Purdue faculty, staff, and graduate assistants, who are--or are soon to be*--Qualified Administrator's of the IDI are eligible to receive additional training through CILMAR to become Intercultural Mentors for Purdue students enrolled in courses for the Semester Abroad in Intercultural Learning (SAIL) Scholarship program. These courses are almost entirely online and offered during the student's semester abroad.
In the semester prior to mentoring, new mentors take part in a 4-part intensive training course on Blackboard Learn. This training simulates the weekly assignments and discussions that the SAIL students experience. Trainees are themselves mentored in the process of facilitating the course, the key concepts of mentoring best practices, as well as pedagogical analysis of curriculum and student learning.
Prior to departure, students are paired with an Intercultural Mentor, who administers their individual IDI debrief. In addition to the IDI debriefing, mentors and students are given the opportunity to meet face-to-face during a pre-departure orientation meeting. Shortly after arriving in-country, students begin coursework that requires them to complete weekly assignments due each Saturday, followed by a back-and-forth conversation via discussion boards within the Blackboard Learn course page. The mentor provides feedback using the Challenge and Support approach and tailors the mentoring to the student's intercultural developmental orientation.
*Applicants who have yet to receive the IDI training will be approved on a case-by-case basis.