Strengthening International Studies & Foreign Languages
 

at Illinois Community Colleges Through Partnerships: A Consortium Between
 

Joliet Junior College and College of Lake County
 

1. Plan of Operation 

1a) Joliet Junior College (JJC) and the College of Lake County (CLC) have for more than 

two decades continuously sought new and innovative ways to internationalize their general 

education curricula and to improve and expand their foreign language courses. Both have seen 

the problems that adversely affect enrollment in these courses at community colleges: lack of 

funds, lack of awareness, and lack of time on the part of students who are often low income, first 

generation, and/or working adults. We propose a consortium project that will share our 

resources and individual expertise to help overcome these enrollment issues, and create a new, 

cost-effective international education model that can be replicated by other Illinois community 

colleges and by extension, nationwide. Our project will meet Invitational Priority 2 since our 

project will internationalize the curriculum with a focus on India, Japan and Jordan and will 

develop Arabic, Hindi and Japanese, all world areas and languages identified under this Priority 

Invitation. This project has four grant objectives: 

1.	 To further internationalize the general education curriculum with 39 new modules and 

courses with a focus on India, Japan, and Jordan; 

2. To enhance foreign language offerings in 11 courses by (a) developing two semesters of 

Conversational Hindi, (b) developing one additional semester of Conversational Japanese 

and (c) enhancing 8 existing Arabic and Japanese courses with cultural content; 

3.	 To develop 3-week cultural immersion study abroad programs for students to India, 

Japan, and Jordan; and 

4.	 To develop a Certificate in International Studies (the first in Illinois). 

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1b) The principals are JJC, located approximately 50 miles southwest of Chicago and CLC, 

located approximately 50 miles northwest of this city, and share strategic reasons for 

collaborating in this consortium grant application. Both colleges are state leaders in international 

education as seen in the fact that both (a) have proactively internationalized their curricula and 

expanded foreign languages over the last two decades; (b) successfully promote study abroad for 

students and international professional development opportunities for faculty, administrators, and 

staff; (c) have been active members of the Illinois Consortium for International Studies & 

Programs (ICISP, founded in 1986), one of the oldest and largest consortia for international 

studies for community colleges in the country; (d) have International Education Coordinators, 

the co-directors for this project, who have successfully administered Title VI grants and who 

themselves have international backgrounds and strong commitments to internationalization as 

immigrants and naturalized citizens of the U.S. (JJC‟s Arias from Cuba and CLC‟s Yu from 

China). 

Both Drs. Arias and Yu have assisted their respective institutions and faculty by 

progressively adding international foci across the general education curriculum by focusing on 

various world regions and specific countries of national interest, along with developing language 

instruction. As colleagues in international education discussing the needs of their colleges, they 

discovered that both colleges were interested in focusing on developing international modules on 

India, Japan, and Jordan, countries identified in independent surveys of their faculty as lacking in 

course representation and faculty training. They were also interested in the development and 

enhancement of the languages of these countries, plus adding the valorization of the study abroad 

experience for students and professional development opportunity for faculty in these countries. 

Lastly, for several years both colleges have been actively researching a Certificate in 

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International Studies since no such Certificate currently has approval of the state supervising 

body, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). 

The co-directors bring to this consortium project request a level of shared expertise, 

which they believe will produce a more cost-effective and successful program than either could 

devise alone. Both co-directors are experienced in assisting with internationalization of the 

curriculum, including in the area of world languages. Dr. Arias‟ additional strength (JJC) is 40 

years experience as a professor of French and Spanish and 20 years experience in developing 

nine less-commonly taught critical languages. Dr. Yu (CLC) has special expertise in developing 

international professional development opportunities for faculty and staff and a successful, 

growing semester study abroad program for students in China. By bringing their individual 

expertise to this consortium project, securing commitment from their administrations to share 

resources and personnel, offering JJC and CLC students in-district tuition for courses developed 

under this grant, and combining efforts to develop and obtain state approval for a Certificate in 

International Studies (the first in Illinois), the co-directors believe this high quality project will 

impact not only the 32,000 students at JJC and CLC but also those at community colleges across 

Illinois. 

1c) The project will focus on one country in each of the three years of the grant: India in 

2010-2011, Japan in 2011-12, and Jordan in 2012-13. JJC and CLC have identified faculty at the 

University of Chicago‟s (NRCs) Centers on South East Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East to 

assist faculty in internationalizing existing courses and in new course development (see 

Appendix A – Support Letters). At each CLC and JJC we have identified faculty native to each 

of these countries who possess the personal contacts and knowledge necessary to serve as lead 

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persons for the professional faculty development immersion experience and the study abroad 

immersion programs for students. 

Table I: International modules and new courses 

ANTH 275 Cultural Social Anthropology (Jordan) Dr. Roya Falahi (JJC) 

ARAB 121 Elem. Modern Arabic I CLC – NEW 1⁄2-time faculty 

ARAB 122 Elem. Modern Arabic II position 

ARAB 221 Intermediate Modern Arabic CLC – NEW 1⁄2-time faculty 

ARAB 222 Intermediate Modern Arabic II position 

ART 109 Visual Arts (India) Meaghan Callan (JJC) 

ART 109 Visual Arts (Japan) Meaghan Callan (JJC) 

ART 115 Ancient Medieval Art (Jordan) Meaghan Callan (JJC) 

ART 299 Japan and the West: Intersections in Visual Cultures Gisele Atterberry (JJC) 

CHM 120 Chemistry 120 (Jordan) Dr. Ahmad Ali Audi (CLC) 

CRJ 121 Introduction to Criminal Justice (Jordan) Dr. Frank Zera (CLC) 

CRJ 121 Introduction to Criminal Justice (India) Dr. Frank Zera (CLC) 

ECON 122 Macroeconomics: A Comparison of the US and Japan Robert Kerr (CLC) 

ECON 103 Principles of Macroeconomics (India Japan & Jordan) Dr. Nataliya Marchenko (JJC) 

EDU 224 Diversity in School (Jordan) Dr. Michelle Proctor (CLC) 

ENG 021 Developmental Reading II (India) Dr. Julie Delfinado (JJC) 

ENG 102 Rhetoric (Japan) Tamara Brattolli (JJC) 

ENG 190 Introduction to Film (India Japan & Jordan) William Yarrow (JJC) 

ENG 221 Literature of Asia(India & Japan) Roxanne Munch (JJC) 

ESC 120 Geology Earth Science (Japan) Dr. Xinoming Zhai (CLC) 

ESC 121 Physical Geology (Jordan) Dr. Xinoming Zhai (CLC) 

ESC 224 Environmental Geology (India) Dr. Xinoming Zhai (CLC) 

FSM 299 Cuisine of India Mark Dowling (CLC) 

FSM 229 Cuisine of Jordan & the Middle East Mark Dowling (CLC) 

FSM 229 Foods of Japan Mark Dowling (CLC) 

HIN 110 Beginning Hindi I U of Chicago staff 

HIN 111 Beginning Hindi II U of Chicago staff 

HIST 111 History of Horticulture (Japan & India) Dr. James Ethridge (JJC) 

HORT 161 Gardens Designs of Japan (India & Japan) Dr. James Ethridge (JJC) 

HORT 288 Floral Crops Production (India Japan & Jordan) Dr. James Ethridge (JJC) 

HUM 223 Introduction to International Film (India) Dr. Chris Cooling (CLC) 

HUM 299 Culture of India: Critical Insights Cindy Thomas-George (CLC) 

JAPN 112 Intermediate Japanese I U of Chicago staff 

JAPN 121 Beginning Japanese I Dr. Hiroshi Okana (CLC) 

JAPN 122 Beginning Japanese II Dr. Hiroshi Okana (CLC) 

JAPN 221 Intermediate Japanese I Dr. Hiroshi Okana (CLC) 

JAPN 222 Intermediate Japanese II Dr. Hiroshi Okana (CLC) 

LANG 299 Culture & Society of India Dr. Roya Falahi & R Raghuraman 

PHYS 101 General Physics (India Japan & Jordan) Dr. Kueiming Lee (JJC) 

PSC 221 Comparative Literature (India) Dr. Timothy Murphy (CLC) 

PSC 222 International Relations (Jordan) Dr. Timothy Murphy (CLC) 

PSY 121 Introduction to Psychology (Japan) Dr. Ken Kikuchi (CLC) 

VET 216 Exotic Animal Nursing (India & Japan) Eileen McKee (JJC) 

VET 280 Clinical Pathology III (India Japan & Jordan) Eileen McKee (JJC) 

Course # TBD Introduction to International Studies Dr. Li-Hua (CLC) 

Course # TBD Non-Western History (India Japan & Jordan) Robert Lossman (CLC) 

NA Conflict Resolution in Jordan Wendy Brown/D. Groeninger CLC 

NA Conflict Resolution in Japan Wendy Brown/D. Groeninger CLC 

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NA Gandhi in Film Wendy Brown (CLC) 

NA One Book One Community Susan Prokopeak (JJC) 

The project design addresses the overarching goal stated above to further strengthen 

international studies and foreign languages through the partnership between CLC and JJC 

through four objectives: 

Objective 1: To further internationalize the general education curriculum with 39 new modules 

and courses with a focus on India, Japan, and Jordan. 

