International Students and Online Learning

07/27/20 • 41 min

The past several weeks have been tumultuous for international students registered to study at American higher education institutions this fall, as SEVP released much more restrictive guidance than had been issued in the spring. We talk with Steve Springer from NAFSA about the regular requirements for international students, and how the recently released (then subsequently rescinded) guidance affects those. We also hear from Jay Ligon, Director of International Student Scholar Services at Louisiana Tech and Rob Berwick, AVP and Registrar at Jacksonville University about their institutions’ responses.

The saga continues! Part of this episode was recorded between July 6 and July 14 when the restrictive guidance was rescinded. Steve and I spoke after the rescission, but we both anticipated additional guidance being released, and as of Friday afternoon, July 24, there is updated guidance for fall.
Key Takeaways:

There’s a significant amount of uncertainty relating to fall 2020, especially for international students, as multiple rounds of sometimes conflicting guidance has been issued by SEVP. Registrars should be sure to check in with their ISSS offices to partner in any way they can.
The role of the registrar is always expanded in a crisis, and the double-whammy of COVID-19 and restrictive guidance from SEVP relating to international students is no exception.
Take a students-first perspective: reach out to your international students and listen to their concerns and their needs and see what you can do to provide some certainty for that population especially during these very uncertain times.

References and Additional Reading:

Student and Exchange Visitor Program

Most recent SEVP guidance for International Students

https://www.ice.gov/coronavirus

AACRAO International

Core Competency: Diversity and Inclusion

NAFSA Timeline of SEVP Guidance

There’s a significant amount of uncertainty relating to fall 2020, especially for international students, as multiple rounds of sometimes conflicting guidance has been issued by SEVP. Registrars should be sure to check in with their ISSS offices to partner in any way they can.
The role of the registrar is always expanded in a crisis, and the double-whammy of COVID-19 and restrictive guidance from SEVP relating to international students is no exception.
Take a students-first perspective: reach out to your international students and listen to their concerns and their needs and see what you can do to provide some certainty for that population especially during these very uncertain times.

References and Additional Reading:

Student and Exchange Visitor Program

Most recent SEVP guidance for International Students

https://www.ice.gov/coronavirus

AACRAO International

Core Competency: Diversity and Inclusion

NAFSA Timeline of SEVP Guidance

Previous Episode

The Carnegie Unit

The Carnegie Unit grew out of a desire to provide a pension for college professors and turned out to be a significant factor in the standardization of secondary and post-secondary education in the United States. Its continued usage today both helps and hinders innovation in higher education. Discussing the impetus for, continued reliance on, and consequential nature of the Carnegie Unit is Elena Silva, Ph.D., lead author of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s paper, The Carnegie Unit: A Century-Old Standard in a Changing Education Landscape.
Key Takeaways:

The Carnegie Unit has had a significant effect on the development of higher education over the past 100 years. While there are limitations to its application, finding a replacement for this standard has proven difficult.
The Carnegie Unit is a time-in-seat measurement that was never intended to measure learning outcomes or subject matter competency. That remains the faculty’s responsibility.
Registrars are critical in ensuring the efficient operation of institutions in order to further the mission of higher education: student learning and the creation of new knowledge.

References and Additional Reading:
The Carnegie Unit: A Century-Old Standard in a Changing Education Landscape
Cracking the Credit Hour
AACRAO Core Competencies
Academic Policy & Curriculum Delivery
Holistic and Systematic Thinking

Next Episode

Registrar Tips, Tricks, and Hacks - Vol. 1

This is Volume 1 of crowd-sourced registrar tips, tricks, and hacks. Thank you to the brave contributors who called and left their nuggets of wisdom to make this episode possible. If you’d like to contribute, follow the instructions below.

Contributors:

AnnaMarie Bianco, Associate Vice President and University Registrar, Georgetown University

“Learn as much as possible. Be open, invite criticism.”

Emily Shandley, University Registrar, Yale University

“Make change happen through continuous suggestion.”

Kristi Wold-McCormick, University Registrar, University of Colorado - Boulder

“Self advocate. Don’t be the Say No to Everything registrar--be open and flexible.”

Rob Hornberger, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Services, Missouri State University

“Understand the rules and when to apply them strictly, when to make exceptions.”

Scott Dittman, University Registrar, Washington and Lee University

“Invest yourself in your community.”

Rhonda Kitch, University Registrar, Cornell University (Previously at NDSU)

“Be humble.”

Erin Seheult, Director of University Records, Loma Linda University

“Get a project management system.”

Sheila Jarrell, Registrar, Yavapai College

“Find common ground and rely on common courtesy in all interactions.”

Instructions to contribute your own tip, trick, or hack:

Call 703.594.6032 (it's the Registrar Podcast Google Voice number - No one will answer, please leave a message. Messages there are saved as mp3's in the Registrar Podcast gmail account).

Leave a message when prompted, following one of these scripts:

HI! I’M [ NAME ], [ TITLE/POSITION ] AT [ NAME OF INSTITUTION ], MY REGISTRAR TIP, TRICK, OR HACK IS...

HI! I’M [ NAME ], [ TITLE/POSITION ] AT [ NAME OF INSTITUTION. ] ADVICE I WISH SOMEONE HAD GIVEN ME WHEN I WAS STARTING OUT IN THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE IS...

Be succinct. Speak slowly and clearly. Aim for 2-3 minutes (max). It can be about anything! System stuff, dealing with faculty, communication, managing staff, keeping your desk organized, keeping up with email, giving a presentation, productivity practices, mindfulness...anything that has worked for you as a "go to" hack, tip, or trick. Nothing is too small, and (probably) nothing is too obvious.

THANK YOU for your willingness to share a tiny sliver of your expertise with the registrar community in this way.

I look forward to listening to your messages! Call 703.594.6032 today!