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WISE 2012

Navigating Study Abroad: Preparing Students
for Cross-Cultural Engagement

Many international educators share a common experience: once abroad, they discover that most of their students want to meet the locals, but lack the tools to make the interactions effective. They find students remain "in the bubble" because they are often oblivious to how the local culture works, how people are expected to act, and what core values underpin those expectations. They wish they could find more and better ways to help their students interact with locals and make the most of their study abroad experiences. 

On February 10-11, 2012, Wake Forest University will host the fourth annual Workshop on Intercultural Skills Enhancement (WISE). Designed for faculty and staff who teach short- and long-term programs abroad, this practitioner's workshop features international education experts who will share insights, strategies and personal experiences about intercultural competency in practical, hands-on sessions.

This year's program will include new topics such as: 

All sessions will also include small group interaction so participants can discuss principles learned and even create sample assignments. 

The workshop will be held at Graylyn International Conference Center, just minutes from the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

Make plans today to join us for this outstanding workshop. You will leave equipped with fresh ideas and creative techniques to help your students move beyond the classroom and successfully navigate their study abroad experiences.

The cost of the workshop is $400, which includes lunch and dinner on Friday, plus coffee service and snacks. The early bird rate (register on or before November 30, 2011) is $350.

For out-of-town guests, the Workshop Plus option, which costs $490, includes all of the above plus accommodations for Friday night at Graylyn and breakfast Saturday morning. The early bird rate (register on or before November 30, 2011) is $440.

What past participants have to say

"When I first attended WISE, I was overwhelmed by how poorly prepared our students were before their full-semester study abroad programs. This workshop helped us design strategies and create a student handbook for predeparture meetings that we could implement less than a month later.

The second time I attended, I learned ways to deepen students' understanding of essential predeparture topics. Now, our predeparture meetings are a tradition for students traveling off campus and include all domestic and international trips— even alternative break service trips. Students and faculty have come to count on the information relayed in and the questions sparked by our conversations and activities. We couldn't have done it as quickly and thoroughly as we did without WISE. It is a must-attend for any experiential education practitioner or faculty leader!" -- Kelly A. Norton, Ph.D., Director, Experiential Learning, High Point University

"Attending the WISE workshop was one of the best decisions I ever made. I gained an appreciation of culture in ways that I had not tapped into before, and I have been able to incorporate what I learned in my travels around the globe and in my classroom.” -- Russell G. Brodie, Director of Global Study Abroad and International Programs, Saint Augustine's College

“The WISE Workshop was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about intercultural learning best practices. I found it useful, as an administrator, to sit in on sessions related to philosophical areas, such as how we define culture and how we adequately assess intercultural competency in students. Learning about the differing approaches of various institutions was very helpful, as we grapple with these same questions." -- Paul Paparella, Assistant Director, Global Education Office for Undergraduates, Duke University

 

Download invitation
Download PDF version of brochure

 

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