Due to COVID 19, students all over the world have not been able to travel abroad and may not be able to for some time. In an effort to bring the world to our students and to facilitate the internationalization effort at ATU, the Study Abroad Office has helped ATU faculty members, faculty members at partner universities, and specialists abroad come together for a variety of virtual collaborations. These include guest lectures, collaborative webinars, interactive workshops, and cooperative curricular/co-curricular activities among students.
We are grateful to the faculty members from every college at ATU who have committed to be part of this exciting international experience for our students. Below are the collaborations for the Fall 2020 semester:
Cultural Language Exchange - Spanish
Mrs. Patricia Joselin Dr. Gloria Vicens
Mrs. Patricia Joselin, ATU English and World Languages Department, and Dr. Gloria
Matanzo, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico, organized a cultural language
exchange. During the dynamic exchange, students from both universities shared similarities
and differences of Hispanic countries in terms of both culture and traditions. Students
engaged in lively conversations over Zoom in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. More
Cultural Exchanges are planned for the spring semester.
International Guest Lecture - Emergency Management
Mr. Christopher Sheach Ms. Alex Valoroso
Mr. Christopher Sheach, ATU Department of Emergency Management, invited Ms. Alex Valorosa, a Gender and Disaster Management Specialist from British Columbia, Canada, to present a guest lecture for his Emergency Management class. The lecture, titled “Intersectional Approach to Disaster and Emergency Management,” took place on October 23. The guest lecture used the Webex platform. Mr. Sheach is planning to offer another international guest lecture in the spring semester.
International Virtual Ensemble - Music
Dr. Sean Reed Mr. Berthold Moeller
This exciting collaboration between Dr. Sean Reed, ATU Music Department, and Berthold Möller, Justus-Liebig Universität in Giessen, Germany, grew out of one of ATU’s faculty–led study abroad trips to Germany, during which a group of ATU music students worked with students at the Justus-Liebig University’s music institute. After COVID shut down university study abroad trips this year, a virtual interactive “co-teaching” workshop was initiated. The virtual interactive workshops began on October 27 and will continue until the end of the fall semester. Students from both universities create and play music together, virtually. Web-Ex Teams is used in this collaboration.
International Guest lecture Exchange - Business
Dr. Matt Brown Dr. Benjamin Löhr
Dr. Matt Brown, ATU College of Business will engage in a guest lecture exchange with Dr. Benjamin Löhr, Business School of the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) in Giessen, Germany.
1) A comparison of corporate cultures: What is it like to work in the field of data analysis for Arkansas’ two largest companies? —Dr. Matt Brown, ATU Business
2) Process standardization within LSG Groups—How the biggest airline catering company is
mastering global complexity. —Guest speaker, Mr. Aslam Khadaroo, arranged by Dr. Benjamin Löhr.
ATU students can study abroad at THM and complete internships at a company in Germany in the fields of Business, Computer Science, and Engineering.
Even though our students cannot go out into the world, we are bringing the world to our students.
Due to COVID 19, students all over the world have not been able to travel abroad and may not be able to for some time. In an effort to bring the world to our students and to facilitate the internationalization effort at ATU, the Study Abroad Office has helped ATU faculty members, faculty members at partner universities, and specialists abroad come together for a variety of virtual collaborations. These include guest lectures, collaborative webinars, interactive workshops, and cooperative curricular/co-curricular activities among students.
We are grateful to the faculty members from every college at ATU who have committed to be part of this exciting international experience for our students. Below are the collaborations for 2021:
Ms. Judith Apio Dr. Melissa Darnell
Dr. Melissa Darnell, Department of Nursing, ATU, and Ms. Judith Apio, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Clarke International University in Uganda, are engaging in a guest lecture exchange on the topics of medications and patient care practices with specific focus on obstetrical, pediatric, and surgical patients in the United States and Uganda. This exciting exchange began in December of 2020, and will continue for the spring 2021 semester.
Dr. Raymond Siebetcheu Dr. Paola Gemme
Dr. Paola Gemme, Department of English and World Languages, ATU, and Dr. Raymond Siebetcheu, University for Foreigners of Siena in Italy collaborated on a guest lecture exchange focused on Teaching English to Speakers of Other languages (TESOL).
Dr. Gemme presented her lecture in December 2020, with the title: "The Education of Emergent Bilinguals in the US Public School System."