The faculty at CLC and JJC were invited to submit proposals to the co-directors for 

curricular development or internationalization of courses with a focus on India, Japan, or Jordan. 

Thirty faculty proposed a total of thirty-nine courses, which were selected for their excellence in 

design and potential student impact. Table I above outlines the broad selection of disciplines, 

which reflect the community college mission to provide career/vocational programs and an 

excellent first two years of academic coursework transferrable to a university for a baccalaureate. 

These new courses and modules will also provide students with courses that lead to a Certificate 

in International Studies. 

Since developing and enhancing faculty understanding, knowledge, and skill is key to 

successful internationalization, the project faculty will work with scholars from the University of 

Chicago's (NRCs) Centers for South East Asia, East Asia, and Middle East to develop the 

modules and new courses with focus on India, Japan, and Jordan. The directors and scholars at 

these Centers have worked with CLC and/or JJC on previous international projects. During each 

fall semester of this project, the scholars will give presentations on the history, society, and 

culture of each India, Japan, and Jordan. They will continue to assist the project faculty 

throughout the academic year in developing bibliographies, materials, selecting texts and 

audiovisual materials, and designing special projects to help each faculty develop a new course 

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or to internationalize a course with an India, Japan, or Jordan focus. All project lectures and 

events will be videotaped by the Media Department at both JJC and CLC. Copies will be 

available for classroom use and project review through the International Education Centers at 

both colleges. Project faculty will participate in both fall and spring lecture and film series in 

support of the internationalization efforts and in preparation of the professional faculty 

immersion experience in the country of their course focus. The new course content will generate 

greater interest, understanding and debate on India, Japan and Jordan and the world regions and 

cultures they represent. 

Lead faculty at each institution have been identified who are natives of India, Japan, and 

Jordan and whose personal and professional connections will help us run both the faculty and the 

student experiences abroad. The professional faculty immersion experience for the project 

faculty will be a unique 10-day opportunity for faculty to go beyond their personal course 

research and development activities and gain first hand experience of the culture and society of 

their focus country. In all three countries, faculty will mingle with local faculty, colleagues, and 

students on the partnering universities‟ campuses. Scholarly academic pre-trip preparations and 

on-site lectures will add to the faculty‟s knowledge and skills for internationalizing curricula. 

Faculty will prepare for this experience abroad in the fall, and travel will coincide with the spring 

break of the following year. 

Objective 2. To enhance foreign language offerings in 11 courses by (a) developing two 

semesters of Conversational Hindi; (b) developing one additional semester of 

Conversational Japanese; and (c) enhancing 8 existing Arabic and Japanese 

courses with cultural content. 

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U.S. security has been increasingly tied to language learning, with specific focus on the 

less-commonly taught critical languages including Arabic and Japanese, two of the languages to 

be enhanced in this project. The third language targeted in this project, Hindi, is the official 

language of India and is also spoken in eastern Pakistan, both countries critical to American 

national interests. We are confident that the opportunity to learn these languages will enhance 

our community college students‟ employability and long-term development as global citizens. 

Support from this project will develop videoconferencing as an innovative technology to 

deliver the foreign languages courses developed under this project to students at both JJC and 

CLC. Both colleges will support this technological development with cash contributions, 

amounting to two-thirds of the total from JJC, and we request one-third federal funding, less than 

2% of the total project cost. We expect a considerable increase in all foreign language courses 

developed or enhanced through this project with this new delivery system. 

At CLC, students can enroll in four semesters each of the following credit, transfer 

languages courses: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. 

Students at JJC can enroll in traditional credit classes of French and Spanish through six 

semesters. Also, for the past two decades, we have successfully utilized the Self Instructional 

Language Program (SILP) method to provide our undergraduate students with the option of 

learning languages that are not otherwise supported by the regular language curriculum. JJC 

offers two semesters of transfer conversational courses in Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese, 

Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Tagalog delivered through this SILP method. 

Enrollment in these classes averages 200 students per year with exit assessments 

demonstrating an 85% retention rate. Of students completing these courses, 75% receive A and 

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B grades. Student surveys at midterm and prior to final exams confirm a High to Very High 

satisfaction rate, and 80% of students indicate they plan to continue their language learning. 

The SILP method was developed in 1965 by a core group of universities, including 

Cornell University, which formed the National Association for Self Instructional Language 

Programs (NASILP). NASILP has offered 50 languages to approximately 9,000 at 125 

institutional member university and colleges. It serves as the clearinghouse for information on 

appropriate texts and materials as well as professional development for SILP coordinators and 

directors. SILP is a proven supervised program of learner-directed language study mentored by 

weekly conversational drill sessions with a native-speaking tutor and assessed by external 

examiners who are university professors of the target language. Currently, SILP utilizes 

American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards for evaluating 

authentic oral communication. 

Even though English is the language of business in India, as internationalists we value the 

benefit of communicating with citizens of a given country in their own language, and as the 

official Indian language, Hindi will be selected as the language that will be developed under this 

grant. Adding Hindi to the language curriculum will not only expand the linguistic and cultural 

range of the CLC and JJC language programs, but it will also complement this project‟s 

internationalization of courses with an India focus. 

Hindi will be developed through the SILP method, and JJC will take the lead in this 

development because of its 20 year experience in this area. JJC‟s SILP coordinator, Cristobal 

Trillo, Professor of Spanish and French raised in Morocco and proficient in Arabic, will work 

with the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Chicago to develop two beginning 

semesters of Hindi, HIN 110 and HIN 111. Once developed, these two semesters will be 

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available through videoconferencing to students at CLC at in-district tuition. At the end of the 

semester, University of Chicago faculty in Hindi will administer the final oral examination to 

students at both CLC and JJC campuses. 

At JJC, enrollment in the first two semesters of Japanese has been strong for many years, 

and in yearly student course surveys, students have expressed interest in an additional semester 

of Japanese. Therefore, under this grant, third semester Japanese will be developed through the 

SILP method under the supervision of Prof. Cristobal Trillo with assistance from the University 

of Chicago‟s East Asia Center. All of JJC‟s Japanese courses taught through SILP will also be 

offered to CLC students through videoconferencing at in-district tuition. 

CLC successfully offers credit classes in Arabic and Japanese, but these have been 

grammar based with little cultural content. With grant funding, a cultural component will be 

added to the CLC traditional Arabic and Japanese courses. Courses will be offered to JJC 

students at in-district tuition through videoconferencing and will be of interest to JJC students 

wishing to continue Japanese and Arabic beyond the levels that JJC offers. 

Dr. Hiroshi Okana, Professor of Foreign Languages, will develop the cultural component 

for CLC‟s existing Japanese language classes: Beginning Japanese 121 and 122, and 

Intermediate Japanese 221 and 222. He has found that students struggle with the very different 

cognitive and cultural structures embedded in this non-Western language, and he believes that 

students need a learning environment that will enable them to immerse themselves more fully in 

these differences. To create such a learning environment, he will hire an additional Japanese 

language tutor; organize a series of at least three Japanese Days at CLC during the second year 

of the project, with presentations on such topics as calligraphy, the tea ceremony, and flower 

arranging; purchase classroom materials to create a Japanese cultural atmosphere, such as maps, 

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posters, art objects, and materials with which to practice calligraphy; and oversee the purchase of 

library materials to expand our collection on Japanese language and culture. 

In the third year of the project, CLC will use college funds to hire a new, half-time 

instructor, to provide additional instruction in Arabic language and culture, including creating 

new courses. The new instructor will teach the existing Arabic courses offered by CLC: 

Elementary Modern Standard Arabic 121 and 122, and Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic 

221 and 222. The instructor will also be expected to teach new humanities courses in Arabic 

and/or Islamic culture, art, philosophy, and/or literature, and to help develop new modules in 

these topics for existing humanities courses. He or she will also help to create cultural immersion 

programs, and Arabic language lab materials and programs. This person will also institute 

tutoring programs in Arabic, will advise faculty on adding Islamic cultural aspects to their 

classes, and will assist the Library in purchasing appropriate materials for the collection. JJC 

students will be able to enroll in CLC Arabic courses through videoconferencing. 

Objective 3. To develop three-week cultural immersion study abroad programs for students to 

India, Japan, and Jordan. 

