Central Asia University Partnerships Program (UniCEN): Sharing Knowledge and Sustaining Networks

On October 29-21, 50 representatives of UniCEN partner universities from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan gathered near Tashkent to showcase the results of their partnerships, participate in networking sessions, and share new project concepts to sustain networks. In addition, six U.S. researchers and administrators from UniCEN partner universities (Michigan State University, Mississippi State University, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln) presented their partnerships as examples of best practice.

The conference was also attended by representatives of the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan, Ministry of Higher Education of Uzbekistan, and regional directors of American Councils.

Participants also learned about opportunities to deepen and expand UniCEN partnerships through new grant opportunities for research collaboration and curriculum development, and bootcamps in virtual exchanges and academic writing in 2022. Participants created a draft Action Plan for a partnership with an existing or new U.S. partner.

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Central Asia University Partnerships Program: Partnership Grants

Deadline for applications: Monday, 6 December 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Time
To apply: http://ais.americancouncils.org/unicen

Administered by American Councils for International Education (American Councils), UniCEN will select and award partnership grants to increase the quality and sustainability of university linkages between Central Asia and the United States to jointly address United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The five priority SDGs for the UniCEN program are clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; responsible consumption and production; and climate action.
Partnership grants will meet one of the three key objectives of UniCEN:
1) Enhance teaching and learning capacities by modernizing curriculum and developing jointly taught courses in five priority UN SDGs at Central Asian universities.
2) Increase research capacities at Central Asian and U.S. universities in five priority UN SDGs through the creation of regional “knowledge hubs”.
3) Strengthen institutional capacity to support long-term partnerships between U.S. and Central Asian universities with economic-based outcomes.

Eligibility
Applications must be submitted by U.S. faculty members and administrators from higher education institutions (universities and community colleges) for partnership grants that deepen existing or establish new U.S.-Central Asian university partnerships. American Councils encourages the creation of “knowledge hubs” or consortia that involve multiple Central Asian (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) universities. Partnership projects involving higher education institutions from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are especially encouraged.

Awards
Ten (10) partnership grants to accomplish project goals and objectives will be awarded. Selected finalists will be awarded a $24,000 project grant to cover salary or honoraria, international and domestic travel, conference fees, materials, supplies, and other allowable costs associated with carrying out partnership activity. All grants will be awarded to U.S. higher education institutions.

University Partners Collaborate on Geospatial Technologies for Agriculture

Geospatial technologies are critical for Kazakhstan's agricultural sector to become more efficient and globally integrated. Through the U.S.-Kazakhstan University Partnerships program, funded by the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan and administered by American Councils for International Education, Monroe Community College (MCC) and Kazakh Agrotechnical University (KATU) are using geospatial technologies to identify wheat disease in Kazakhstan.

KATU and MCC faculty launched their collaboration on scientific papers and joint presentations. Three geospatial information science and technology students from Monroe Community College completed virtual internships with Dr. Aigul Bekbayeva focused on identifying areas of stressed vegetation and wheat disease using remote sensing. MCC faculty visited Kazakhstan to collect data to verify remote sensing analysis.

In addition to student exchange and joint research, the partners are exploring setting up a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) virtual exchange program to connect Monroe Community College and Kazakh Agrotechnical University faculty and students to build scientific expertise.

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University Partners Strengthen Teacher Training

Kazakhstan’s ambitious education strategy calls for transition to teaching school STEM subjects in English. Kokshetau University and University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) are working together to strengthen STEM teacher training programs through the U.S.-Kazakhstan University Partnerships Program, administered by American Councils for International Education and funded by the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan.

Since early 2020, UNO organized three online modules for thirty Kokshetau University faculty members on educational leadership, student learning styles, and the use of technology in online and distance education. After completing these modules, Kokshetau University organized a webinar to share their experience on how to build partnerships in English and STEM teaching. More than 170 colleagues from other Kazakhstan and Central Asian universities joined the webinar.

In spring 2021, UNO provided a training on Content and Language Integrated Learning and its application in teaching STEM and social sciences for 25 Kokshetau faculty members. The two institutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand activities in designing and modernizing courses and syllabi, and are planning future research projects in STEM and English as a Second Language. Both universities are looking forward to the visit of American colleagues in December 2021 to further develop their partnership in strengthening teacher training.

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Collaborating to Fight Global Infectious Disease

Spurred by the COVID-19 epidemic, the medical education community has placed increased emphasis in working together to fight diseases globally. Through the Central Asia University Partnerships Program (UniCEN), administered by American Councils for International Education and funded by the U.S. State Department through the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Tashkent Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education created an online course on public health surveillance to address emerging infectious diseases.

In Fall 2020, the partnership began with online discussion of quality control of testing and training healthcare professionals on COVID-19 protocols. These interactions led to two online training workshops, led by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Tashkent Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education, on COVID-19 and its complexities. These workshops drew 293 Uzbek and seven American health care professionals.

The two institutions continued to collaborate, developing a syllabus for an online course to be launched in September 2021, and workshops on COVID-19 that have educated 47 Uzbekistani healthcare professionals over six sessions. In addition, University of Illinois at Chicago and Tashkent Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education are piloting a research program on infectious diseases where students from both universities will participate in a pilot research program on the effects of COVID-19 on patients. UIC continues to assist the Uzbekistan Research Institute of Virology with registering on the National Institute of Health website.