Dr. Siebetcheu will present his lecture, “Intercultural Communication in Education, ” in January 2021.
Dr. David Blanks
Dr. David Blanks, Department of History, ATU, was invited to present in the Explore your World lecture series developed by the Office of International Affairs at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. The Spring 2021 series is a partnership with the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón Office of International and Interuniversity Relations, Office of International Affairs at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and the Study Abroad Office at Arkansas Tech University.
Dr. Blanks will share his own experiences in Egypt during the Egyptian Revolution in a lecture titled: The Arab Spring and the Egyptian Revolution (2011-2015): An Eyewitness Account
Dr. Yasushi Onodera Dr. Guolin Yi
This faculty education program will focus on learning ways to incorporate the Council of Foreign Relations’ World 101 comprehensive teaching resources in both curricular and co-curricular activities.
Mr. Yasushi Onodera: Associate Dean for International and Multicultural Student Services at ATU, will present how he used World 101 for the Global Connect program as a co-curricular activity for international education.
Dr. Guolin Yi: Professor of History in the Department of History and Political Science at ATU, will lead a discussion on how he incorporated World 101 in his World History Survey course.
Dr. Lynda Franco Dr. ChihHsin Hsu Dr. Paola Gemme
ATU Department of English and World Languages in cooperation with the Austrian-American Educational Cooperation Association (AAECA) is presenting a TESOL workshop for K-12 English language teachers in Austria, called the English Language Educators’ Collective. ATU has collaborated with the AAECA previously on other endeavors, such as the STARS program where student teachers from ATU have the opportunity to teach English to elementary and middle school students in Austria.
The workshops will take place on the following dates: Workshops have been postponed, due to closing of schools in Austria in April (COVID-19)
Dr. Lynda Franco, TBD, Topic: Three Principles that Enhance English Language Learning
Dr. ChihHsin Hsu, TBD, Topic: Intercultural Communicative Competence
Dr. Paola Gemme, Tuesday, TBD, Topic: Extensive Reading in an EFL Setting: The Why and the How
Dr. Ursula Chandler, Wednesday, TBD Topic: The Impact of Micro-aggression on Minority/Marginalized Individuals and Groups
International Guest lecture Exchange - Business
Dr. Matt Brown Dr. Benjamin Löhr
Dr. Matt Brown, ATU College of Business will engage in a guest lecture exchange with Dr. Benjamin Löhr, Business School of the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) in Giessen, Germany.
Dr. Benjamin Löhr has arranged two speakers in the field of finance and business:
1.) Dr. Sebastian Wolf, Topic: Strategic Portfolio Management @ Adhesive Technologies.
Date: November 18th @ 8:45 A.M.
Zoom Link:
2.) Arne Rosenkranz, Topic: Challenges and strategy of Jungheinrich UK in a post-BREXIT world.
Date: November 22nd @ 7 A.M.
Zoom Link: https://thm-de.zoom.us/j/84984374872?pwd=OSs3WDEzTHJKRkRJb3pQQ1FuUlIzUT09
ATU students can study abroad at THM and complete internships at a company in Germany in the fields of Business, Computer Science, and Engineering.
Due to COVID 19, students all over the world have not been able to travel abroad and may not be able to for some time. In an effort to bring the world to our students and to facilitate the internationalization effort at ATU, the Study Abroad Office has helped ATU faculty members, faculty members at partner universities, and specialists abroad come together for a variety of virtual collaborations. These include guest lectures, collaborative webinars, interactive workshops, and cooperative curricular/co-curricular activities among students.
We are grateful to the faculty members from every college at ATU who have committed to be part of this exciting international experience for our students. Below are the collaborations for 2022:
Dr. Matthew Mbanga Dr. Bryan Rank
Dr. Bryan Rank, ATU Department of Agriculture, will engage in a guest lecture by Dr. Matthew Mbanga of EDU Africa.
Title: Sustainable Food Systems
This program engages students with the principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which are transforming the world’s food system from
the ground up and nature-based solutions to sustainability.
Date: February 9, 2022 at 9 A.M. - 1 P.M.
Dr. Paola Gemme
Title: Global Englishes: An Overview of the Field and Its Pedagogical Implications
Location: Universidad del Valle, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Date: June 2022
Dr. Paola Gemme gave a guest lecture at the Universidad Del Valle, in Guatemala City, Guatemala to students and faculty about Global Englishes and its pedagogical implications on the field.
