADERSHIP SERIES: A Paradigm Shift in Study Abroad Advising Structures
As champions of education abroad we endeavor to help students find the program that best meets their goals, and our advising structures play a key role in our efforts. Should advising be organized by program location, academic major, type of program, or something else? How are campuses approaching advising given pandemic staff cuts or consolidated budgets? Presenters will host an interactive discussion on the pros and cons of different advising structures and offer advice for campuses considering a switch. (Presenters: Mandy Brookins, Depauw University; Dongming De Angelis, Rice University; and Andra Jaques, University of California—San Diego)
LEADERSHIP SERIES: The Sustainability of our Practices
This moderated panel discussion explores the sustainability of our practices, a provocative and dynamic topic for our field as we address ongoing global challenges and consider the alignment of our work with our values. This webinar interrogates some of the long-term practices of our field like paper-based advising materials, in-person student events versus remote/asynchronous options, evolving partnership strategies, flights and carbon production and impact on local host country communities. Join us for a robust discussion on how we as a field can address the fact that our work is inherently resource heavy and put forward ideas to reconsider our longstanding practices.
LEADERSHIP SERIES: Redesigning Education Abroad for Inclusive Excellence
This webinar launches the You Belong Here Series, a monthly discussion exploring critical topics to fulfill the promise of inclusion in education abroad. Based on the forthcoming book A House Where All Belong: Redesigning Education Abroad for Inclusive Excellence (The Forum on Education Abroad, 2021), presenters will foster a discussion on why the field has not achieved better outcomes on achieving inclusion in education abroad. The two editors of the book and the principle architect of the concept Inclusive Excellence come together for a powerful discussion on our field’s most critical work. (Presenters: Alma Clayton-Pedersen, Ph.D., Emeritus Consulting Group; Nick Gozik, Ph.D., Elon University; and Heather Barclay Hamir, Ph.D., IFSA President & CEO)
LEADERSHIP SERIES: The Future of Nontraditional Locations
Study abroad programming in nontraditional locations holds value for a wide range of stakeholders both in the U.S. and in host communities, yet the pandemic has left some programs vulnerable. While IFSA maintains its commitment to programming in non-traditional locations, the ripple effect of other closures could undermine our collective access to non-traditional perspectives and intercultural exchange. This discussion examines the importance of study abroad programming in nontraditional locations to our future. (Presenters: Nicole Desjardins Gowdy, Director of Study Abroad at Pomona College, and Heather Thompson, Director of Education Abroad at the University of Texas at Austin)
LEADERSHIP SERIES: Reviewing Your Institution’s Approved Program List
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, study abroad leaders at US institutions are taking a closer look at their list of approved programs. From location, to risk mitigation, to addressing systemic racism to overall costs, there are so many factors to consider. Join members of IFSA’s NAC Executive Committee to discuss this timely and complex topic. (Presenters: Martha Johnson, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, and Cori Filson, Skidmore College)
LEADERSHIP SERIES: Pandemic-Era Practices with Staying Power
The pandemic has brought about many creative solutions to advising, partner meetings, conferences and fairs that were traditionally held in-person. The sudden transition to virtual created challenges, yet some education abroad offices have also found unexpected benefits with virtual advising and events. What will best serve our students and offices in the future? Join us as we explore what pandemic-era practices can be retained and what should shift as we look towards a new normal in education abroad. (Presenters: Sue Mennicke, Associate Dean for International Programs at Franklin & Marshall College, and Alisha Cardwell, Director of Study Abroad at Brandeis University)
You Belong Here Series
YOU BELONG HERE: What We Can Learn from HBCUs
The first IFSA You Belong Here Series event of 2022 examines successful approaches of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in education abroad. Drawing from ideas highlighted in the forthcoming book The Half Yet to Be Told: Study Abroad and HBCUs edited by Andre Stevenson and Keshia Abraham, this discussion goes beyond eliminating barriers and takes a page from the experts on leveraging strength-based approaches to serving Black students for extraordinary outcomes. (Presenters: Keshia Abraham, Ph.D., The Abraham Consulting Agency; Marisa Gray, Morgan State University)