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Inviting a New Era for Business and Economics Education

Business education is rapidly transforming in Central Asia. Through the Central Asia University Partnerships Program (UniCEN), administered by American Councils for International Education and funded by the U.S. State Department through the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and the Tajikistan State University of Commerce (TUSC) are working to improve faculty research and pedagogy of business and economics education in Tajikistan.
In November 2020, professors from University of Nebraska led two online seminars on “Engaged Teaching in the Age of Coronavirus” and “Pedagogy and Research in Covid Times” to participants from TSUC, as well as 30 representatives from the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. As a follow-up, University of Nebraska professors with extensive experience in Tajikistan presented perspectives on how to revive Tajikistan’s economy after COVID-19 to faculty and staff at Tajikistan State University of Commerce and National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan.
UNO and TUSC are also advancing research priorities. Two professors collaborated on a paper on contemporary U.S.-Tajikistan relations, which was presented at an international conference on political relations in May 2021 hosted by the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. Both partner universities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which has established the framework for future university-wide engagement, especially in-person collaboration and exchange.

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Central Asia University Partnerships Program (UniCEN): Sharing Knowledge and Sustaining Networks

On October 29-21, 50 representatives of UniCEN partner universities from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan gathered near Tashkent to showcase the results of their partnerships, participate in networking sessions, and share new project concepts to sustain networks. In addition, six U.S. researchers and administrators from UniCEN partner universities (Michigan State University, Mississippi State University, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln) presented their partnerships as examples of best practice.

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Tackling Environmental Challenges through Curriculum Updates

Ferghana Valley is most populous region of Uzbekistan, and environmental challenges are critical to the region's future. Through the Central Asia University Partnerships Program (UniCEN), administered by American Councils for International Education and funded by the U.S. State Department through the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, American University partnered with the Ferghana State University to develop teaching and learning methodologies in science with a focus on climate change and sustainable development.

American University professors identified several areas for curriculum development, in climate science and environmental health and risk assessment. Faculty and graduate students from Ferghana State, including top level university officials, collaborated to modernize areas of hydrology, human and ecosystem health, fertilizer use, and ecosystems.

In October 2021, Professor Michael Brody from American University visited Fergana State University and introduced teaching and learning methodologies for environmental science climate change and included meetings with senior administrators, faculty researchers, and students.

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Dear Colleagues,

American Councils for International Education is pleased to announce a Call for Applications for a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Training Program within the 2021-22 Central Asia University Partnerships Grants Program (UniCEN). Funded by the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, UniCEN builds capacity for substantive international engagement between higher education institutions in the United States and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan). Here is an Introduction to COIL for your overview.

The COIL Training Program is a four-week online training program offered between January 10-February 4, 2022 to a selected cohort of U.S. and Central Asian teaching faculty to learn how to design and implement virtual exchange courses using the COIL model. Participants will receive guidance and coaching throughout February-May 2022 to launch their COIL courses.

The training program (in English) is open to teaching faculty from U.S. and Central Asian universities interested in co-designing and implementing virtual exchanges. Faculty are encouraged to develop multi-disciplinary courses across subject areas that jointly address United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs): clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; responsible consumption and production; and climate action.

Dr. Andrea Thomas, a leading expert in virtual exchanges, will support course design and content development, provide ongoing faculty mentorship, and host “office hours” to ensure proper guidance and course correction to launch virtual exchanges. Dr. Thomas will guide partners through the implementation of their courses to ensure participants are on-track to developing their COIL courses in February-May 2022.

COIL Training Program participants will receive a stipend of $500 (before taxes) to help launch a virtual exchange between U.S. and Central Asian teaching faculty.

To Apply: https://airtable.com/shryzfk5O4oeK1Kcz
Application Deadline: December 15, 2021

After application submission, American Councils will support matchmaking among interested faculty. Applicants will be notified of selection results in late December 2021, and the online training program will begin on January 10, 2022 with an orientation session the week of January 6, 2022.

SIT Graduate Institute and Nukus State Pedagogical Institute

SIT Graduate Institute and Nukus State Pedagogical Institute

Exchanging English-Language Curriculum on Plurilingualism and Multiculturalism

Students across Uzbekistan have expressed interest and growing demand for modern English-language curriculum. Through the Central Asia University Partnerships Program (UniCEN), administered by American Councils for International Education and funded by the U.S. State Department through the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, the SIT Graduate Institute partnered with Nukus State Pedagogical Institute to advance English language teaching and Curriculum Design. The emphasis of the collaboration centered around plurilingualism and multiculturalism.

During three two-hour synchronous sessions beginning in November 2020, 14 faculty and graduate students from Nukus State Pedagogical Institute and four from SIT Graduate Institute evaluated syllabi in detail. In the first quarter of 2021, the partners reviewed English-language syllabi to integrate optimal learning, communicative competence, grammar, hands-on discussion, and reflection. NSPI then posted the revised syllabi on a specially designed Canvas site. NSPI faculty learned from STI first-hand how to interact with students.

As a result of collaboration, NSPI successfully completed its re-accreditation process. Input from SIT contributed to curriculum design, which led to effective reporting and reconceptualization of English-language education offered to future teachers.

In April-June 2021, five professors from SIT Graduate Institute organized and conducted five 90-120-minute seminars for fourteen faculty members from Nukus State Pedagogical Institute. SIT continues to share resources on the Canvas site, as well as publications and research conducted in neighboring Central Asian countries. This new information will be incorporated into multiple short- and long-term courses in the department.

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