Comparing K-12 School Experiences from Around the World
Tami Brewster Dr. Theresa Cullen
Dr. Theresa Cullen, College of Education and Health, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, has organized this international lecture series on K-12 education with educators from across the world.
Lecture One: Montréal, Canada
Tami Brewster is a passionate elementary educator, Apple Teacher and Apple Distinguished Educator from Montréal, Canada. Realizing that her students need to understand the world they interact with, Tami works to develop a learning environment to best meet the varied needs of her learners. She strives to make learning interesting, attainable, and enjoyable for her students. She feels strongly about the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom, and says that as a teacher she needs to model taking risks and trying new things.
Date: September 19th, 2022 at 4 P.M.
Presentation link:
Comparing K-12 School Experiences from Around the World
Bronwyn Desjardins Dr. Theresa Cullen
Dr. Theresa Cullen, College of Education and Health, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, has organized this international lecture series on K-12 education with educators from across the world.
Lecture Two: South Africa and Mauritius
Bronwyn Desjardins is an ADE and an APLS with over 22 years teaching experience. She spearheaded a 1:1 iPad rollout at an elite, high-performing school in South Africa where she ran a comprehensive approach to integrating technology in education. She is an award winning educator and a published author who regularly presents at EdTech events both nationally and internationally. Her depth of systems administration knowledge coupled with her passion for EdTech, make her skill set unique in its comprehensiveness when advising schools, staff and students.
Date: October 20th, 2022 at 9 A.M.
Presentation link:
Comparing K-12 School Experiences from Around the World
Xela McArthur Dr. Theresa Cullen
Dr. Theresa Cullen, College of Education and Health, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, has organized this international lecture series on K-12 education with educators from across the world.
Xela McArthur is a 1st grade teacher in Russellville, Arkansas. She has worked in the field of education for over twenty years. Xela started her career working with deaf students and loves to use sign language in her teaching. She has also worked as a long-term substitute teacher, an instructional aide, and co-administrator for one of the largest after school programs in Las Vegas, Nevada. Xela has an ESL endorsement and recently added a virtual teaching endorsement.
Lecture Three: United States
Date: November 3rd, 2022 at 4 P.M.
Zoom Recording:
Due to COVID 19, students all over the world have not been able to travel abroad and may not be able to for some time. In an effort to bring the world to our students and to facilitate the internationalization effort at ATU, the Study Abroad Office has helped ATU faculty members, faculty members at partner universities, and specialists abroad come together for a variety of virtual collaborations. These include guest lectures, collaborative webinars, interactive workshops, and cooperative curricular/co-curricular activities among students.
We are grateful to the faculty members from every college at ATU who have committed to be part of this exciting international experience for our students. Below are the collaborations for 2023:
Comparing K-12 School Experiences from Around the World
Hari Krishna Patcharu Dr. Theresa Cullen
Dr. Theresa Cullen, College of Education and Health, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, has organized this international lecture series on K-12 education with educators from across the world.
Lecture Four: Ilavaram, India
Hari Krishna Patcharu is an English teacher in a public school in Ilavaram, India. He has completed 15 years of service. He is always exploring different ways to teach innovatively. He provides opportunities for his students to think creatively. By teaching students to be innovative problem solvers it allows them to become global citizens. His students connect with many different teachers and students from all over the globe virtually to improve their English and develop strong communication skills. His students also exchange pen pal letters with students from 12 other countries. His goal is to work diligently for the betterment of his students.
Date: January 26th, 2023 at 9 A.M.
Presentation link:
Comparing K-12 School Experiences from Around the World
Pavlina Checcacci Tina Blasi Dr. Theresa Cullen
Dr. Theresa Cullen, College of Education and Health, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, has organized this international lecture series on K-12 education with educators from across the world.
Lecture Five: Italy
Tina Blasi is a primary school teacher of children aged six to ten. After receiving her qualification, she has worked in public and private schools since. She has deep knowledge of the Italian educational system and has always been interested in implementing new educational methods.
Pavlina Checcacci is an English language and Clil teacher who graduated from Charles University in Prague, majoring in Pedagogy (Education). After spending many years abroad, she moved to Italy, where she teaches English to primary school children and prepares them for Cambridge English certificate tests of various levels.
Date: March 7th, 2023 at 10 a.m.
Presentation link: