Category: Global Matters
Global Programs Tapped by U.S. State Department to Deliver Online Course for UN Peacekeeping Operations in Nepal
During the 2019 spring and summer semesters, Boston University Global Programs received a grant of $30,000 to work with the U.S. Department of State and key members of the Nepal Army to create and launch a first-of-its-kind fully online English course to support international peacekeeping. The course – English for Peacekeeping Operations – was developed to improve the English reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills of Nepal’s security forces as they prepare for deployment on UN missions. Developing these skills allows the participants to better communicate in English with their counterparts from other countries and write reports about their work.
An official of the U.S. State Department recognized the need for such an online course when he arrived in Nepal and spoke with the security forces there. They expressed a need for English language training because the UN uses English as the common language. Also, Nepal’s security forces are often expected to work with security forces from other countries to investigate crimes, conduct interviews, patrol areas, and work with civilians and governments to resolve issues. Because communication is at the heart of cooperation and instrumental to successful engagement in the field, effective English language skills are critical to preserving peace and security in conflict zones.
In addition to helping improve English language skills, the course aims to bridge cultural divisions among soldiers and includes cultural considerations, such as common and courteous ways to greet or approach people. Even seemingly mundane linguistic missteps can sometimes result in unnecessary conflict or misunderstandings, making both intercultural skills and solid English language skills critical.
The U.S. State Department selected BU’s Global Programs for this work, appreciating BU’s global identity and the expertise that Global Programs brings to international projects and initiatives. The project was led by Martina Mazaheri, Managing Director of CELOP, and Marisa Crowley, Global Programs Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the VP/AP, working with two CELOP faculty, Dr. Carol Pineiro and Stephanie Ngom, CELOP Educational Technologist Mitchell Wolf, and Global Support staff. Faculty and staff from the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and the ROTC, along with consultants at the Department of Defense, provided invaluable insights on the content of the course modules, which included Health & Sanitation, Patrols, Transportation & Logistics, and Incident Response. Each module of the course is multi-modal, including both print and online materials, to ensure access in remote training centers globally. The online component of the course includes 25 animated videos created in close collaboration with DL&I, which engage course participants in essential reading, listening, and speaking skills, as well as introducing and reinforcing key vocabulary for each module. The course content is available as an open educational resource, and all the videos can be found online.
The course ran as a pilot program with 25 participants in Nepal from June 20 to July 22, 2019. Results from the pilot indicate that the course was successful in meeting its goals to improve participants’ ability to use English effectively in a peacekeeping context, and the participants’ and government officials’ responses have been extremely positive. The consensus among the various stakeholders, including the Nepali Army and Peacekeepers, is that the course is engaging, student-centric, and extremely relevant for the intended audience. Based on this success, discussions are in progress to globalize the course, making it available for all peacekeeping training around the world, and expanding its use to police and other military audiences beyond the UN Peacekeepers in the future.
The work of UN Peacekeepers is complex and advances multi-dimensional mandates. According to the UN website, “UN peacekeeping helps countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace.” The UN offers unique strengths, including “legitimacy, burden sharing, and an ability to deploy troops and police from around the world, integrating them with civilian peacekeepers to address a range of mandates set by the UN Security Council and General Assembly.”
Welcome
Welcome to the newly reimagined Global Programs quarterly newsletter: Global Matters. In each issue, you will discover some of the myriad ways in which Boston University fulfills its identity as a leading global research university. Global Programs helps lead, coordinate, and support the University’s many global endeavors, and this newsletter will give you a window into education, research, and service-learning activities and initiatives that define the global BU experience. You may find study abroad profiles, international research highlights, student and faculty testimonials, data about Terriers abroad, and upcoming events and deadlines – a sample of the many initiatives led or supported by Global Programs and many others on the Charles River, Medical, and Fenway campuses that define BU’s dynamic global impact. We hope you enjoy the new format. If you have any questions, suggestions, or stories to share, please be sure to let us know at global@bu.edu.