Both CLC and JCC have had experience in organizing and designing short-term study 

abroad programs, and both have sent students to programs abroad through their membership in 

the Illinois Consortium for International Studies & Programs (ICISP). 

CLC, however, is the stronger partner in this grant objective. CLC faculty members 

have conducted study abroad programs in many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin 

America since 1983, with an estimated 1,500 students participating. Up to now, however, there 

have been no study abroad programs for India, Japan, or Jordan, all countries in regions of 

critical national security and economic importance for the United States. 

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Study abroad programs, even short-term ones, can be a prohibitively high-priced item for 

community college students, who choose to attend two-year institutions partly for financial 

considerations. Universities often accommodate small numbers of community college students 

in their study abroad programs. Still, community colleges sometimes fail to enroll even these 

small numbers. The proposed study abroad immersion programs in India, Japan, and Jordan will 

(1) enroll students from both JJC and CLC, (2) send lead faculty from each institution to 

maintain the program quality and safety controls required, (3) and utilize grant funding to 

provide financial support to the students in the programs. These combined factors will help us 

reach the minimum eight student enrollment needed for a viable program, and our JJC and CLC 

partnership and will ensure program success beyond the project period. 

At the beginning of each academic year of the project, information on the federally 

funded scholarship opportunity will be sent through college email to all JJC and CLC students. 

On-going articles in college and local newspapers and radio advertising will maximize the 

outreach to the student community. We are confident that these measures will increase student 

interest in the project, study abroad immersion programs, and study abroad in general. 

Lead faculty members Prof. Raghuraman (India), Dr. Kikuchi (Japan) and Dr. Audi 

(Jordan) have already laid the groundwork for all the study abroad immersion programs and will 

continue to plan and organize activities. Each program will include a language class, a culture 

and society class (including a service component), and an optional general education class. In all 

three programs our students will mingle with local students on the partnering universities‟ 

campuses, live on or near campus, and take courses offered by lead faculty from both colleges 

and from faculty at the host institutions. 

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The co-directors strongly believe that the study abroad immersion program must include 

studying the language in the target country to begin the student‟s road to achieving language 

proficiency, especially given the fact that language acquisition and competence in the critical 

languages of this project require three to four times as many hours for native English-speakers as 

the time it takes them to learn Spanish (575-600 hours of study for Spanish vs. 2200 hours for 

Arabic, Hindi and Japanese). 

Also, we know from our previous experience in both short-term and long-term study 

abroad programs that students continue enrollment in foreign language courses when they return 

from their experience abroad. Living and traveling in the target language country also help 

develop informed, ethical local and world citizens. 

Each study abroad immersion program will have pre-and post-assessment of the student‟s 

scope of familiarity with and knowledge about each country (e.g., social institutions, cultural 

geography, and history), to assess learning outcomes at the completion of the experience abroad. 

Students will maintain a journal during their study abroad immersion program, recording 

observations, which will be used in part to write a comparative research paper, comparing and 

contrasting the culture of the U.S. with that of the target country on a chosen topic (e.g., social 

institutions, economy, gender relations, child-raising practices, religious institutions). The final 

grade will be based on an average of scores on assignments, active participation in program 

events, quality of journal entries, and the final comparative research paper. 

Each study abroad program will be evaluated upon completion, and lead faculty will 

provide co-directors with the results of student and faculty surveys and assessments. Necessary 

adjustments will be made for the subsequent program year. 

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Three-Week Cultural and Language Immersion Program in India – May-June, 2011: 

Between mid-May and early June of 2011, JJC and CLC will offer a three-week study 

abroad immersion program at Pondicherry University, a teaching and research university with 

approximately four thousand students. The program will be organized and led by Professor Ram 

Raghuraman, Chairman and Professor of the JJC CIOS Department, and by the JJC Minority 

Student Support Services counselor. They are both natives of Pondicherry, India, a diverse and 

colorful town of French colonial heritage located in the subcontinent‟s southeast. 

Prof. Raghuraman travelled to Pondicherry in the summer of 2009, discussed the grant 

project with Pondicherry University administration, and began preliminary cost discussions. We 

have received a letter of support from Dr. Venkatraman, Dean of Extension Campuses at 

Pondicherry University, agreeing to provide us with classroom facilities, accommodations for 

our students, and assistance for in-country cultural experiences. Students will receive room and 

board at the Foreign Students Hostel run by the University. 

Three courses developed under this grant will be offered for this program: Cultures and 

Society of India and Hindi 110 and 111. As part of the culture class, students will be required to 

participate in a service component, volunteering at a local institution that will be identified by 

Dean Venkatraman‟s staff. Students will work, teach, or help locals with their own talent, skills, 

and time. Prof. Raghuraman will also offer an optional computer science course open to the 

Pondicherry University students, further facilitating mingling with the local population. 

As part of their studies, students will participate in many cultural activities and site visits 

to enhance their learning. Site visits will include the following: Institute of Indology (a center 

for the study of Indian languages, culture, civilization, ecology and environmental development); 

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various parks and memorials to Mahatma Gandhi and other important Indian figures; and a visit 

to the Taj Mahal, India‟s major cultural attraction. 

The program cost is approximately $2400 (roundtrip on American Airlines is estimated at 

$1,500, room and board $240, $660 for in-country transportation, museum fees, travel insurance, 

visa, and incidentals). 

Three-Week Cultural and Language Immersion Program in Japan – May-June, 2012: 

Between mid-May and early June of 2012, JJC and CLC will offer a three-week study 

abroad program at Ehime University, in Matsuyama City, Japan, led by Dr. Kenneth Kikuchi, 

professor of psychology at the College of Lake County. Ehime University, a comprehensive 

four-year university, has a long history of hosting international students who are studying 

Japanese languages. We prefer this relatively traditional and small Japanese city because it still 

maintains the old Japanese cultural traditions. In addition, Ehime University is able to offer us 

competitive values for student housing and other facilities to host our program. Our students can 

use university bikes to travel to most parts of the city and to the university campus. 

Dr. Kikuchi travelled to Matsuyama in mid-October of 2009 with CLC funds to finalize 

the housing and other logistical arrangements, as well as the Japanese language and cultural 

course offerings, with Ehime University. We have signed a MOU with this university, which 

will lead to further collaborative projects in the future. 

Students will take two courses offered by both CLC or JCC faculty members: a 

Japanese language class, „Survival Course on Living in Japan‟ offered by Professor Ruth Vergin 

of Ehime University, and PSYCH 224 (Theories of Personality) a course comparing Japanese 

and Western ways to study personalities taught by lead faculty Dr. Kikuchi. As part of the 

culture class, students will be required to participate in a service component, volunteering at one 

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of various local institutions that will be identified by Ehime University staff where students will 

work, teach, or help locals with their own talent, skills, and time. Courses will be open to 

Japanese students to nurture a mutual learning environment for American and Japanese students. 

Included in this study abroad program will be activities and visits to cultural and 

historical sites such as Saka no Ue no, the Ishite, Osaka and Tokyo. Students will also 

participate in the Sanjia Matsuri, one of Tokyo‟s three major festivals. 

Program cost will be approximately $3,200 (roundtrip on American Airlines is estimated 

at $1,100, room and board $1,400, $700 for in-country transportation, museum fees, travel 

insurance, and incidentals). 

Three-Week Cultural and Language Immersion Program in Jordan – May-June, 2013: 

Between mid May and early June of 2013, CLC and JJC will offer a three-week cultural 

and language immersion program at Jordan University of Science and Technology/JUST at Irbid. 

This university is well-known for its research departments. We have received a letter of support 

from the university, pledging their cooperation in providing classroom facilities and 

accommodations for our students. Dr. Ahmad Audi, Professor of Chemistry at CLC, and codirector Yu will be the lead faculty members for this program. 

Students will take two classes in Arabic language and in sociology. Jordan University of 

Science and Technology has agreed to provide the instructor for Arabic language instruction. 

Dr. Yu will offer Sociology 224, Sociology of Families and Marriages, focusing on Jordanian 

families, marriages and Islamic traditions. As part of this culture class, students will be required 

to participate in a service component, volunteering at a local institution that will be identified by 

Jordan University staff. Students will work, teach, or help locals with their own talent, skills, 

and time. 

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Dr. Ahmad Audi will teach Chemistry 120 as an optional class, comparing how science is 

taught in Jordan and America and invite Jordanian instructors to discuss some basic chemistry 

principles in his classes. 

To enhance our students‟ cultural immersion in learning about Jordanian cultures and 

history, we will include the following visits to ancient Arab, Muslim, Christian and Roman sites: 

Amman, Madaba (home to the famous 6th century Mosaic Map of Jerusalem), the Holy Land, 

Gadara, and Pella. 

Program cost will be approximately $3,200 (roundtrip on American Airlines is estimated 

at $1,500, room and board $1,000, $700 for in-country transportation, museum fees, travel 

insurance, and incidentals). 

