12/10/2021 Sarah K. Nobles, Master of Science in Education and International Leadership in Higher Education, Savannah University, Georgia, the USA visited Comrat State University https://kdu.md/ . She had a meeting with the students of CSU. This visit was organized with the support of the US Embassy Moldova https://md.usembassy.gov/ and Sara K. Nobles was accompanied by Vladlena Viktorovna Lysenko, Ph.D., Associate Professor of CSU, https://kdu.md/ and Olga Shchukina, Ph.D in Pedagogical Studies http://spsu.ru/.
The public organization "Agency For Innovation And Development" in 2021 (September-November) is implementing the project "Promotion of International Youth Leadership and The Development of Intercultural Competencies in Moldova", funded under a mini-grant by the US Embassy Moldova.
The main goal of the project is to promote peace and positive intercultural communication through relationships between people, which is very important for communities around the world.
Within the framework of this project, on October 12, Sara K. Nobles gave lectures to the students of Faculty of Law, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of National Culture and Agro - Technological Faculty of CSU https://kdu.md/ on the topic of effective strategies for solving problems, development leadership skills and understanding of international relations. She also conducted seminars on international youth leadership for students studying foreign languages.
Olga Shchukina showed Sarah K. Nobles the American Center at CSU https://kdu.md/ , where the students can learn much interesting and new information about the culture and history of the United States of America in a friendly atmosphere, they also have English classes there, English language courses and meetings with English-speaking native speakers are held, too. This center provides a lot of information about American culture, educational programs and exchange programs. The American Center was opened with the support of the US Embassy Moldova https://md.usembassy.gov/ .
Sara K. Nobles presented the students of CSU the information about the possibility of students submitting applications for admission to American higher education institutions and the process of studying abroad during her lectures and seminars. She talked about the students’ life and studying of the US students but also the international onesw in Western Universities, explained the application process to US colleges and universities and Sara also answered the students' questions.
Such programs offer a wide range of personal and virtual services for students and their families https://educationusa.state.gov/ based on “Your 5 Steps to U.S. Study”:
Admission process and standardized testing requirements:
- How to finance a U.S. education
- Student visa process
- Preparing for departure to the United States
EducationUSA advisers support the international student recruitment and internationalization efforts for all accredited U.S. higher education institutions by organizing school visits and college fairs, sharing information on U.S. educational systems and scholarships, and connecting U.S. and international educational institutions.
Interested and prospective students can benefit from regular advisory sessions and meetings and renting appropriate resources for standardised tests, etc.
On the same day, Sara K. Nobles met Serghei Zaharia, the Rector, Ph.D., Associate Professor of CSU, https://kdu.md/ . The main topic of the conversation was: "Development of Leadership Qualities And Cultural Exchange Between Students From Moldova And The USA." They discussed the different kinds of forms, methods of teaching and opportunities that are able to be provided for the students from Moldova. They also exchanged their views about the proposals for virtual learning (online), in the context of a pandemic situation nowadays. The distance teaching experience is regarded as a good opportunity to continue developing more flexible educational opportunities, language and intercultural communication skills while studying.
The experiment with distance learning led to the development and enhancement of the competencies of the University Staff, who tested new systems and tools.
Intercultural communication focuses on the social attributes, thought patterns and cultures of different groups of people. It also includes understanding the languages, customs and traditions of people from other countries.
The study of intercultural communication and the development of international relations requires intercultural understanding, the ability to understand and appreciate cultural values and differences.
The language of communication is a great example of an important cultural perception associated with the development of intercultural competencies at CSU https://kdu.md/