Faculty and staff abroad: The role of culture and community in the student experience
By Max Dudley
A dozen Grainger College of Engineering faculty and staff recently traveled to Jamaica as guests of the Petersfield Galloway Benevolent Society (PGBS), including MechSE’s Kellie Halloran, Brian Mercer, and Stephanie Ott-Monsivais. During the retreat, they were immersed in culture and global service learning as well as preparations for leading future student experiences.
“We looked at how we identify ourselves and how we can appreciate the identities of others. Then, we considered how certain aspects of those identities could inform our perspectives and problem-solving as we move forward in our daily lives and professional roles.”
Stephanie Ott-Monsivais, MechSE Director of Undergraduate Programs
In collaboration with AllPeopleBeHappy and PGBS, the group visited Jamaica through a Strategic Instructional Innovations Program (SIIP)-funded program. The project, “Developing Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and COIL+ Projects in Engineering Education,” which is in its last year, has a goal of expanding students’ global engagement opportunities by providing new opportunities for short-term, faculty-led study abroad.
The aim of this grant is to train faculty and staff to offer courses that incorporate global learning components. Students will benefit from the diverse perspectives of instructors with expertise and first-hand experiences in global travel and service learning. By reflecting on their own personal experiences during this program, instructors will be better equipped to connect with students and lead future programs with greater empathy and insight.
Brian Woodard, assistant dean for undergraduate programs at Illinois Grainger Engineering, organized the program in Jamaica and recruited the participants. In order to provide valuable global leadership to students, Woodard said faculty should first be able to understand program logistics and experiences from a student perspective.
Woodard said he chose this program because it provided unique opportunities for faculty and staff training on student experiences. “The goal of the program was for faculty and staff to feel like a student, so they gained that perspective,’ he said. “We also wanted to teach them how to lead a program, including best practices and activity planning. AllPeopleBeHappy provided not just the experience of participating in a service project but also the training along the way.”
Last month’s program fostered an overwhelming sense of community. Immersive programs such as this one help participants build meaningful relationships and forge bonds with one another. Woodard believed the experience helped everyone get to know one another better and emphasized the significance of these relationships for effective collaboration.
“One of the main things that was the most valuable for me was the community building within our group. Most of us didn’t know each other very well before participating in the program, coming from different departments and all different types of roles,” Woodard said about his time in rural Jamaica. “In these immersive programs, you can really bond with others and get to know them on a deeper level. It makes working together back home better.”
Community also played a big role in the activities and experiences presented during this program. Not only did the group stay in houses with host families during their time in Jamaica, but they were also often surrounded by other members of the community—starting with the Welcome Ceremony. The welcome event was included as part of the community’s formal ceremony commemorating the start of a new year of village tourism. Community leaders greeted the group with speeches, and traditional Jamaican songs and dances were performed. From the start, the community emphasized culture and the mutual exchange of learning.
“The goal of the program was for faculty and staff to feel like a student, so they gained that perspective. We also wanted to teach them how to lead a program, including best practices and activity planning.”
Brian Woodard, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Illinois Grainger Engineering
Stephanie Ott-Monsivais, director of undergraduate programs for the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, also attended. Leaders and members of the community stressed the significance of Americans going to Jamaica to understand their culture and life better.
“We looked at how we identify ourselves and how we can appreciate the identities of others. Then, we considered how certain aspects of those identities could inform our perspectives and problem-solving as we move forward in our daily lives and professional roles,” Ott-Monsivais said.
The ceremony welcomed notable guests, including Mayor Danree Delancy and Accompong Maroon Chief Richard Currie. Currie, who holds a degree in finance, spent over a decade working in the corporate world before returning to his community, where he was elected Chief. Drawing from his experiences, Currie inspired Ott-Monsivais to embrace her roots, seek knowledge from others, and actively participate in creating a healthy community-based ecosystem while striving for continuous growth.
“There were many things I encountered during our program that made me re-evaluate my assumptions,” Ott-Monsivais said of her experience. “It made me reflect on my privilege and reinforced the importance of learning from others, especially those with backgrounds different from my own.”
While this program focused on culture and community, it also showed Ott-Monsivais how global learning and service elements could enhance engineering courses. She hopes this experience will help her create more holistic educational opportunities for students by designing—and assisting colleagues in designing—global learning experiences that are integral to supporting course learning objectives.
Ott-Monsivais said she believes this experience will be valuable when working with students in the future. “Being in an unfamiliar environment challenged me while promoting a growth mindset, which will help me relate to my students and better understand their experiences. It has provided me some insight into the issues students may face when studying abroad and has supplied me with strategies to help them overcome key obstacles.”
Studying abroad provides a meaningful experience that broadens the perspectives of students and leaders. It allows students to feel connected with a new community, but also better understand the global application of the skills they are learning in their coursework. Providing these types of transformative experiences to faculty and staff will empower them to develop new and exciting global opportunities for our students.
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The following Grainger Engineering faculty and staff participated in the program:
- Tim Bretl, Aerospace Engineering
- Angela Di Fulvio, Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering
- Hannah Dougherty, International Programs in Engineering
- Megan Griebel, Bioengineering
- Kellie Halloran, Mechanical Science and Engineering
- Brian Mercer, Mechanical Science and Engineering
- Laura Nagel, Materials Science and Engineering
- Stephanie Ott-Monsivais, Mechanical Science and Engineering
- Jule Schatz, Computer Science
- Michal West, Engineering Career Services
- Kyle Williams, Morrill Engineering Program and ARISE
- Brian Woodard, Grainger Engineering and Aerospace Engineering
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This story was published March 3, 2025.