Objective 4: To develop a Certificate in International Studies. 

We will develop a Certificate in International Education for both JJC and CLC. It will be 

the first in Illinois and will serve as a model for the other 42 Illinois community colleges. 

The purposes of this certificate are (1) to provide a coherent base on which our students 

may build a greater understanding of global systems and their interconnectedness in this 

increasingly global environment, (2) to assist students in acquiring intercultural skills and 

general knowledge of world events, both past and present, (3) to train our students with specific 

skills of another language and culture, and (4) to build on existing programs in order to enhance 

employability in our global market. 

The certificate will certainly help fulfill the missions of both JJC and CLC as it relates to 

increasing cross-cultural and global awareness, to prepare students to better understand and to 

involve themselves in our global community. 

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Due to the continuing efforts to internationalize our curriculum through previous grants 

and funds provided by both colleges, CLC and JJC have over 200 courses with international or 

global content which will be flagged in the colleges‟ catalog and class schedules as IS 

(International Studies) courses. These courses, plus all the courses developed under this project, 

will be of interest to students in the general population and will also be the course selection for 

the Certificate in International Studies. As stated earlier, both JJC and CLC have agreed to offer 

the courses in foreign languages and general education developed under this project to all our 

students with in-district tuition, offering them affordability and ease in pursuing the Certificate. 

We have ensured that all courses designated as IS at both colleges will have the following 

five development outcomes: to (1) enhance cultural awareness, (2) increase intercultural 

communication, (3) develop „international citizenship,‟ (4) demonstrate international work skills 

in a specific discipline, (5) encourage international travel, and (6) develop foreign language 

communication skills. 

Co-directors Arias and Yu have been in contact with Illinois Community College Board 

administrators Karen Hunter Anderson and Tricia Broughton who have agreed in principle that 

the CLC and JJC application for a Certificate in International Studies will be a cost effective and 

value-added factor that promises to enhance employability for our students in our global market. 

Within the Illinois Community College System, certificates must be attached to a specific 

program. The Certificate in International Studies will therefore build on existing programs, 

beginning with a Certificate in International Studies in Business, Certificate of International 

Studies in Culinary Arts, and Certificate of International Studies in Horticulture. More programs 

will be added in future. 

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Regardless of the program to which it is attached, the Certificate in International Studies 

will require students to take 21 credit hours in IS courses from the CLC and JJC lists, including 

the new course Introduction to International Studies, plus two semesters of a foreign language. 

Students will be strongly advised to participate in either a short term or long term study abroad 

program and to take advantage of the federally funded scholarships under this project for the 

study abroad immersion programs in India, Japan and Jordan. 

d/e) The following is the list of project personnel from JJC and CLC, all of whom make up 

the project Advisory Team mentioned throughout this narrative: Co-Directors: Dr. Berta Isabel 

Arias (JJC) and Dr. Li-Hua Yu (CLC); Language Coordinators: Prof. Cristobal Trillo (JJC) and Dr. Olivia 

Yanez, (CLC); Lead faculty for both the professional faculty immersion experience and the study abroad 

immersion program: Prof. Ram Raghuraman (JJC) – India; Dr. Kenneth Kikuchi (CLC) – Japan; Dr. 

Ahmad Audi (CLC) – Jordan; Vice President Betsey Oudenhoven (JJC) and Assistant Vice President 

Karen Hlavin (CLC); Grant Budget Agents: Elaine Falk (JJC) and Kimberley Vagnoni (CLC) 

JJC, founded in 1901 and the oldest public community college in the United States, has a 

long and rich tradition of excellence in higher education and community service. It has been 

providing the 650,000 citizens within its seven-county district with a superior education for 108 

years. JJC offers pre-baccalaureate programs for students planning to transfer to a four-year 

university, occupational education classes leading directly to employment, adult education and 

literacy programs, workforce development services, and support services to help students 

succeed. 

In 2008 JJC served 27,182 students in credit courses and 14,425 students in non-credit 

courses over three campuses, one branch, and twenty extension locations. Will County, which 

covers 837 square miles and where 85% of the college's students reside, is the fourth fastest 

growing county in the nation and the fastest growing county in the state of Illinois. Currently, 

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the college enrollment is close to 15,200 with 28% minority representation: 10.3% African 

American, 14.2% Hispanic, 2.7% Asian and <1% Native American. 

CLC, founded in 1969, is a public, open access, comprehensive community college 

serving the postsecondary needs of Lake County, Illinois (population 732,632, 2009 U.S. Bureau 

of Census) residents at three campuses. CLC is located in the northeast corner of Illinois, in 

another rapidly growing suburban area of Chicago. The college is the primary postsecondary 

institution for low-income, first-generation, and minority students in its region and serves a 

population diverse in education, ethnicity, levels of income, and other demographic factors. 

CLC‟s enrollment leapt from 16,359 in 2008 to 18,092 in 2009. Most students (59%) are 

traditional-age (18-24) and of all students, 39% are members of minority groups, with the largest 

single group being Hispanic, at 25%. CLC is therefore also an emerging Hispanic Serving 

Institution (HSI), and is currently participating in a U.S. Department of Education Title V: 

Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant under the “cooperative grant” category with 

Northeastern Illinois University. 

CLC and JJC declare and reaffirm their policy of administering all of its educational 

programs and support services in a way that does not discriminate. Both the CLC and JJC 

mission statements closely relate to Section 427 of GEPA. As affirmative action, equal 

opportunity institutions, the CLC and JJC prohibit discrimination against individuals or groups 

based on race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age, religion, veteran‟s status, disability, or sexual preference, and college policies are designed to assure equality of treatment for all. 

2. Quality of Personnel 

2a) The project co-director, Dr. Berta Isabel Arias, has successfully directed both U.S. 

Department of Education Title VI-A and Title VI-B Projects, and two World Policy Association 

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Projects. She has also been a reader for Title VI-A Project proposals and has served as a 

consultant to other community colleges in their Title VI applications. In her capacity as the 

College's International Education Coordinator since 1988, she has administrative responsibilities 

in the research, organization, and delivery of venues that highlight global education at the 

College. She is currently a JJC Professor Emeritus in World Languages and JJC‟s International 

Education Coordinator, as well as serving as the Executive Chair of the IL Consortium for 

International Studies & Programs since 2007. 

Dr. Arias' commitment to world languages involved her in the Self-Instructional 

Language Program in 1990, which was not well-known or utilized at the community college 

level at that time. This involvement helped to bring critical less-commonly taught language 

opportunities to the students at the College. Dr. Arias is trilingual in Spanish, French, and 

English and has a moderate level of fluency in Italian and Portuguese. She has traveled 

extensively in Eastern Europe, the European Union, Latin America, and China. As the 

International Education Coordinator, she oversees the student Study Abroad Programs for both 

semester and summer programs and also coordinates faculty staff development activities abroad. 

Dr. Li-Hua Yu, Ph.D., will serve as co-director and will be responsible for the overall 

planning and execution of the grant components at CLC as well as for joint overall leadership of 

the project. Dr. Yu has been the Coordinator of CLC‟s International Education Program, and its 

institutional representative to ICISP, since 2005. A native speaker of Chinese, Dr. Yu received 

her baccalaureate from Xian International Studies University, and a master‟s degree and Ph.D. 

degree in American Cultural Studies, with a concentration in sociology, from Bowling Green 

State University. She has taught the History of Chinese Culture and Society course, and led its 

associated Field Study tour, since 1994, and has served on CLC‟s International Education 

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committee continuously since then. She has been very active professionally, including being a 

founding member of The Association of Chinese Professors of Social Sciences of the United 

States. In January, 2010, she will become the Director of CLC‟s International Education Center, 

created in large part due to her success in both managing CLC‟s Title VI-A grant in 2007-09, and 

to her efforts to expand and deepen that grant‟s East Asia-related curricular projects, its study 

abroad experiences, and CLC‟s resulting partnerships with universities in China. The codirectors will each dedicate fifty percent of their time to carrying out all aspects of this project. 

2b) Lead persons Raghuraman (JJC), Kikuchi and Audi (CLC) are all full time professors at 

their colleges and are natives of India, Japan and Jordan respectively. They maintain close 

personal and professional connections in their native countries and are key faculty in the 

development and planning of both the professional faculty immersion experience and the study 

abroad immersion program. 

SILP language coordinator Cristobal Trillo is a JJC professor in French and Spanish and 

having been raised in Morocco is also fluent in Arabic. He is experienced in SILP language 

development and supervision. Dr. Olivia Yanez, CLC Chair of the Foreign Language 

Department and romance languages expert (her Ph.D. is from the University of Chicago), will 

work closely with Dr. Yu to assist with the Japanese cultural immersion activities. She will also 

help to successfully recruit a qualified half-time language instructor in Arabic at the beginning of 

the third year. Then they will plan and implement further cultural and Arabic language 

immersion programs at CLC. 

