After uploading the "No YouTube in China" post I was sent some wonderful information from a follower of the blog, Susan Wyatt from the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Career Center. Susan sent me an article from TAMU's College of Liberal Arts on social networking sites, and the Chinese population.
I recommend that you read it if you have the time. It comments on the fact that in China there are parallel services that are only open to those in China. There were three aspects that interested me the most:
Those in China have services available, and do not fret about not having access to the programs that many of us use daily. This of course could be because of not being accustomed to the social media that we have, but the inverse could also be true.
The Chinese Government does allow for some public discourse about the political events, despite the Chinese Media urging the government not to allow it.
The comparable service to Twitter in China has three times as many users as actual Twitter. In the United States and abroad, Twitter has close to 100 million users, and the Chines equivalent ("Sina Weibo") has an astronomical 300 million users.
The challenge of contacting students despite these barriers are still present, however it is wonderful to learn that these services are available to Chinese residents. Also, the fact that the Chinese equivalents of the services in the US that many grow accustomed have users on such a large scale, I can safely assume that this will increase the ability for new international students to integrate into the US culture. No, this is not a guarantee, nor a statement to lessen the focus on acculturation of international students. Rather it is to increase awareness to inform practice to best facilitate transitions, while also understanding ways to assist students through comparable experiences/processes.
Just another reason why I love Texas A&M University! Thanks & Gig 'em
One new aspect UC Davis is doing this summer is the creation & implementation of an International & National Student Orientation Program that occurs the three days leading up to regular campus move-in. This is intentional so that International and National (Out-of-State) students only have to travel once in the summer. Pretty cool idea right?
The program is designed using two phases, the second is the one that occurs right before move-in. The first takes place a month earlier over three days where students will have remote advising with an Orientation Leader by means of telephone, Skype, Google+, or other means in order to register for classes. An issue arises when you realize that students must first know what to do to prepare to register for classes (learn about degree requirements, test score restrictions, writing requirements, general education, appropriate number of hours, etc.). To meet this need it was decided that the orientation office would film a video and post it online to YouTube. The video ended up being 1.5 hours long, which is too long for YouTube which has a max upload length of 10 minutes for most videos. Secondly, most international Students come to UC Davis from China, a country that, unknown to the Orientation Coordinators at the time, has banned the use of YouTube. There lies the rub. How do you create an interactive, educational tool to be used by students thousands of miles away under these circumstances? My supervisors decided to email out a PDF of the slide show, with the script so that students could visually follow through the steps needed to prepare for registration. This is a duct tape fix to an issue that is to be improved for the future.
In all honestly, I did not realize that China banned YouTube until having this enlightening conversation with my supervisors. Makes our work as a global citizen have to grow to meet the needs of students in countries that have barriers to our expected levels of social connection. This is a good wake-up call on the issue of access. We of course still want this program to be a success, and now must work to ensure that success through our adaption to meet needs.
Once per year UC Davis Dining Services closes down the main dining halls for dinner in order to host a "Farm to College" night. The event is designed to be an almost picnic theme. All the produce at the stands are purchased from the surrounding community. There are educational booths scattered throughout to give students an opportunity to learn about why it is important to shop locally, and the impact it can have on the community. Moreover, to introduce students to the fact that buying locally means that there is the ability to have fresher produce. Honestly the event had the most delicious strawberries I have ever had.
One interesting fact was that for an average meal the distance the food has to travel is often over 1,000 miles, and it takes several days to reach your plate. Where as with local produce, you have quite the opposite information. Here are some fun pictures from the event:
I was given a biodegradable container that I was able to fill with compost and a sunflower seed. It is too bad it will not grow before I leave, I may plant it in some random yard. :)
I know it has been over a week since my last post, it is because I finally received my task list for work. Many of which are due this week, and as such I have dedicated a great deal of time and energy to accomplish them. I will be writing more as I am able to turn in assignments. My apologies, please continue to enjoy the posts. There are some cool ones coming up.
As many know, in college when you play athletics during your entire tenure, the day eventually comes where it will be the last set of games played. Most places call this senior day, a day in recognition of the hard work put in over the years. During the actual game there is usually a special recognition that goes on. UC Davis is no different, and as I am currently sitting waiting for the Davis v. Irvine game to begin, I am able to take it all in.
For these seniors their numbers (or initials if they are a team manager) ate sprayed around the logo. There are large posters, one per senior located a top the home dugout. Finally at the back of the stands behind the home dugout there is a table with journals that are engraved with the name, and number of the player. These journals are used by fans to leave encouraging/supportive messages for these students who have given so much of their time, and dedication.
The first week is officially complete! Lots of information, and new projects await! Cannot wait to full you in, but I'm going celebrate a success first! You'll hear from me later this weekend about all my adventures. Till then enjoy these photos:
UC Davis is trying something new this year, and it is part of the reason I am here. Each year Davis, like other institution takes in students from out-of-state, and more importantly from other nations. So we are implementing a new program to meet student's needs. For these students, the challenge of coming in for a regular (July/August) orientation presents a challenge. Simply put, it costs a lot of money to travel to campus for three days, and then have to come back a month later for the start of the semester in September. In addition, for some international students, their visas only allow the students to be in the United States a maximum of 30 days prior to the start of class, which does not fit into the current design of the typical program.
So the orientation program is adding a new blended session. The students will register for "International & National (Out-of-State) Orientation" which will take place during two phases. The first of which is online remote advising via the web and phone to register for classes, and get to know important importation prior to arriving. The second aspect starts the Wednesday prior to normal student move in (which occurs on a Friday). The students who register and qualify for this program will move into their housing assignment for the fall, and spend the next three days going through their own unique orientation programs that are intertwined with activities that lead into the 'Fall Welcome Week.'
The students will be led through programs that the normal orientations sessions also receive such as interacting with their specific college's Dean, and way-finding through campus with Orientation leaders. However, there is some specific information that International students need to receive that National students do no (i.e. Visa information (Difference between F-1 & J-1, employment concerns, etc.). During these times the two groups will split. The international students will go through information sessions pertinent to themselves, while the national students go through information about downtown Davis, public transportation, and other aspects of information for students to know for those who have not lived in California. I recognize that this information will also be important to International Students, and the supervisors are working to ensure that these students will receive this information though personal appointments with their Orientation Leaders, who have time to do so because of the students already being registered for classes.
One aspect that I brought up to my supervisor is that the other students have a greater level of ability to interact with students for a longer period of time, and for students who are not from California, the transition may be harder because of students not knowing anyone else. Also, this session has less registrants than a regular session and should be leveraged in ways to increase the bonds between students.
To accomplish this I recommended that the Orientation leaders start hosting chats/discussion boards/etc. as soon as possible for these students so that they can ease in the student's transition to college in a remote setting prior to the student attending college. The issue is how to accomplish this? At some institutions I Have seen blackboard used, at others Facebook. Unfortunately, Davis does not use Blackboard, and my supervisor challenged me by stating that many internal countries do not have access to social media (especially not Facebook in China).
So how this will be accomplished is still TBD, but I will let you know when I figure it out. In the meantime I am still working on questions/prompts for the orientation leaders to use that will increase communication and bonds between these remote students.
After uploading the "No YouTube in China" post I was sent some wonderful information from a follower of the blog, Susan Wyatt from the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Career Center. Susan sent me an article from TAMU's College of Liberal Arts on social networking sites, and the Chinese population. 
