Educational Systems of the World
The DCCL program gets immersed in international education
By Katelyn Crain
Communications Specialist
Visiting another country may appear to be a vacation, but for students in Ferris’ Doctorate of Community College Leadership program who traveled to Russia in February,
the focus was far from just a cultural tour.
For more than a week, 11 students and three Ferris faculty members met with Russian leaders and faculty in Russian colleges to learn about approaches, issues and successes relating to the educational system. From in-depth, translated discussions to classroom visits and interactions with students, the goal was to compare and contrast the educational systems relating to occupational approaches, college readiness and college-level achievement benchmarks.
“Offering this opportunity to its DCCL students told me that FSU values not only great classroom content and instructors, but also the chance for its students to stretch themselves and engage with the world in new ways,” said Kimberlee Andrews-Bingham, coordinator of lifelong learning, Kellogg Community College and one of the DCCL students who participated in the trip. “How can we, as community college educators, prepare our students for their future world if we are not willing to fully engage in our own when incredible opportunities like this are presented? Immersing myself in Russia’s culture and educational system alongside my fellow cohort members was a once in a lifetime experience, and one I will carry with me into my future as a community college leader.”
The opportunity for DCCL students to travel internationally
was introduced in 2016, and is designed to teach DCCL students,
all of whom are leaders at individual institutions, about other
nations’ educational systems. Roberta Teahen, Ferris DCCL director and associate provost, developed the international component after she had her own international experience while working as a community college administrator.
“I came back from my German experience, having visited many
K-12 schools and universities, as well as leading industries that embraced the apprenticeship models, saying that I would never view my work the same again,” said Teahen. “As ours has become a more connected and interdependent world, the need for higher education leaders to be comfortable with different cultural norms and practices is vitally important. While we can all read about how others operate or what philosophies of learning, as one example, others may embrace, there is really no substitute for gaining first-hand experience.”
The trip to Russia was the second trip taken as part of the program’s international component. Last year, students visited China. To prepare for these unique experiences, students complete research on the country and discuss findings and expectations with classmates. Further, students prepare presentations for the host institutions, and following the trip, have projects that require reflections and provide a method of bringing insights back to home institutions.
“In order for the U.S. to move forward, at times we must compare ourselves with other countries,” said Tina Hummons, registrar
at Sinclair Community College and one of the DCCL students
who participated in the trip. “I think the international trip allowed
me to view the great things the U.S. has implemented for students, but the trip helped prepare me to see things from different lenses.
My decision to participate in the option for the international component wasn’t to see how I could further my career, but to educate myself on what we can do better to advance U.S. students
to their full potential.”
An international component was added to Ferris’ Doctorate of Community College Leadership program in 2016, with an intent to provide DCCL students the opportunity to learn about other nations’ educational systems. Students engaged in discussions with educational leaders from host countries, visited classrooms, interacted with students and experienced different cultures. The DCCL’s first-ever international trip was to China. This year, students in the program visited Russia.