Advancing Public Education in Pakistan Through a Teacher Exchange Program in the United States

This study examined a multi-year teacher exchange program to understand its possible impact on advancing Pakistan’s public education.  A major goal of the study was to analyze how educators in the program viewed, interpreted, and could transform the new knowledge and strategies learned in the program into effective practices in their Pakistani educational settings. Data were gathered from open-ended questionnaires and focus groups discussions with 37 in-service secondary teachers who attended a 6-week professional development program in the United States. Participants indicated that low-class size, technological tools, diversity, teacher-student interactions, social and cultural practices, and classroom structures were some of the major differences between the US and Pakistan’s classrooms. Information on differences, similarities, and culturally acceptable adaptations are shared.

In-Class and Out-of-Class Experiences of International Graduate Students in the United States

This qualitative case study aims to understand participants’ perceptions of In-Class and Out-of-Class experiences of graduate students in the United States. Data were collected as part of a larger mixed-methods study involving 110 participants identified by the institution’s Center for International Education. The participants consisted of 12 graduate students enrolled in doctoral degree programs in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States who represented the following countries: Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Mexico, and China. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and coded using consensual qualitative research methodology (Hill, et al., 2005). To highlight our findings and ensure the privacy of our participants, we created three firstperson composite portraits (Rossman & Rallis, 2003). Common themes are presented with the participants’ rich descriptions. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.Key words: International students; Challenges; Benefits; Recruitment; Qualitativ

Teaching and Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from Educators Around the World

Educational institutions around the globe were considerably challenged by the unexpected health consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Schools were rapidly forced to close their doors and begin exploring alternative options to educate students. Teachers, families, and students found themselves having to navigate completely new ways of offering and accessing educational services. Educators from eight different countries share their experiences at the beginning of the Pandemic and their creative efforts to continue providing educational services to their students

Strangers in a Strange Land: How Non-Traditional International Adult Students See a United States University

Little is known about Central American adult international students' perceptions of their U.S. host institutions. This is problematic because international students' perceptions of an institution's students, faculty, facilities, and the broader social environment may shape their overall learning-abroad experience. This constructivist case study used collaborative inquiry to explore the perceptions that 20 adult international students from Central American countries had of a medium sized public university in the Rocky Mountain west. The participants actively worked to make sense of the institution during their learning-abroad experience process. They perceived that the undergraduate students and the local community possessed a mixture of values, behaviors, and self-expressions that were difficult to reconcile with their own traditions