Organization
Background
We are a young nonprofit based in Guilford, CT, USA. Our mission is to help colleges and universities provide high-quality international education to more students so all have the opportunity to create paths to successful careers and lives in our complex global world. Our virtual exchange approach provides a low-cost, relatively speedy on-ramp for creating sustainable campus internationalization strategies. Called "Click," (Collaborative Learning for International Capabilities and Knowledge), we harness a troika of tools — faculty talent, technology, and travel — to enable students to develop their international capabilities through cross-country teamwork in classroom settings. Beyond the classroom connections, travel opportunities supply key motivators for funders, students and faculty. After 2.5 years with our first major project with the Connecticut Community College International Education Initiative, we are poised to start growing “the business”, adding new institutional and individual clients and partners in the US, France, Mexico, and other locations. Our services include training for teachers new to Virtual Exchange (VE), VE facilitator training for colleges and universities, strategic planning, and assessment.
Sponsor
Nancy L. Ruther, EdD, Principal & Founder of Gazelle International
Purpose
This internship will focus on assessment practices at Gazelle International, in particular, the ‘Click’ virtual exchange program. The intern will help ensure the appropriateness and sustainability of our tools and analytic methods used to assess student and teacher outcomes. In doing so we also seek to contribute to the larger research and advocacy work around international higher education and virtual exchange. By clarifying and demonstrating the value of our assessment tools and procedures in understanding key results, we hope to contribute to the larger international higher education community. We also hope to create a sustainable revenue source and top-quality service with our tools and database to provide comparative insights for our, hopefully, growing client and partner network. The intern will also support the techno-pedagogy needs of the Gazelle International team and teachers involved in CLICK. They will contribute their knowledge and creative insights into both types of work with the larger team and the client and partner network. This internship will give students the chance to contribute meaningfully to the evolving goals and practices of Gazelle International.
Professional development areas include:
- Learning to work in a virtual environment
- Developing outcome assessment tools and procedures of use to the larger international higher education community
- Learning about the community college system in the US and university systems overseas
- Learning about how institutional research and outcomes assessment is used in higher education decision making and program development
Career Development
This internship will prepare an intern for careers in any of the following
- Higher education and research administration
- Entrepreneurship in non-profits
- Education consulting
- Data science
- Advocacy and policy
- Communication, outreach, and publishing
Responsibilities
The primary responsibility for the Data Analyst Internship at Gazelle International is to assist the Principal in deriving insights from three plus years of survey results and other indicators in order to present program results to various stakeholders and potential clients. The data analyst intern will also be responsible for maintaining previous years' data, developing and documenting best practices, and exploring new ways of narrating the impact and effects of the program. As part of data assessment, the intern will also be asked (with the guidance of Principal) to familiarize themselves with the professional literature on internationalization strategy and identify best practices and new avenues for assessment and dissemination of results. They will work with the team and Principal to translate our findings into client reports and briefings. They will also write blog posts for Gazelle International’s website in order to share our work with potential college partners and teachers. This data analyst position will also entail consulting with faculty and partners on best practices for teaching technologies, evaluating, and writing briefs on tools and skills to improve the virtual exchange experience for teachers and students.
Skills Development
This internship will provide experiences to develop and polish the following skills
- Communication to a diverse audience
- Inter-disciplinary team collaboration
- Knowledge of sector and networking
- Data analytics and fluency
- Thought leadership and innovation
- Problem-solving and analytical
- Project management and leadership
- Teaching, mentoring and training
- Working in a Virtual environment
Mentoring Plan
The intern will receive direct mentoring and supervision by the sponsor, including initial training and orientation with regard to the mission of the organization and standards for communication, with the expectation of increasing autonomy as the internship progresses. As relevant, the intern may be offered the opportunity to attend and present work at professional conferences on international higher education and virtual exchange. As a largely virtual work arrangement, the normal means of communication will be via Zoom, WhatsApp, phone and email. Normally, the work will be conducted on a weekly basis with multi-week goals and weekly team meetings. As possible, the sponsor will travel to UVA to meet with the intern in person, provide orientation and begin developing the specific plans for the work as part of the Gazelle International team.
Desired Qualities
Prospective interns should have baseline experience in some of these areas and the motivation to develop professionally in each of them
- Good communication skills in writing and in person by phone or in virtual meetings.
- Prior experience in managing data and data collections in a professional or research environment is preferred.
- Proficiency with excel, experience with or interest in data analysis and evaluation methods.
- Interest and experience in techno-pedagogy and ed-tech.
- Familiarity with teaching and learning goals and assessment approaches and different higher education systems and cross-cultural differences around the world
Prior experience in Institutional Research or teaching and working with a Center for Teaching and Learning or similar techno-pedagogy support center for teachers would be useful. Experience managing initiatives in a professional environment or student organization is preferred. Cross-cultural and/or second language study-work experience helpful. Students with Education, Social Science, Language/Literature or other Arts & Sciences training with interdisciplinary interests are encouraged to apply.
Duration and Effort
The internship will commence in the Summer of 2020 involving average effort of 20 hours per week over 10 weeks or Spring 2021 involving an average effort of 10 hours per week over 20 weeks. The intern will work remotely in Charlottesville with regular virtual check-ins with the mentor.
Funding
Up to $5000 per semester in wage replacement or augmenting other fellowship support.