CCIE is dedicated to the ideal of increasing international understanding through education. Some programs highlight classroom instruction, others emphasize off-campus programs, while still others employ a combination of different types of pedagogy. These exchanges provide a framework for academic, personal and cultural experiences.
Students benefit by having the opportunity to study with a foreign educator.
When families are involved, a total life experience is felt. The actual number of annual community college participants is small, but the effect on individuals is substantial upon return to their classroom and their campuses. Fulbright Exchanges are the best known vehicles for this opportunity, but colleges sometimes initiate their own exchange programs, usually for periods of less than a year. Curricular modifications assist staff and students to transcend their own cultural conditioning and to become more knowledgeable about and sensitive to other cultures. Professional development activities further promote creation of new modules, classes and programs, as well as introduce innovative teaching methodologies in the classroom.