The CLC and JJC project faculty members who will develop new courses or modules are 

all experienced professionals dedicated to the advancement of international education. Many, if 

not all, have published and/or lectured extensively in their discipline and have high recognition 

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and visibility in their respective fields. They are all capable participants in our colleges‟ 

continuing internationalization of the general education curricula. 

Vice President Betsey Oudenhoven will serve as the JJC administrative officer for this 

project. Dr. Oudenhoven has extensive experience working both with international and diverse 

populations and is currently instrumental in the development of the international students‟ 

initiative at JJC. Karen Hlavin, Assistant Vice President for Student Development, will serve as 

the CLC administrative officer for this project. She has a long history of experience in 

administration and policy creation in the student development field, oversees international 

student recruitment at CLC, and also oversees the new International Education Center. 

Elaine Falk (JJC Federal Grant Accountant) has successfully supervised many federal 

grant budgets including all JJC Title VI grants and will serve as this project‟s fiscal supervisor. 

She will work closely with Kim Vagnoni, CLC‟s Grant Accountant, to administer grant funds. 

These key JJC and CLC staff are the Advisory Team, which has been involved with this 

project from the onset and will help support and maintain all project activities. All have 

previously been involved in the management, administration, and successful completion of 

previous USDE and other grants and are familiar with achieving a successful completion of tasks 

and objectives. The Advisory Team will be supported by appropriate CLC and JJC staff, drawn 

from every area of the college and too large in number to enumerate. 

The Letters of Support from the CLC and JJC Administrations, from the University of 

Chicago NRCs, and from the partnering colleges in India, Japan and Jordan give the basic tenor 

of the commitment and external support dedicated to achieving the project objectives. The 

colleges have identified key personnel at all levels of their institutions to dedicate appropriate 

and necessary time to assisting in all facets of this project. 

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2c) Both CLC and JJC are committed to a total policy of nondiscrimination. They have 

hiring procedures that require consistent advertising in non-English newspapers and magazines 

and on minority professional websites and organizations. CLC has well-developed relationships 

with local media and local minority institutions that facilitate this process, as well as in-house 

sources of referral through an active TRIO: Educational Talent Search grant. JJC increased its 

percentage of employees from minority groups from 13.9% in 2004 to 18% in 2009 through a 

new Manager of Recruitment and Diversity position that monitors implementation of the JJC‟s 

Affirmative Action Goals. 

3. Budget and Cost Effectiveness 

3a/b) Project personnel have been selected so as to most effectively meet the objectives of the 

grant. CLC and JJC are committed to supporting the project activities by: 

a) over-matching federal funds, beyond the required 50%; 

b) contributing non-federal money for areas such as videoconferencing technology to share 

foreign language classes between CLC and JJC, travel support for international and 

national conferences for project faculty, library acquisitions, computer software, and 

other supplies; 

c) contributing time for key college personnel to assist in the success of this project; and 

d) providing 50% release time for the co-directors to successfully administer this project. 

In the planning stages of this project, the co-directors met beginning February, 2009 with 

the Advisory Team to identify the grant objectives and to devise a budget that would accomplish 

those objectives in the most cost-effective manner possible. JJC will be the grantee and fiscal 

agent for federal funds. Grant funds will provide substitutes for project faculty who have regular 

teaching loads of 30+ credit hours in an academic year to conduct the research and make the 

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curricular changes for modules or new courses and for support for the professional faculty 

immersion experience in India, Japan, and Jordan, which will enhance the faculty‟s research and 

course development. Funds are requested for seven to eight students to participate in each of the 

three week study abroad immersion programs which will enhance the students‟ understanding of 

these countries and world regions and increase global awareness and appreciation for diversity. 

Honoraria is requested for the scholars who will help the project faculty to infuse the 

identified courses with perspectives of project countries and the foreign languages experts who 

will develop two semesters of Conversational Hindi and a third semester of Conversational 

Japanese. Language experts will also assist in developing cultural modules to the existing 

Arabic and Japanese language courses. 

Both federal and institutional funds will also provide the project faculty with 

opportunities to attend relevant conferences and workshops such as the conferences sponsored by 

the Asia Studies Association, the Middle East Studies Association, Community Colleges for 

International Development, and the National Association for Self-Instructional Language 

Programs and ACTFL. Attendance at these conferences will ensure that project faculty remain 

apprised of the work being done at other institutions as well as provide a forum for discussion of 

our own initiatives under this partnership between CLC and JJC. The project co-directors will 

attend the annual U.S. Department of Education meetings as arranged by the USDE. 

Funding is requested for an „end of project‟ conference in May, 2013 where CLC and JJC 

project faculty, co-directors and staff from the University of Chicago who assisted with grant 

objectives will present the grant activities, objectives, outcomes and perspectives. 

Lastly, funds are requested to purchase select materials (texts, videos, maps) to support 

the curricular and foreign language development and will also provide monies for the purchase 

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of similar materials through both colleges‟ libraries where all materials will be accessible to the 

community at large. The Budget Narrative provides specific costs per grant year. 

4. Adequacy of Resources 

4a) JJC and CLC have excellent common resources, such as state of the art smart classrooms 

equipped with the latest technology, computer labs, personal computers, email, fax and 

duplicating services, and fully equipped media services and website design departments, which 

will all be available for project purposes as necessary. Some special areas at JJC are: Foreign 

Film Library, The Academic Skills Center (provides tutoring services for all students), STAR 

Office (provides disability services and accommodations), Women's College (counseling and 

support services targeted to returning adults), Early Childhood Center (for children of faculty and 

students), Veterans Affairs Office (supports returning veterans), and Multicultural Affairs Office. 

With regard to support for the foreign language classes, all JJC computer labs are 

appropriately equipped so that students wishing to practice their audio/aural skills can avail 

themselves of headphones and CDs provided for all foreign languages offered. Further, the 

Rosetta Stone program is available in the LRC. Most importantly, with both grant and matching 

funds, a JJC campus to CLC campus state of the art videoconferencing capability will be 

developed to allow students to take any of the less commonly taught critical languages taught 

with in-district tuition. CLC and JJC will fund this innovative technology with two-thirds of the 

cost in cash contributions. 

CLC‟s institutional resources are manifold and include the John C. Murphy Memorial 

Library, with a nearly 1 million volume collection. CLC also has a Learning Assistance Center, 

a Professional Development Center for both faculty and staff, a Military Network of Services 

Committee to serve an increasing veterans population, and an Office of Disabled Students. CLC 

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has three IBM microcomputer laboratories, and a state of the art language laboratory with 34 

stations of the Sanako Lab 300, which enables the lab stations to be used either as a classroom, 

or as individual units for self-paced learning. CLC already has videoconferencing capability in 

one room on each of its three campuses. A combination of matching funds and federal funds will 

be used to upgrade the existing system in concert with JJC. 

5. Plan of Evaluation 

5a) The Institutional Effectiveness Office at JJC and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness 

and Research at CLC have assisted with evaluation design, and will support the project by 

assisting in collection and analysis of data, and preparation of reports so that the evaluation 

process remains objective and can provide quantifiable data. 

5b/c) The following is a list of evaluation and assessment tools, samples of which can be found 

in Appendix C (Evaluation Tools): pre and post assessment for each new course or module; 

satisfaction assessment for foreign language courses developed or enhanced; evaluation survey 

questions pre and post professional faculty immersion experience; evaluation survey questions 

pre and post study abroad immersion program; evaluation forms for each workshop, speaker or 

lecture; evaluation of cultural activities; quantitative assessment (one for project faculty and one 

for students) of assessment of new courses and cultural activities, assessment of impact of 

Certificate in International Studies on career choice and employability. Each instrument will 

measure the impact in learning outcomes and attitudinal changes affected by the new content in 

the internationalized courses and in the new foreign language courses. 

5d) Further, at JJC, external assessment of each Hindi 110 and 111 and Japanese 112 will be 

achieved through the Illinois Board of Higher Education-required evaluation process whereby 

new courses are sent to three Illinois universities for their review and approval. Evaluations of 

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student learning outcomes for these courses will follow the Self Instructional Language Program 

criteria for prochievement oral assessment. Evaluation in the enhanced Japanese and Arabic 

language credit courses at CLC will be conducted by collecting data from student evaluation 

forms, results on tests and quizzes, and by comparing enrollment and persistence rates from 

earlier courses with those in the newly enhanced versions. The evaluation process, therefore, 

will be on-going during the project as outlined in Table II. 

