VCC International

Student Volunteers Needed for Russia House at Science World during Olympics-NOW CLOSED!

Nadina Dodd, Marketing Manager, VCC International — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:08:40 +0000

Volunteers for Russia House during the Vancouver Olympic & Paralympic Games are needed in the following areas:

*   Accreditation (preparing entry passes)
*   Accreditation checking
*   Information desk
*   Parking
*   Office support
*   IT support
*   Warehouse operation

Russian language skills are not required but would be helpful.

Approximately 30 volunteers are needed for shifts between 12:00pm - 5:00pm and 8:00pm - 2:00am. Each evening there is a program of cultural (and culinary) events! The HR Director will hold interviews - and assign placements - on February 7th at either the Fairmont Hotel or at Science World.

Interested students should contact: (sorry, this opportunity is now closed!)
Susan Watson at Capilano University
susanwatsoncapilano@gmail.com
tel: 604 612 8134

VCC Instructors in Tanzania

Nadina Dodd, Marketing Manager, VCC International — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:54:41 +0000

January 2010 - Laurie Gould and Rene Merkel, Instructors, Basic Education Department, VCC

^{In August 2009 we attended the 6th Annual Pan-African Reading for all Conference in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. In addition to participating in a diverse selection of workshops, we presented a display of popular Canadian adult literacy materials, and in particular, curriculum, assessment and instructional materials developed in the Basic Education Department and in other departments of VCC. Organizers allocated us a full day session and conference participants viewed our display throughout the day. This enabled us to discuss VCC’s adult literacy practices and resources with Tanzanian university professors and recent graduates from the University of Dar Es Salaam’s School of Education, and with a wide range of literacy practitioners from throughout Africa, the UK, US, Australia and Canada. People remarked on the high quality of the materials and on Canada’s dedication to programs and materials designed especially for adults. In African countries, adult education is generally not recognized as a separate field. However, we heard about a few programs offered in villages to enhance economic development and improve health conditions. We also learned that in public elementary and secondary schools there are often close to 100 children in a classroom with meagre resources available. We had the opportunity to visit a northern rural Maasai elementary school where we distributed a large suitcase full of books donated by our friends and colleagues. Stella, the grateful head teacher, told us that many of the children walk for up to 4 hours to get to school and are often kept at home to take care of the cattle. She told us that Maasai boys often marry young so that their wives can take care of the cattle while they attend school. Water was scarce at the school and had to be trucked in. On the children’s desks we saw stamped “donated by World Vision.” We also found out the Tanzanian students spend their elementary years studying primarily in Swahili, which is often not their mother tongue, and their high school years studying primarily in English. We now understand why many of our African students speak English quite fluently when we assess them in the Basic Education Department at VCC. The unique challenges of teaching, and for that matter learning, in Tanzania made us grateful for the opportunities teachers in Canada enjoy!}

International Education - a US perspective that echoes our own

Nadina Dodd, Marketing Manager, VCC International — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:38:44 +0000

International Education and Workforce Development in a Time of Economic Crisis - an intersting speech by Chancellor Jack Scott at the NAFSA National Conference in Los Angeles. Read further to learn more about international education in a Community College environment.

Canada-CARICOM Virtual University Scholarship Program (CCVUSP)

Nadina Dodd, Marketing Manager, VCC International — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:22:18 +0000

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) is seeking applications for the Canada-CARICOM Virtual University Scholarship Program (CCVUSP). The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) will deliver the program on behalf of DFAIT, in cooperation with Canadian Virtual University (CVU).

The CCVUSP will offer selected certificate programs, delivered entirely at a distance, to learners from CARICOM countries. The program will provide access to post-secondary education for new groups of individuals for whom full-time university studies or travel abroad may be unrealistic, such as women with family obligations, employed professionals seeking to upgrade their qualifications or young adults wishing to better position themselves for the labour market. The program will provide Canadian certificates, awarded by Canadian institutions. However, it will not displace individuals, who will study in their home country, nor does it duplicate programs available from local providers.

The programs available are:

1. University Certificate in Counseling Women
2. Certificate in Health, Safety, and Environmental Processes
3. Certificate in Information Technology
4. Certificate in Computing and Information Systems
5. Diploma in Technology and Entrepreneurship

Scholarship applications and required supporting documents are accepted at any time from December 4, 2009 to January 15, 2010.

Detailed information is available at scholarships.gc.ca and is mirrored on the CVU web site at cvu-uvc.ca which links to the universities offering the programs available under CCVUSP.

VCC International Newsletter 2009

Nadina Dodd, Marketing Manager, VCC International — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:06:51 +0000

November 19, 2009 - Read the annual VCC International Newsletter, 2009!

Zoran

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:10:34 +0000

Gareena

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:15:17 +0000

San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico – October 5, 2007

Nadina Dodd, Marketing Manager, VCC International — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:01:45 +0000

VCC International is pleased to announce the signing of an important Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CESUES University in the Northwestern State of Sonora, Mexico.

Marketing Manager of VCC International, Nadina Dodd, recently travelled to this state during which time she was involved in presentations at CESUES and public relations activities with both state and local media. She was thrilled to be participating in the formal signing ceremony of such an important agreement together with the General Director of CESUES, Mr. Francisco Carlos Silva Toledo, and the Minister of Education and Culture, Mr. Arnoldo Soto Soto.

