After the early March announcement from NC universities to switch to online learning, New Mind’s seminars and advising sessions immediately transitioned to Zoom as well. Many instructors experienced caveats to the online transition, and the UPP & UNC-Greensboro’s ESL 601, Culture and Community, collaboration class was no different; in this case, more reflections were assigned in exchange for less Zoom meetings. As a result, student’s reflective assessments revealed a depth of insight that surpassed their previous work, shocking teachers and indicating student engagement to a new level.
Thanks to the enduring partnerships with campus offices, our students and parents have been informed honestly and quickly since the onset of the issue in January. Hundreds of hours were devoted towards developing campus-specific documents and university FAQs that quickly highlighted and summarized, in ESL friendly terms, the proper course of student action. A “Responding to Harassment” advising lesson plan addressed the discrimination towards mask-wearing Asians in the US, and equipped students with background knowledge of the issue and responsive confidence anytime they stepped outside.
University Performance Program (UPP), a flagship program by New Mind,invited students to multiple live sessions in the weeks of quarantine to continue building a sense of group cohesion and cultural awareness. Live sessions like movie watching and cooking together were a hit, and paired well with weekly at-home challenges such as yoga, fitness, and reflection presentations. Videos of students singing, cooking new recipes, exercising, and remarking on Van Gogh piled up for advisors to proudly look on. Students like Alysia enjoyed the ideas, “I always feel tired when I have looked at the screen all day and I have no idea about exercise inside my dorm. After suggesting we do exercise and Yoga, as a result, I have got into the habit of yoga every day.”
WeChat was used as the primary source of messaging where staff member Lys Lin vigilantly manned the program group chats. Here parents asked questions and received photos and responses detailing the protocol in the U.S. in regard to PPE, visas, flights, and housing situations. These chats provide an honest and direct source of information for parents, who must themselves wade through conflicting reports and conspiracy theories regarding how the virus is being handled internationally.
UPP’s module class “Cooking Corner” thrived virtually as students cooked on Zoom together in their own kitchens rather than the UPP office. Without the chance to rely on their friends for help, students developed a great sense of chef-autonomy in the kitchen as their results hinged entirely upon their own listening and cooking abilities. As a result, the class provided a greater challenge but increased overall learning and engagement.
UPP’s Packpals program, which connects domestic and international students through partnership and programming, continued virtually throughout March and April. Pals met over Zoom and discussed the different cultural perspectives of the virus and international quarantines, reflected on the potential benefits this pandemic caused, and considered what global minded citizens can do to learn from this experience. In a later (and lighter) activity, students used Google Earth to give tours of their hometowns, connecting and exploring together all from the comfort of their homes.
New Mind is passionate and committed to the mission of helping our students not only endure but thrive in their integration process of studying in the United States. With the goal of inspiring and cultivating global talent, we must thank the wonderful universities we work with; without you, we would not have been able to so quickly and appropriately inform and support students during this period of chaos.
