Expert on study abroad to speak on how students learn

April 7, 2015  


Michael Vande Berg

Michael Vande Berg 
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Michael Vande Berg, a leading researcher and educator in cross-cultural learning, including study abroad, will speak April 22 on how students develop intercultural understanding. The talk, at 7 to 8:30 p.m., is designed for faculty and staff.

Vande Berg is now principal at MVB Associates and formerly was vice president for academic affairs at the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). He will use the Georgetown Consortium Study, which he led, to consider "Student Learning Abroad: Three Stories We Tell" -- the dominant narratives for teaching and learning away from home. The event will be in Krannert Building, Krannert Auditorium (Room 140).

While examining the narratives, Vande Berg will discuss two insights, that students "construct" a world as their experience widens rather than receiving an imprint of new environments, and that for students' benefit in that process, educators need to play an intentional and strategic role in students' learning. Thus the presentation has a purpose-focused secondary title, "Helping Our Students Learn Through Crossing Cultural Boundaries."

In other leadership roles in places where international education was a strong focus, Vande Berg has been director of international programs at Georgetown University, dean of study abroad at the School for International Training, director of Kalamazoo College's International Center, and English Department chair at el Instituto Internacional in Madrid, Spain.

Vande Berg, a seasoned workshop leader and speaker, was lead editor of 2012's "Student Learning Abroad: What Our Students Are Learning, What They're Not, and What We Can Do About It" and has numerous other publications. He is a senior faculty member of the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC) and a founding board member of the Forum on Education Abroad. He has received awards for his contributions to knowledge of and advocacy for study abroad.

Vande Berg's talk is presented by Purdue's Center for Instructional Excellence and Purdue's International Programs office. While at Purdue, Vande Berg also will lead an invitation-only train-the-trainer workshop April 23-24. 

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