YOU BELONG HERE: Advancing Inclusive Practices through Appreciative Advising
The next edition of the IFSA You Belong Here Series explores inclusive practices within an established model of appreciative advising. Inclusion begins from our first engagement with students. Appreciative advising provides a framework to engage all students around their strengths, meeting them where they are and building trust early in the advising process. Based on a chapter in the forthcoming book, A House Where All Belong: Redesigning Education Abroad for Inclusive Excellence (The Forum on Education Abroad, 2021), this session highlights practical examples of how practitioners can implement appreciative advising techniques in their student support strategies, transforming the advising experience for students and advisors. (Presenters: Opal Leeman Bartzis, Ed.D., Michigan State University; Diana Arízaga, IFSA Regional Director for Latin America)
YOU BELONG HERE: Inclusive Faculty-lead Program Design
The next installment of the IFSA You Belong Here Series is dedicated to exploring how to create a sense of belonging for students and advance inclusion through faculty-led program design. With a majority of study abroad students participating on short-term programming each year, this work is more critical than ever. From addressing intragroup dynamics to key program elements like excursions and extracurriculars, presenters and participants alike will have the opportunity to share tactics and strategies to move us toward a more inclusive norm. (Presenters: LaNitra Berger, Ph.D., Senior Director of Fellowships at George Mason University; Danny Gibbons, Resident Director for Peru, IFSA)
YOU BELONG HERE: Applications as Tools for Inclusion
Application processes and policies often create unintended barriers for students in the beginning stages of the study abroad cycle. Based on the chapter Dismantling Exclusive Practices: Applications as Tools for Inclusion in the forthcoming book, A House Where All Belong: Redesigning Education Abroad for Inclusive Excellence (The Forum on Education Abroad, 2021), the presenters will highlight practices which are often exclusionary, building awareness and offering alternative ideas and strategies for study abroad practitioners who support students in the planning stages of an education abroad experience. (Presenters: Jeremy Gombin-Sperling, Fulbright Diversity & Inclusion Liaison Western Hemisphere Programs/Ph.D. Candidate at University of Maryland; Qimmah Najeeullah, Director of Programming & Training at Peace Corps Malawi/Ph.D. Student at University of Maryland; Taylor Woodman, Ph.D., Internationalization Specialist and Affiliate Assistant Professor of International Education Policy, University of Maryland)
YOU BELONG HERE: Fostering Inclusion through Organizational Culture and Hiring Practices
The second installment of the You Belong Here Series discusses how our ability to be inclusive is only as strong as our own capacity to be nimble organizations, where an inclusive organizational culture shapes priorities, hiring practices, policies and behavior. Based on the chapter Inclusion Begins with Us: Developing Inclusive Organizational Cultures and Hiring Practices in the forthcoming book, A House Where All Belong: Redesigning Education Abroad for Inclusive Excellence (The Forum on Education Abroad, 2021), this session dives into the internal, reflective work necessary to address implicit biases that negatively impact inclusivity within organizational cultures and covers strategies for recruiting, onboarding, and retaining diverse talent. (Presenters: Aileen Bumphus, Ph.D., the University of Texas at Austin; Patricia Izek, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Heather Barclay Hamir, Ph.D., IFSA)
YOU BELONG HERE: Designing Programs to Make Good on the Promise of Belonging
This webinar makes the case for designing equity-minded education abroad programs intentionally to foster inclusive excellence and belonging. Presenters share research highlights, model practices, and a design process. The webinar is informed by the chapter Equity-Minded Program Design for Inclusive Excellence from the forthcoming book A House Where All Belong: Redesigning Education Abroad for Inclusive Excellence (The Forum on Education Abroad, 2021). This discussion offers a program design model aligned with The Forum on Education Abroad Standards of Good Practice related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. (Presenters: David Wick, Ed.D., Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey; JoAnn Doll, Prestigious Awards & Education Abroad Assistant Coordinator at East Tennessee State University; Alexandra Ramos Lopez, MIIS Alumna; Anna Mei Gubbins, MIIS Student; Hayley Singleton, MIIS Student)