Networking and Partnership Development Initiative (NPDI)
The UMAP Networking and Partnership Development Initiative began in 2021. The original goal of this initiative was to facilitate online networking and matchmaking for UMAP member institutions and to provide support for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) for participating member institutions. The program continues to provide virtual networking opportunities several times each year. Look for upcoming events in the UMAP monthly newsletter!
Program Successes:
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Canada
“I attended a UMAP networking session with the Associate Dean of Arts at the time, and managed to meet a few partners from Vietnam that I would otherwise not have met.
Nothing actually came out of that meeting immediately; we exchanged details but at the time I did not have the capacity to engage.
Fast forward to a year later, with a few new staff on deck, I had been approved to go to APAIE in Thailand, and I decided to make a trip to Vietnam to explore new opportunities. I reached out to the contacts I made during the networking session, and to my surprise, we were able to set up 2 campus visits.
One of the partner institutions I visited became a fantastic match for KPU, and we are now in talks of not just exchange programs, but also faculty mobility, short term programs, and internship collaborations. I would call that a success!”
Cebu Normal University (CNU), Philippines and the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Indonesia
Having met through a virtual networking program and the 2022-2023 UMAP-COIL Training Program, representatives of CNU and ITS developed a COIL course involving the CNU Bachelor program in Special Needs Education with the ITS Biomedical Engineering program focusing on Assistive Technology. The Course will be offered for the first time in January 2024. Additionally, in 2023, they signed a Memorandum of Agreement to support broad institutional collaboration
2022-23 Program Summary
For the 2022 program, UMAP member faculty and administrators were invited to participate in two virtual networking sessions over Zoom. Participants were encouraged to follow up with their networking partners to explore possibilities for collaborative activities.
In Phase 2 of the initiative, participants completed the “UMAP-COIL Training Program” a three-week online Introduction to COIL course, offered by Keiko IKEDA, Professor / Vice-Director, Kansai University’s Institute for Innovative Global Education (IIGE) and trusted training experts.
For Phase 3, the UMAP International Secretariat invited participant pairs from the UMAP-COIL Training Program to participate in an in-depth program to develop a COIL course.
Program Outcomes:
- To facilitate enhanced connections and tangible projects through partnerships between UMAP member institutions.
- To increase the quality and quantity of virtual program offerings between UMAP member institutions (COIL, short-term programs)
- To enhance the knowledge and skills of UMAP member institution representatives in COIL
Facilitator: Dr. Natasha Mrkic- Subotic, Capilano University
2021-2022 Program Summary
In the 2021 program, a total of 227 faculty and staff from 13 countries and representing 51 higher education institutions applied to participate in Phase 1 of the program. A matchmaking algorithm identified the 120 applicants with the strongest potential matches and these participants were invited to online networking sessions on Zoom.
At the Zoom meetings, the cohorts split into small groups, with facilitators who introduced questions to guide the discussion within these groups. The questions were designed to identify common interests and values from the participants. Everyone who took part was encouraged to get in touch with others to continue the conversation and explore the potential for further collaboration, focusing on developing Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses, modules, or collaborative activities.
For the second part of the Initiative, UMAP collaborated with the American Higher Education Alliance (AHEA) to provide 7 pairs of selected UMAP participants to access AHEA’s InspirED platform, designed for collaborative curriculum development and virtual exchange, which the UMAP members could use at no cost to create COIL course content. Additionally, they were offered professional development and a training seminar, as well as mentorship in best practices for collaborative online learning