During the ceremony speeches, Nadina spoke of the importance of having international experience: “whilst travelling and learning about other cultures and customs we are often faced with challenges because of the new and unique experiences it brings – this opens our eyes and gives us a different perspective on the world which enriches both our personal and professional life. Also - having international experience and speaking another language gives one a competitive advantage in this globally interdependent world.”

At present, top performing students of CESUES receive a scholarship every year from their university which allows them to experience Canada during a five-week English Language and Culture program at Vancouver Community College. This agreement outlines this opportunity but also further solidifies the collaboration of both institutions in the development of other educational programs and projects for both students and faculty in Vancouver and Mexico. The development of such international opportunities is an exciting part of VCC’s plan to “internationalize” the campus and this partnership comes as a welcome addition to one of the many projects abroad that are in the works at VCC International.

VCC Department Head Visits China

Nadina Dodd, Marketing Manager, VCC International — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:54:30 +0000

Vancouver Community College (VCC), April 16 - Jason Devisser, Department Head of VCC’s Automotive Technician Service program, never dreamed of setting foot in China. But when VCC International presented him with a professional development opportunity to assess the AST Training program at a Vocational Training Institute in that part of the world he leaped!

The Suzhou Vocational School of Information Technology (SVSIT) The Institute, located in Suzhou, South China, visited VCC in December 2008 to tour VCC’s Centre for Transportation Trades and discuss a potential partnership. They were looking to establish an AST college program that would begin in China and provide an opportunity for their students to complete further studies in Canada.

During his week with the Institute’s officials, Jason - along with Mario Trettenero, Department Head of Automotive Collision Repair & Refinishing and Sik On Hon, Project & Recruitment Manager of VCC International - describes how they were all treated like kings: “Our hosts were so gracious and totally went overboard with their hospitality….they placed a lot of emphasis on relationship-building and impressed us in many ways.”

Jason articulates that from an automotive training perspective things are done very differently in China. He can see where VCC and our Canadian standards could benefit Chinese students, the Chinese Institute and the automotive industry in China. Canadian automotive trades training standards are considered to be the highest standards worldwide and VCC recognizes the great opportunity to lead the way in such a significant project.

VCC is excited about the benefits to both the college and industry which could possibly include the potential:

to create international experience opportunities for VCC faculty
for new program development
for an international project for the AST department
for new source of revenue for VCC
to bridge the skills shortage in BC/Canada

And for Jason, who has not travelled extensively abroad, going to China was an eye-opener. The most valuable lesson he took away from this international PD experience was the importance of being aware and appreciative of other cultures. “We need to broaden our horizons and understand different cultures and personalities. We also have to learn how to interact with people of different backgrounds and suspend judgement.”

Jason definitely recommends other faculty explore options for international professional development as a means of opening one’s eyes and creating opportunities; but he also recommends doing lots of research prior to departure in order to make the most of the experience.

April 17, 2009 - International Collaboration of Educational Departments: Vancouver Community College (VCC) & Miyagi Advanced Dental Hygienist College (MADH)

Nadina Dodd, Marketing Manager, VCC International — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:28:10 +0000

Every year for the past five years Vancouver Community College’s Dental Hygiene Department has hosted students, faculty and administrative staff from Miyagi Advanced Dental Hygienist College in Japan (MADH) for an educational and professional development event. In March 2009, fifty Japanese and Canadian Dental Hygiene faculty, students and staff met to share clinical project presentations and discuss Dental Hygiene best practices.

Furthermore, over the last three years, eight VCC Dental Hygiene students have visited MADH in Japan to gather information regarding their Dental Hygiene program and practices as well as to explore Japanese culture.

This significant collaboration has fostered productive faculty to faculty relationships that have resulted in the following sharing of curriculum, collaborative research, joint publications and presentations at international conferences:

International Federation of Dental Hygienists Symposium (IFDHS),Toronto, Canada, July 2007 - Ginny Cathcart, BA, Dip. DH, M. Ed, RDH, Department Head of VCC Dental Hygiene, and Yoko Sato, MADH faculty and World Dental Hygiene award-winner, gave an “International Panel Presentation” - the presentation showcased the VCC-MADH exchanges and collaborations and exhibited a poster presentation on the VCC Dental Hygiene Department’s new on-line dental hygiene program with VCC instructors.
Published article: International Journal of Dental Hygiene, May/August 2007 issue - “Application of the Dental Hygiene Human Needs Conceptual Model and the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life Model to the Dental Hygiene Curriculum in Japan” by Yoko Sato, Atsushi Saito, Ai Nakamura-Miura, Emiko Kato & Ginny Cathcart.
Published Book: Ishiyaku Publishers, 2006 - “Dental Hygiene Process of Care” - the first original Dental Hygiene textbook ever written in Japan. Other texts are US translations. Ginny Cathcart is one of the very first authors of the process of care book in Japan. Co-authors are Dr Atsushi Saito and Yoko Sato. All royalties received by Ginny Cathcart will be donated to the VCC students Travel Abroad Award.
Learning Climate Research: 2004-2009 - both the VCC Dental Hygiene Department and MADH have surveyed and reported on the learning climates at each college. An intercultural research paper with the data has been submitted for peer review pending further publication. The study looks at each institutional ethos and how each institution measures up as a learning organization within it’s respective communities.

From an international perspective, this venture has been a true example of a department-wide internationalization initiative and has won a BCCIE (British Columbia Council for International Education) internationalization award in addition to being featured in many journals and conferences as an international education model in a non-traditional field.