1. QUALITY COMMUNITY SERVICE AND PRACTICAL PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: CONNECTING GLOBAL NEEDS WITH LOCAL ACTION

Location: Cultural Complex of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Room 3
Organized by:

MC.  Patricia Eugenia Campi Reyes
Psic. Verónica Arrollo Ronquillo
CP. Iris Cervantes Acosta
MC. Juan Saenz Rivera

Duration: 3.5 hours
Schedule: 8:30-12:00
Language of presentation: Spanish
Cost: $40

Social Service (SS) has strong roots in Mexican higher education, and focuses on offering services to vulnerable groups, while Professional Practice and Internships (PP) is more recent and is intended to develop competencies. Both are components of the "Minerva" University Model (strategic & philosophical foundation of the University), in which linkages with and integration within society provide spaces for learning. The approach is conceived with a global understanding but manifests itself in concrete local action. This workshop will provide serve to provide an understanding of the importance of SS and PP as means for creating linkages with and integration into the society in which a university is located which could be of similar use in other social contexts, as well as serving as means for control and decisionmaking in the process of achieving the stated goals of the SS and PP activities.

The BUAP is one of the public universities in Mexico which has an excellent academic standing and for which all academic and administrative processes have been recognized and certified (100% of its educational programs and the 14 administrative areas, among which is its Department of Social Service). In addition, BUAP's experience in the area of SS (approximately 40 years) permits us a great deal of clarity about its SS. Recently there have been intense work in the area of Practical Professional Internships. Both activities are fundamental components of the "Minerva" educational model.

Workshop contents:

PART I. Context of Social Service.

1. Brief History of Social Service in Mexico and Puebla.
2. Social Service and Practical Professional Internships in the "Minerva" university model.
   1. The conceptual framework behind linkages with society and the social integration of the university.
   2. The Integration Approach: focus groups and the Social Integration Council.
   3. Practical Professional Internships and the future professional.
   4. Social Service, Practical Professional Internships and the curriculum: towards a competency-oriented education.

PART II. The Quality Management System and the securing of Social Service objectives.

1. The Quality Management System, a control system to ensure achievement of the objectives of the Department of Social Service.
2. Follow up and evaluation in the Department of Social Service: an instrument for decisionmaking and refining objectives.

PART III. A New Meaning for Social Service and Practical Professional Internships.

A) The University in the global context and acting locally: ¿How can we conceptualize our higher education institutions as they face of global issues (such as marginalization, poverty, education) in terms of the ways in which it can intervene meaningfully?
B) Social Service and Practical Professional Internships in the global context with local action. How do we structure SS to have a concrete effect on the social environment? How do we structure Practical Professional Internships in the context of the internationalization of higher education institutions?

 

2. DISCOVER PUEBLA'S WONDERFUL GASTRONOMY

Location: University Facilities IEU - Institute for University Studies, 4 Poniente no. 1919 San Matías, Puebla. Pue.
Hosts: IEU Faculty and Staff
Duration: 4.5 hours
Times: 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Language of delivery: English
Cost: USD 40.00

In this workshop you will learn about and experience world-renowned Pueblan Gastronomy in its diversity of colors, tastes, smells and textures, recognized by UNESCO as Cultural Patrimony of Humanity. Share along with IEU students and staff who will accompany you in this experience. For more information about IEU University System - (Institute for University Studies)

Visit: www.sistemaieu.edu.mx For more information contact:
(Name and Title of Institutional Representative): CP Yahel Riveroll Velazquez
(Address) 4 Poniente no. 1919 San Matías, Puebla. Pue
(Phone) +52 (222) 141-7575 x. 1400
(Email) puebla@sistemaieu.edu.mx

3. LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' INTERNSHIPS IN INDUSTRY AND THEIR IMPACT ON UNIVERSITY-BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS

Location: Room One at the University's Library, Universidad Tecnológica de Puebla,
Hosts: Jose Luis Rojas Garcia, Assistant Director of Industrial Relations
Duration: 2.5 hour
Times: Presentation from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm followed by a tour of the University
Language of delivery: Spanish with English translation
Cost: $40

This workshop will discuss mechanisms that facilitate successful full-time internships by students, both local and international, to provide them with opportunities to apply their knowledge and gain practical experience in the workplace. The impact that such placements have on improving the relationships between universities and companies will also be discussed. The workshop will include testimonials from students, faculty and industry representatives.

 

4. QUALITY ASSURANCE IN U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION

Location: Virtual Classroom (Aula Virtual), Complejo Cultural Universitario, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
Hosts: Dr. Rahul Choudaha, Director of Development and Innovation and Kevin F. Rolwing, Assistant Director, World Education Services
Duration: 3 hours
Times: Presentation from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Language of delivery: English with some Spanish translation as necessary
Cost: $40

There is increasing interest from higher education institutions to build collaborations with their counterparts in the United States. However, the process is quite complex given the sheer scale and diversity of American higher education. The US post-secondary system comprises more than 4,000 institutions ranging from the highly selective Ivy League ones to open-access community colleges. This session will present the context of US higher education with special emphasis on quality assurance and credential recognition practices so that international counterpart institutions can more effectively collaborate with American institutions.

About the presenters:

Dr. Rahul Choudaha, Director of Development and Innovation at World Education Services.
Dr. Choudaha specializes in international higher education with emphasis on student mobility, collaborations and quality assurance. He has presented at more than 40 sessions at professional conferences including AIEA, EAIE, NAGAP and NAFSA. Dr. Choudaha earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Denver, an MBA in Marketing from NITIE, Mumbai and an undergraduate degree in engineering from Jabalpur University.

Kevin F. Rolwing, Assistant Director at World Education Services.
Kevin has been evaluating international academic credentials for over 18 years, completing extensive research and numerous articles focusing on educational systems around the world. His primary focus is Latin America and Europe, and he gives frequent presentations at national and regional conferences covering topics such as educational systems, academic credential verification, diploma mills, transfer credits and the Bologna Process.