Table II – Timeline: Objectives, Activities & Evaluations 

Goal: Strengthening International Studies and Languages 

through a Consortium between Joliet Junior College (JJC) and College of Lake County (CLC) 

2010-2011: Focus India July – December 2010 

Objective 1: To further internationalize the general education curriculum with 4 new courses and 14 new 

modules on India 

Activities: Evaluation: Learning / Project Outcomes 

Aug: workshop for curricular dvlpmt 

Sept.: India Lead faculty formalizes 

arrangements for prof. faculty 

immersion experience, March 2011 

Oct: submission of 1st curr materials 

Nov: a) International week:1st Film 

and Lectures series on India 

b) course materials sent to external 

evaluator for comments 

Dec: final submission for courses 

and modules 

Workshop evaluation survey 

Review by co-directors 

Evaluation survey for lecture/film 

series 

Feedback to faculty members by codirectors and external evaluator 

Approval for courses & modules by 

co-directors 

Increase faculty knowledge of India 

Promote international education at 

JJC and CLC 

Objective 2: To enhance foreign language offerings with 2 new Hindi language courses – Hindi 110 and 

Hindi 111 

Aug: Hindi prof. & language coord 

begin developing Hindi 110 & 111 

Oct: a) lang coord attends the Natl 

Assoc. of Self-Instructional Langs 

Conference 

b):1st videoconferencing training for 

lang profs & tutors at CLC & JJC 

c) submit Hindi 110 & 111 to codirector and external evaluator 

Nov: 2nd videoconferencing training 

Dec: final Hindi 110& &111 syllabi 

Co-director participates in planning 

Feedback from the conference 

Evaluation survey for the training 

Review and feedback by the codirector and external evaluator 

Evaluation survey for video training 

Final approval of Hindi 110 & 111 

Lang coord & Hindi prof gain 

insights in selecting best materials 

for Hindi classes 

Lang coord makes connection with 

other Hindi SILP coords 

CLC & JJC lang profs & tutors 

appreciate benefits of multiple sites 

for language instruction 

Objective 3: To develop 3 week cultural immersion study abroad program for students at Pondicherry 

University, India 

July: develop marketing materials 

for the program 

Aug: send federal scholarship 

support info to all students via email 

& begin student info. meetings 

Sept: co-directors finalize India 

program evaluation tools 

Nov: International week: continue 

Co-directors and lead faculty review 

materials and provide input 

Lead faculty provide slide 

presentation on India to students & 

faculty 

Assess & produce final evaluation 

tools for the program 

Students demonstrate interest in 

Pondicherry program and attend 

informational meetings 

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promotion of the program & 

scholarship 

Dec.: articles on program in local & 

college newspapers, radio 

Assess number of participants to 

plan for further promotion 

Objective 4: To develop a Certificate in International Studies in Business 

Aug: meeting with personnel in 

curriculum development and 

business division 

Sept: meeting with IL Comm. 

College Board (ICCB) 

Oct: 2nd meeting at CLC and JCC 

Dec: initial draft of the proposal 

Co-directors evaluate input from 

meeting 

Co-directors evaluate input from 

ICCB 

When the Certificate for 

International Studies in Business is 

approved and implemented, students 

will be better prepared and have 

better credentials for our increasing 

global job market 

2010-2011: Focus India January – June, 2011 

Objective 1: To further internationalize the general education curriculum with 4 new courses and 14 new 

modules on India 

Activities: Evaluations: Learning /Project Outcomes 

Jan: a) teach new courses and 

modules on India 

b) finalize prof. faculty immersion 

experience at Pondicherry 

University, India 

Feb: Pre-trip workshop on India 

March: faculty trip to India (10 days 

during the spring break) 

April: external evaluator visit 

May: a) faculty submit program 

learning outcomes to co-directors 

b) co-directors send year report to 

external evaluator 

Pre-test on India in new 

courses/modules 

Co-directors review the program & 

faculty‟s professional plans 

Pre-trip assessment survey 

Trip evaluation survey and post-trip 

assessment questions by co-directors 

External evaluator‟s report sent to 

co-directors 

Students better understand and 

appreciate the people, society and 

cultures of India through new or 

revised courses 

Faculty demonstrates interest in 

curriculum development and 

appreciation of culture of India 

Objective 2: To enhance foreign language offerings with 2 new Hindi languages – Hindi 110 and Hindi 111 

Jan: Hindi 110 & 111 begin at JJC& 

CLC through videoconferencing 

Feb.: lang coord visits Hindi classes 

March: co-directors discuss 

videoconferencing delivery w/tutors 

May: a) prochievement oral exams 

administered; b)course evaluations 

sent to co-directors and external 

evaluator 

Lang coord monitors tutors 

Lang coord surveys student course 

satisfaction & videoconferencing 

delivery 

Feedback by co-directors and 

external evaluators to lang coord 

Students can communicate in Hindi 

in basic social conversations and 

develop an appreciation & 

understanding of the cultures of 

India 

Objective 3: To develop 3 week cultural immersion study abroad programs for students at Pondicherry 

University, India 

Feb: new promotion for the 

program and federal scholarship 

based on previous assessments 

March: a)deadline for scholarship 

application 

b)deadline for program application 

April: a)select & notify participants 

and scholarship recipients 

b) pre-trip lectures by lead faculty 

members 

May: a)pre-trip survey distributed 

b)3-week program at Pondicherry 

University 

Student survey of promotional 

materials and media info 

Co-directors evaluate student 

applications for program and for 

scholarship 

Evaluation of lectures 

Summary of trip evaluations by coStudents better understand and 

appreciate the people, society and 

cultures of India through this first 

hand experience in the country 

Students can practice Hindi in real 

life situations 

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June: post-trip on-line evaluation by 

email notification 

directors and presented to the 

external evaluator 

Objective 4: To develop a Certificate in International Studies in Business 

Jan: incorporate ICCB suggestions 

to new certificate draft 

March: final proposal for the 

certificate sent to ICCB 

May: develop catalog changes and 

promotional information for new 

certificate 

Advisory Team and business dept. 

personnel review new draft and 

provide input 

ICCB approves Certificate in 

International Studies in Business 

Students will be able to improve 

their employability in the business 

sector with the new Certificate 

Students will be able to continue 

toward a B.A. in international 

business or related fields with a solid 

background with this certificate 

2011-2012: Focus Japan July – December, 2011 

Objective 1: To further internationalize the general education curriculum with 3 new courses and 16 new 

modules on Japan 

Aug: workshop for curricular dvlmpt 

Sept.: Japan Lead faculty formalizes 

arrangements for prof. faculty 

immersion experience, March 2012 

Oct: submission of 1st curr materials 

Nov. a) International week:1st Film 

and Lectures series on Japan 

b) course materials send to external 

evaluator for comments 

Dec: final submission for courses 

and modules 

Workshop evaluation survey 

Review by co-directors 

Review by co-directors 

Evaluation survey for lecture/film 

series 

Feedback to faculty members by codirectors and external evaluator 

Approval for courses & modules by 

co-directors 

Increase faculty knowledge of Japan 

Promote international education at 

JJC and CLC 

Objective 2: To enhance foreign language offerings with a new Conversational Japanese-JAPN 112 and 

enhance existing Japanese 121, 122, 221, 222 with cultural content 

Activities Evaluation Learning/Project Outcomes 

JAPN 112: 

Aug: Japanese prof and lang coord 

begin developing Japanese 112 

Oct: a) lang coord attends the Natl 

Assoc of Self-Instructional Langs 

Conferencing 

b) videoconferencing training for 

lang profs & tutors at CLC & JJC 

c) submit Japanese 112 to codirector and external evaluator 

Nov: videoconferencing training 

Dec: final submission Japanese 112 

Co-director participates in planning 

Feedback from the conference 

Evaluation survey for the training 

Review and feedback by the codirector & external evaluator 

Evaluation survey for the training 

Final approval of Japanese 112 

Lang coord and Japanese prof gain 

new insights on selecting best 

materials for Japanese class 

Lang coord makes connection with 

other Japanese SILP cords 

CLC & JJC lang profs & tutors 

appreciate benefits of multiple sites 

for lang instruction 

Japanese cultural enhancement of 

Japanese 121, 122, 221, 222 

Aug: dvlpmt of cultural 

enhancement components 

Sept: purchase lab materials 

b)begin Japanese tutoring 

Oct: submit draft of culture modules 

Nov: Submit final culture modules 

Co-director reviews module plans 

Evaluation of tutoring program (Dr. 