Sincerely,
Willis G. Wang
Vice President and Associate Provost for Global Programs
Exploring Maternal and Child Health in Africa as an Undergraduate
Carolyn Hoffman’s BU Study Abroad Experience Fosters Passion for Research, Global Citizenship
Launching a research study as an undergrad can be a daunting endeavor, especially when that study is international in scope and revolves around the effects of a rebel group in power. More
BU’s International Peer Mentor Program Welcomes Mentors & Mentees for Academic Year 2019-2020
With the start of the new academic year, Global Programs is thrilled to welcome new incoming international students as well as new and returning mentors to the International Peer Mentor (IPM) Program. The IPM program – originally conceived by the Office of Orientation – “is designed to provide facilitated reflection and affinity group support for new international students, to help make sense of what they are observing and encountering in the U.S. and how they may differ from where they grew up,” according to Amanda Miller, Managing Director, Strategy and Communications, who oversees the IPMs within Global Programs.
Being an international peer mentor provides current Boston University students the opportunity to serve as part of a large support system for new international students. International peer mentors help incoming international students with their transition to living in the U.S. and being a student at BU. From answering questions, to lending a supportive ear, mentors volunteer their time to help create an inclusive community at BU.
This year we also introduced the International Peer Mentor Leader Program, through which nine former international peer mentors were selected to provide leadership and support to this year’s cohort of 124 peer mentors.
Dinithi Samarasekera (ENG ’20)
“As an international student, leaving home can be scary for a lot of people because you are leaving your culture, language, and family behind,” said International Peer Mentor Leader Dinithi Samarasekera (ENG ’20). “You’re also becoming an adult, and it can be intimidating. Having someone who you can talk to and someone who’s gone through that process is really important.”
Dinithi served as an IPM and now acts as a student leader for the program. She helps mentors if they have questions or want guidance in supporting their mentees. Dinithi also went through the program as a mentee when she was coming to BU for the first time from Singapore.
“It’s great to know that you have a support system, and the IPM program connects students to it before they even arrive in Boston,” Samarasekera said.
In addition to developing personal connections to their mentees, mentors also introduce them to resources for international students across the University, such as the Compass and First Class.
The Compass is a full suite of resources to support BU’s international community. Academic, community, housing, and career-related resources and information can be found on the Compass.
First Class is an online noncredit pre-arrival course designed to prepare incoming international students for the transition to BU and the American classroom. It is delivered on the edX platform Edge and is comprised of short videos, polls, and self-checks designed to be completed from anywhere on any device.
“It [First Class] taught me how to prepare myself for academics and social life – and vocabulary that can be really helpful, like syllabus…what it’s for and how to use it,” said Ariane Vigna (COM ‘22). “It was also helpful because it directed us to resources on campus, and it helped me transition to BU.”
These resources, in conjunction with the IPM program, aim to support students in their first year at BU and deepen connections between students from many different backgrounds and lived experiences. It also gives students who act as mentors the opportunity to grow their abilities and skills.
“It’s taught me a lot about self-confidence,” Samarasekera said. “At first, I doubted whether I could mentor people because I felt like I had just gotten here myself. I gained a lot of confidence as a mentor because I realized everything that I could share, having gone through the process of coming to BU and becoming involved in campus life.”
The IPM program also collaborates with offices across BU who regularly engage with international students, including, among many others, Residence Life, Orientation, the BU Hub, CAS Student Programs & Leadership, and the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, for both mentor trainings and best practices for supporting students.
BU Geologist Brings Undergrads on Research Trip to Indonesia
Students explore tidal flooding, ground water, coral reef health, among other issues
Dr. Magaly Koch, geologist and associate professor in the Boston University Center for Remote Sensing, recently returned from Indonesia, where she took four Boston University students and two Tufts University students to study environmental change and highly populated coastal areas. More
Global Feature
Global Feature
Global Feature
