1 / 22

International Services Center: Overview, Units, and Services

International Services Center: Overview, Units, and Services. By Rachid Bendriss Assistant Director. Agenda. The International Services Center Mission ISC’s Overview Operating Units Services Tips for Teaching in a Culturally Diverse Environment. ISC’s Mission.

thais
Download Presentation

International Services Center: Overview, Units, and Services

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. International Services Center:Overview, Units, and Services By Rachid Bendriss Assistant Director

  2. Agenda • The International Services Center Mission • ISC’s Overview • Operating Units • Services • Tips for Teaching in a Culturally Diverse Environment

  3. ISC’s Mission The International Services Center strives to create a welcoming environment for international students and to contribute to the university’s goals of international prominence and diversification. The ISC provides leadership, advocacy and support services for current international students and scholars at the University of Central Florida, as well as assistance in adjusting to a new academic environment and culture. ISC has and will devote its efforts, plans and processes to ensure legal compliance with the federal regulations enhancing integrity of the program, so international populations can maintain their status and are retained at the university.

  4. International Students and Scholars at UCF • Our growing international community is composed of more than 1,624 students and scholars - about 3.75% of the entire student body - who come to UCF to contribute to campus learning, community diversity, research, and global partnerships. • The most popular colleges for international students include Engineering, Computer Science, Optics, and Business.

  5. International Students and Scholars Enrollment International Student Enrollment and Diversity

  6. Operating Units • International Admissions Team Assist international applicants in processing and obtaining necessary documents to obtain the F-1 visa • Advisers Ensure that current international students and scholars maintain their legal status

  7. Operating Units • FNET (Foreign Nationals Employment and Taxation) Assist international employees in processing paperwork and provide taxation guidance to international students at UCF • Recruitment Focuses on recruitment of quality international students and scholars, as well as the building of relationships with foreign embassies and education advisers abroad

  8. Operating Units • Cultural Programming Strives for the retention of current students and scholars by promoting informative and social activities for the international community • Supporting Staff • Scanning • Front Desk • Office Manager • IT Support

  9. ISC Services • Pre-admission advising • International admission processing (Issuance of the I-20/DS-2019) • Immigration status changes to F-1 and J-1 status • Reinstatement to F-1/J-1 status • Transfer procedures • Employment authorization • Change of major or level

  10. ISC Services • Travel re-entry advice and authorization • Program extensions • Advising for students on practical training • Assistance in applying for the waiver of the two-year home residency requirement for exchange visitors • Processing paperwork for international employees • Assistance with social security application process • Taxation guidance

  11. Teaching in a Culturally Diverse Environment Cross Cultural Communication Defined • Involves the endeavor that people, from differing cultural backgrounds, experience when trying to communicate in an unfamiliar environment

  12. Teaching in a Culturally Diverse Environment Stages of Cross Cultural Adjustment • Honeymoon Stage: Excitement • Hostility Stage: Frustration • Humor Stage: Relaxation • Home Stage: Adaptation

  13. Teaching in a Culturally Diverse Environment Stages of Cross Cultural Adjustment Emotions Honeymoon Stage Home Stage Humor Stage Hostility Stage Time Month 1 Month 4

  14. Comparison Between Cultural Norms & Values

  15. Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication • Assumption of similarity rather than difference • Wearing similar clothes or speaking the same language does not mean that beliefs and values are also the same among individuals ( i.e. Americans vs. Australians) • Language • Language goes beyond understanding vocabulary, syntax and idioms • Comprehension of the intentions and implications behind the verbal utterances demonstrate an advanced level of language comprehension

  16. Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication • Nonverbal misinterpretations • Several non-verbal signs and symbols like gestures and body movements are easy to identify • Other cues like how time and space are handled are far more difficult to note and discern • The presence of preconceptions and stereotypes • “We don’t see things the way they are, we see them as we are”

  17. Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication • The tendency to evaluate • Wrong judgments result in a breach of trust and poor communication • High anxiety • Anxiety underlines and compounds all the other stumbling blocks. Tension is common in cross-cultural experiences because they are full of uncertainties. Therefore, high levels of alertness and cleverness must guide every action

  18. Improving Intercultural Communication • To be communicative is to be open, responsive and non judgmental. • Avoid cultural stereotyping, which is the application of a generalization to every person in a cultural group • Promote cultural generalization. Tendency of a majority of people in a cultural group to hold certain values and beliefs without blocking external influences Closed Mind Cultural Influence Blocked Openness to Cultural Influence Permeable Mind

  19. Tips on Developing Cross-Cultural Communication Skills • Know yourself • Identify biases, attitudes, and opinions • Identify the image you want to portray • Use a shared code • Avoid slang or jargon • Use simple vocabulary • Be Patient • Take time to listen to others and allow time for pauses and silences

  20. Tips on Developing Cross-Cultural Communication Skills • Improve communication skills • Demonstrate interest in listening and participating in dialogues • Pay attention to non-verbal cues • Concentrate on explicit messages, but be sensitive to implicit points in a conversation • Encourage feedback and be prepared to give feedback • Ask questions • Give feedback with kindness, but to the point • Develop empathy

  21. Contact Information International Services Center Barbara Ying Center-CMMS Building Phone: 407/823-2337 Fax: 404/823-2526 Email: isc@mail.ucf.edu Website: http://www.intl.ucf.edu

  22. Thank you

More Related