Hiroshi Okana); co-director gives 

feedback on modules 

CLC & JJC students increase 

knowledge/interest in Japanese 

culture and language 

Students will increase oral fluency 

with tutoring assistance and new 

language lab materials for practice 

Objective 3: To develop 3 week cultural immersion study abroad program for students at Ehime University, 

Japan 

July: develop marketing materials 

for the program 

Aug: send federal scholarship 

support info to all students via email 

& begin student info. meetings 

Sept: co-directors finalize Japan 

Co-directors and lead faculty input 

Lead faculty slide presentation 

Assess & produce final evaluation 

tools for the program 

Students demonstrate interest in 

Ehime program and attend 

informational meetings 

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program evaluation tools 

Nov: International week continue 

promotion of the program and 

scholarships 

Dec: articles on program in local & 

college newspapers, radio 

Assess numbers of participants to 

plan for further promotion 

Objective 4: To develop a Certificate in International Studies in Culinary Arts 

Aug: meeting with personnel in 

curriculum development and 

culinary arts division 

Sept: develop draft of certificate 

Nov: send draft to ICC 

Dec.: final draft sent to ICCB 

Co-directors evaluate input from 

meeting 

ICCB evaluates draft of certificate 

and provides input 

When the Certificate in International 

Studies in Culinary Arts is approved 

and implemented, students will be 

better prepared and have better 

credentials for our increasing global 

job market 

2010-2011: Focus Japan January – June, 2012 

Objective 1: To further internationalize the general education curriculum with 3 new courses and 16 new 

modules on Japan 

Jan: a) teach new courses and 

modules on Japan 

b) finalize prof. faculty immersion 

experience at Ehime University, 

Japan 

Feb: Pre-trip workshop on Japan 

March: faculty trip to Japan (10 days 

during the spring break) 

April: external evaluator visit 

May: a) faculty submit program 

learning outcomes to co-directors 

b) co-directors send year report to 

external evaluator 

Pre-test on Japan in new 

courses/modules 

Co-directors review the program & 

faculty‟s professional plans 

Pre-trip assessment survey 

Trip evaluation survey and post-trip 

assessment questions by co-directors 

External evaluator‟s report sent to 

co-directors 

Students better understand Japan 

through new or revised courses 

Faculty demonstrates interest in 

curriculum development and 

appreciation of culture of Japan 

Objective 2: To enhance foreign language offerings with a new Conversational Japanese-JAPN 112 and 

enhance existing Japanese 121, 122, 221, 222 with cultural content 

Activities Evaluation Learning/Project Outcomes 

Jan: JAPN112 begins 

Feb: lang coord visits Japanese 

classes review video conferencing of 

Japanese 

March: co-directors discuss 

videoconferencing delivery w/tutors 

May: a) prochievement oral exams 

administered; b) course evaluations 

sent to co-directors and external 

evaluator 

Lang coord monitors tutors 

Lang coord surveys student course 

satisfaction & videoconferencing 

delivery 

Feedback by co-directors and 

external evaluator to lang coord 

Students can communicate in 

Japanese at an intermediate level for 

social conversations and continue to 

develop an appreciation & 

understanding of cultures of Japan 

Jan: begin Japanese courses with 

new culture modules 

Feb: begin Japanese tutoring at CLC 

for Japanese 121-122, 221-222 

March: 3rd Japanese culture program 

April: completion of lab material 

purchase 

Survey student satisfaction with new 

tutoring services and materials 

Assess new enrollments of 4 courses 

due to the cultural immersion effort 

Students have increased 

knowledge/interest in Japanese 

culture and language 

Students will increase oral fluency 

with tutoring assistance and new 

language lab materials for practice 

Students will continue in Japanese 

Objective 3: To develop 3 week cultural immersion study abroad program for students at Ehime University, 

Japan 

Feb: promotion for the program and 

federal scholarships 

March: a)deadline for scholarship 

application 

Student survey of promotional 

materials and media info 

Co-directors evaluate student 

Students better understand and 

appreciate the people, society and 

culture of Japan through this first 

hand experience in the country 

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b)deadline for program application 

April: a) select & notify participants 

and scholarship recipients 

b}pre-trip lectures by lead faculty 

members 

May: a)pre-trip survey distributed 

b)3-week program at Ehime 

University 

June: post-trip on-line evaluation by 

email notification 

applications for program and for 

scholarship 

Evaluation of lectures 

Summary of trip evaluations by codirectors and presented to the 

external evaluator 

Students can practice Japanese in 

real life situations 

Objective 4: To develop a Certificate in International Studies in Culinary Arts 

Jan: incorporate ICCB suggestions 

to the new certificate draft 

March: final proposal for the 

certificate sent to ICCB 

May: develop catalog changes and 

promotional information for new 

certificate 

Advisory Team and culinary arts 

department personnel review new 

draft and provide input 

ICCB approves Certificate in 

International Studies in Culinary 

Arts 

Students will be able to improve 

their employability in the field of 

culinary arts with the new certificate 

Students will be able to continue 

toward further studies in 

international cuisine with this 

certificate 

2012-2013: Focus Jordan July - December, 2012 

Objective 1: To further internationalize the general education curriculum with 13 new modules and 4 new 

courses on Jordan 

Aug: workshop for curricular dvlpmt 

Sep: a) co-directors organize the end 

of project conference; b) Jordan 

Lead faculty formalizes 

arrangements for prof. faculty 

immersion experience in March ‟13; 

c) co-directors finalize Jordan 

program evaluation tools 

Oct: submission of 1st curr materials 

Nov. a) International week:1st Film 

and Lectures series on Jordan 

b) course materials sent to external 

evaluator for comments 

Dec: final submission for courses 

and modules 

Workshop evaluation survey 

Review by co-directors 

Evaluation survey for lecture/film 

series 

Feedback to faculty members by codirectors and external evaluator 

Approval for courses & modules by 

co-directors 

Increase faculty knowledge of 

Jordan and the Middle East 

Promote international education at 

JJC and CLC 

Objective 2: To enhance foreign language offerings in existing Arabic 121, 122, 221, 222 w/cultural content 

Aug: meeting with Dean for 1st draft 

of new Arabic position; 

Oct: advertise the job position 

Nov: Hiring committee interviews 

candidates 

Dec: completion of hiring 

Co-director will evaluate job 

description with the chair of Foreign 

Language Dept. 

Prepare for the new instructor 

Identify the needs for improving 

Arabic language offerings at CLC 

and develop awareness of Islamic 

cultures 

Define goals for the new Arabic 

instructor 

Activities Evaluation Learning/Project Outcomes 

Objective 3: To develop 3 week cultural immersion study abroad program for students at University of 

Science and Technology, Jordan 

July: develop marketing materials 

for the program 

Aug: send federal scholarship 

support info to all students via email 

& begin student info 

Sept: co-directors begin to develop 

Jordan evaluation tools 

Nov: International week activities; 

Co-directors and lead faculty review 

materials and provide input 

Lead faculty provide slide 

presentation on Jordan to students & 

faculty 

Students demonstrate interest in 

University of Science & Technology 

program and attend informational 

meetings 

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continue promotion of the program 

and scholarship 

Dec.: articles on program in local & 

college newspapers, radio 

Co-directors assess & produce final 

evaluation tools for the program 

Objective 4: To develop a Certificate in International Studies in Horticulture 

Aug: meeting with personnel in 

curriculum development and 

horticulture 

Sept: develop draft of certificate 

Nov: send draft to ICCB 

Dec.: final draft sent to ICCB 

Co-directors evaluate input from 

meeting 

ICCB evaluates draft of Certificate 

and provides input 

When the Certificate for 

International Studies in Horticulture 

is approved and implemented, 

students will be better prepared and 

have better credentials for our 

increasing global job market 

2012-2013: Focus Jordan January - June, 2013 

Objective 1: To further internationalize the general education curriculum with 13 new modules and 4 new 

courses 

Jan: a) teach new courses and 

modules on Jordan 

b) finalize prof. faculty immersion 

experience at the University of 

Science & Technology 

Feb: Pre-trip workshop on Jordan 

March: faculty trip to Jordan (10 

days during the spring break) 

April: external evaluator visit 

May: a) faculty submit program 

learning outcomes to co-directors, 

b) CLC/JJC end of project 

conference for IL HE institutions; c) 

co-directors send final project report 

to external evaluator 

Pre-test on Jordan in new 

courses/modules 

Co-directors review the program & 

faculty‟s professional plans 

Pre-trip assessment survey 

Trip evaluation survey and post-trip 

assessment questions by co-directors 

Assess the conference 

External evaluator submits final 

project report to co-directors 

Students better understand and 

appreciate the people, society and 

culture of Jordan and the Middle 

East through new or revised courses 

Faculty demonstrates interest in 

curriculum development and 

appreciate of culture of Jordan and 

the Middle East 

Objective 2: To enhance foreign language offerings in existing Arabic 121, 122, 221, 222 w/cultural content 

Jan-March: develop new Arabic 

culture modules 

April: begin to incorporate new 

culture modules into all Arabic 

classes 

May: completion of lab materials 

purchase 

U of Chgo Arabic staff evaluates 

the new instructor module and 

provides feedback 

Survey of culture content 

Students have increased interest in 

Arabic language and culture 

Students will continue in Arabic 

classes 

Objective 3: To develop 3 week cultural immersion study abroad program for students at University of 

