Students from Bogotá, Colombia Visit Manhattan College

Graduate students from Universidad de La Salle of Bogotá, Colombia, spent the week leading up to Easter in New York City.

While visiting the College's campus during Mission Month, they worked with students in the Instructional Design and Delivery master's program to fine-tune a hybrid course that allows learners from both universities to share knowledge in a cross-cultural setting. The course, Global and Ethical Perspectives in Cyberspace, is taught at Manhattan by Shawna Bu Shell, Ed.D., assistant professor of graduate counseling, leadership, and education. In Colombia, the course is taught by professor Yamith José Fandiño. In groups, students from both universities built bilingual online courses for classroom teachers using Google Sites.

Efforts from Bu Shell and Fandiño are part a larger collaboration between Universidad de La Salle and Manhattan College. The Colombian students’ visit to New York City, which also included excursions to Times Square, the Statue of Liberty and other sightseeing destinations, is an initiative Bu Shell has been working to make happen for more than a year.

“Through an amazing experience last year [in the country] I was able to visit, interact and design a collaborative hybrid course where both Colombian and Manhattan College graduate students were able to explore ethics and technology virtually alongside each other,” said Bu Shell.

Global and Ethical Perspectives in Cyberspace has been active this semester. Its goal is to demonstrate effective online learning techniques, which preservice teachers will use to educate their own students. Throughout the week, the two student groups gained insight from Brother Jack Curran, Ph.D., FSC, vice president of mission, Brother Carlos Pinto-Corredor, FSC, a 2014 graduate of Universidad de La Salle, Bogotá, who is currently studying in Manhattan's Intensive English Language Program (IELP), Ricardo DelloBuono, Ph.D., director of study abroad and professor of sociology, and Rani Roy, Ph.D., assistant vice president for student and faculty development. Their collective feedback will be incorporated into the hybrid course, as well as strengthen the College’s connection with Universidad de La Salle, an institution part of our global network of Lasallian colleges and universities.

“Being Lasallian is a process. A process that encourages international partnership and the purposeful design of courses,” Bu Shell said.

–Taylor Brethauer '19