Latin American Delegation Visits University of New Orleans
A delegation from Latin America visited the University of New Orleans on Thursday to learn about emerging distance education programs and technologies at UNO.
The delegation, which came to the United States at the invitation of the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program, heard from a panel of UNO faculty and staff connected to the University's emerging Global UNO distance learning program.
Visitors included professors, education leaders and diplomats from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and Paraguay.
They received an introduction to and explanation of some of the University's ongoing outreach work; learned about the University's media technology and enjoyed online class presentations from professors now teaching online. The hour-long session concluded with a final question and answer period.
UNO professors answered questions about latest trends in technology, the online learning student experience and admissions process, how international online students can apply new knowledge to their careers, how field work factors into the online education process and differences between the learning experiences and motivations of online students and students learning face-to-face with professors in the classroom.
UNO faculty and staff also addressed questions about Internet capabilities and technologies, including bandwidth and programs, available at UNO.
The State Department's program, which is called "100,000 Strong – Expanding International Exchange in Education" and run by the national Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is designed to provide Latin American countries an overview of U.S. higher education and the varying functions of universities, community colleges, distance learning and certificate programs, as well as vocational and technical schools, in preparing young people for the marketplace.
It is also designed to show how educational institutions in the U.S. contribute to national social and economic development and encourage expansion of international student exchange programs. The program helps delegations to explore future collaborations and linkages to host institutions in the U.S., including UNO.
In August, the University welcomed a similar delegation from Iraq.