Science and Technology, Jordan 

Feb: promotion for the program and 

federal scholarships 

March: a)deadline for scholarship 

application 

b)deadline for program application 

April: a)select & notify trip 

participants and scholarship 

recipients 

b}pre-trip lectures by lead faculty 

members 

May: a) pre-trip survey distributed 

b) 3-week program at Jordan 

University 

June: post-trip on-line evaluation by 

email notification 

Student survey of promotional 

materials and media info 

Co-directors evaluate student 

applications for program and for 

scholarships 

Evaluation of lectures 

Summary of trip evaluations by codirectors and presented to the 

external evaluator 

Students better understand and 

appreciate the people, society and 

cultures of Jordan and the Middle 

East through this first hand 

experience in the country 

Students can practice Arabic in real 

life situations 

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Activities Evaluation Learning/Project Outcomes 

Objective 4: To develop a Certificate in International Studies in Horticulture 

Jan: incorporate ICCB suggestions 

to new certificate draft 

March: final proposal for the 

certificate sent to ICCB 

May: develop catalog changes and 

promotional information for new 

certificate 

Advisory Team and horticulture 

dept. personnel review new draft and 

provide input 

ICCB approves Certificate in 

International Studies in Horticulture 

Students will be able to improve 

their employability in the field of 

horticulture with the new certificate 

Students will be able to continue 

further studies in international 

horticulture with this certificate 

Assessments of all activities will be maintained by the co-directors and forwarded to Dr. 

Frank Chance, Associate Director, Title VI National Resource Center at the University of 

Pennsylvania, this project's external evaluator. Dr. Chance‟s area of expertise is Japan, and he 

also works with the South Asia and Middle East NRCs. Dr. Chance will receive the 

internationalized curricula, new courses, and new foreign languages syllabi and will provide 

feedback for improvement. He will conduct on-site interviews with the co-directors, the project 

faculty members, the Advisory Team, students in the new and enhanced language classes, and 

students in courses with internationalized modules or new courses. Dr. Chance will maintain 

contact with the Advisory Team throughout the project. His evaluation reports will be sent to 

Ms. Christine Corey at USDE and presented to the Board of Trustees at JJC and CLC. 

6. Commitment to International Studies 

6a/b) JJC and CLC have achieved many successes in foreign languages and international 

studies and give assurance to using funding for this project to supplement and not supplant any 

initiatives or activities. 

CLC has long had a strong commitment to international education. One of its strategic 

goals is that the College will: “strive to assist members of the College community in the 

development of an appreciation for diversity and world cultures.” In order to graduate, all 

candidates for Associate Degrees are required to take one course in International/Multicultural 

Education from a list of electives. The college actively recruits international students. 

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The college formally established an International Education program in 1989. 

International program activities include international education grants (the same program will 

help fund this project‟s new courses and modules, in part) teaching opportunities abroad, 

professional exchange opportunities, credit study tours, a semester long study abroad exchange 

program with Xian International University of China, and an infusion of international 

components into the curriculum, lectures, and film series. 

Every summer, international field study courses, coordinated by full-time faculty, depart 

for various areas of the world. Since 1999, 14 different faculty members have taught at least 27 

such courses, enrolling over 460 students. Courses are rigorous, requiring a project or paper; 

many are transferable. Student satisfaction with these courses is very high. 

CLC is a member of the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs 

(ICISP), and has played an active role in the organization since 1999. Dr. Yu is the current 

college representative to ICISP and serves on the executive board. 

CLC has successfully applied for outside funds for undergraduate international studies 

and foreign languages. A previous Title VI-A grant was awarded to CLC to create an East Asia 

area studies program focused on China, establish partnerships between CLC and Chinese 

universities, create study abroad and exchange programs, and to develop new and enhanced 

courses in East Asian studies. Forty-three CLC students have gone to China to study Chinese 

language and other courses at Xian International University (XAIU). To show their commitment 

to the CLC and XAIU student exchange programs, both institutions have agreed to provide 

generous scholarships for the students. The program has been remarkably successful. It has 

rapidly expanded CLC‟s study abroad offerings, elevated awareness of international studies 

campus-wide, and established CLC‟s first Center for International Education. 

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JJC‟s mission statement includes a goal 'to strengthen global and multicultural awareness 

through curricular and co-curricular programs.' In addition, the JJC 21st Century College Master 

Plan identifies support for international business and education as a goal for the institution. 

JJC has ninety general education courses that are either international or that have been 

enhanced with an international/intercultural focus. Six semesters of language instruction each in 

French and Spanish, with additional courses, World Languages: Special Topics and Student 

Internship in World Languages, are available, as well as nine critical, less-commonly taught 

languages as aforementioned. The International Education Coordinator and faculty are 

encouraged to participate in national and international conferences relevant to their disciplines as 

participants and presenters. They are also encouraged to participate in faculty exchange 

opportunities in China, Finland, the Netherlands, Russia, and Switzerland. 

The International Education Office coordinates annual Institutes on World Regions for 

faculty and staff and monthly Brown Bag workshops on international/intercultural issues. 

Library and departmental acquisitions with international/intercultural foci and world languages 

learning research and methodology, including a Foreign Film Library of 200 classic and modern 

videos and CDs in the LRC and the International Education Office, are available. 

Since 1988, JJC has had an International Education Office supported by an International 

Education Coordinator and part-time secretary. Activities have included student study abroad 

opportunities (semester or summer) in Australia, Austria, China, Costa Rica, France, England, 

Japan, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, and Spain. JJC also supports Dr. Arias as the 

Executive Chair of the Illinois Consortium for International Studies & Programs. 

The International Students Club provides international and cultural diversity awareness 

throughout the year. Linkages with the district high schools provide international/intercultural 

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and foreign language training upon request, and there is access for high school students into all 

the foreign language classes. Also, a current initiative is under way to improve the International 

Students office with new recruitment and programmatic development. 

6c) The Letters of Support from CLC and JJC leadership testify to the institutional 

commitment to the establishment, operation, and continuation of all the project objectives. All 

previous U.S. Department of Education initiatives undertaken with project funding have been 

institutionalized and are now part of both colleges‟ curricula and services. Further, CLC and JJC 

have a long history of administering well-designed and fiscally sound grant projects. All 

projects are independently audited yearly, and final reports have been positive. 

6d) Institutional funds supported all the activities laying the groundwork for this project, such 

as travel by the co-directors and members of the Advisory Team to each other‟s college for 

project planning meetings, for the co-directors to travel to Washington, D.C. to review awarded 

grants, and to the University of Chicago for discussion with staff to assist with grant objectives. 

Institutional support assisted lead faculty to travel to the partner institutions abroad to 

discuss both the professional faculty immersion experience and the study abroad immersion 

program. Agreement was also reached to allow in-district tuition for students at both CLC and 

JJC for courses developed under this project, and cash contributions have been committed by 

both colleges for the videoconferencing delivery for foreign language instruction that will allow 

students to avail themselves of more foreign language classes through this innovative design. 

Institutional funds at CLC will be utilized to hire a new half-time Arabic/Islamic culture 

instructor and at JJC to hire more tutors to support the new Hindi and Japanese courses. College 

funds will also support three faculty centered courses on the project countries. 

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These actions demonstrate both colleges‟ full commitment and support for this project, 

for all participating faculty, and for administrators and staff to accomplish all grant objectives. 

7. Elements of the Proposed International Studies Program 

7a/b) The new courses or course modules will be developed in roughly equal numbers by both 

colleges, and include these disciplines: anthropology, the arts, the sciences (including chemistry, 

earth science, and physics), economics, education, criminal justice, English, film, literature, the 

humanities, political science, psychology, and sociology. Appropriately for the community 

college mission, and for the development of a Certificate in International Studies, they also 

include veterinary science, horticulture, and the culinary arts. A new course will be developed, 

Introduction to International Studies. 

Of the thirty-nine courses, 36 are in the general education curriculum with a potential 

impact to the majority of the students at CLC and JJC. Three new foreign language courses and 

the enhancement with cultural content to eight existing foreign language courses continue both 

CLC and JJC‟s improvement and expansion of foreign language opportunities for our students. 

About half of the courses developed under this project will be offered through web based 

instruction. 

7c/d) The various components of this proposal with its focus on India, Japan, and Jordan and 

the development and enhancement of these countries‟ languages, will round out both CLC and 

JJC‟s internationalization efforts to now include all countries and regions of national interest and 

importance and will ensure the viability of the certificate application to the Illinois Community 

College Board. 

Project faculty will present their internationalized modules and new courses as well as 

offer advice and training to faculty at other community colleges as requested. Further, all 

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