Maximizing Student Voices:

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Maximizing Student Voices

• A Study Abroad Fair Case Study

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Welcome Presenters

• Emily Mohajeri Norris
• Lindsey Daltro-Schram
• Sergio Broderick-Villa
• Maria Flores

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Who are you?

• Are you campus-based?
• How do you do your major outreach on campus?

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Background

• Scope of UCLA EAP Office Administer campus
  aspects of the UCs Education Abroad Program
  (EAP)
• Past outreach Staff and student presentations,
  panels, and q a in lecture halls/classrooms
• Needed a new model for outreach

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Explore EAP Fair Objectives

• 1) Enable prospective students to have a highly
  interactive and visually rich opportunity to
  explore their education abroad options.

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Fair Objectives, cont.

• 2) Provide a forum for returned EAP students to
  share the excitement and experiences gained
  abroad one-on-one with interested students.

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Fair Objectives, cont.

• 3) Engage EAP reciprocal exchange students and
  selected faculty/staff (financial aid,
  departmental counselors, other study abroad
  offices, etc.) in promoting study abroad.

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Project Calendar Events

• Prep Parties
• Tuesday, October 1, 2002
• Wednesday, October 2, 2002
• Explore EAP Fair
• Wednesday, October 9, 2002

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Prep Parties Purpose

• Bring together returned students who signed up to
  volunteer for the fair to
• Meet one another
• Create colorful displays for their country tables
• Informally share their study abroad experiences
  with each other in a social environment

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Prep Parties Planning

• Planned evening parties on two dates a week prior
  to the fair
• Reserved a large, lounge-style room on campus
• Provided art supplies, pizza and soda

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Prep Parties Publicity

• Emailed all returned study abroad students and
  visiting exchange students to invite them to
  attend the prep party for their country
• Parties were organized by country half the
  countries were invited for Tuesday and the other
  half for Wednesday

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Prep Parties Attendance

• About 60 students attended the two Prep Parties.
• This represented about 40 of the volunteers for
  the fair.
• Troubleshooting incomplete attendance
• For countries without any students at the
  parties, volunteers pitched in to make displays
  using pictures from marketing materials.

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Prep Parties Displays

• Goal For students to create at least one display
  per country that visually represented highlights
  of their study abroad experience
• Each display featured
• Country name in large letters
• Lots of photos
• Lots of color

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Prep Parties Displays, cont.

• Students brought photos and other memorabilia
  (maps,tickets,etc.)
• Our office provided the rest of the display
  materials
• Poster boards, colored paper, paint, markers,
  glue, tape, scissors, EAP brochures, etc.

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Prep Parties Sample Displays
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Prep Parties Sample Displays
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Prep Parties Sample Displays
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Prep Parties Sample Displays
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Explore EAP Fair

• Wednesday, October 9, 2002
• 12 - 5 p.m.
• Student Union Ballroom

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Fair Planning Overview

• Spring 2002
• Reserved location
• Chose day after the UCLA Study Abroad Fair
• Set up planning committee

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Fair Planning Overview

• Summer 2002
• Recruited student volunteers
• Invited resource tablers
• Prepared marketing materials
• Ordered catering, AV, tables
• Bought supplies for displays, etc.

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Fair Planning Overview

• Fall 2002 weeks prior to fair
• Publicized fair widely
• Continued recruiting student volunteers at all
  returnee events
• Confirmed resource tablers
• Ordered balloons
• Prepared powerpoint intro to EAP and handouts
  (map, what next flyer)

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Fair Components

• Welcome Tables
• Powerpoint Intro to EAP
• Country Tables
• EAP Counseling Tables
• Resource Tables
• Volunteer Check-in
• Volunteer Refreshments

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Fair Country Tables

• Run by students
• Colorful displays
• Photos
• Brochures
• Country flags

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Fair Layout

• Goal To create a series of spaces that guide
  prospective students through a compre-hensive
  exploration of their EAP study abroad options.

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Fair Layout Room Map
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Fair LayoutResource Tables
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Fair LayoutCounseling Tables
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Planning Committee

• Formed Spring 2002 with
• 4 returned EAP students
• Interns in the EAP returnee course
• 2 staff members
• 3rd added later

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Planning Committee Tasks

• Logistics of Prep Parties and Fair
• Volunteer Recruitment and Coordination
• Publicity

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Tasks Prep Parties

• Prep Parties (in addition to tasks mentioned
  earlier)
• Created and copied tabling guidelines for
  volunteers
• Prepared directional signs and sign-in sheet
• Created sample table display
• Each committee member attended one party
• Party began with mini-orientation to running the
  country tables

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Tasks Fair

• Logistics (in addition to those mentioned
  earlier)
• Met with student union staff prior to fair to
  confirm room set-up
• Planned catering for volunteers
• Brought snacks for set-up team
• Planned one staff member to work as
  trouble-shooter and bring refreshments to other
  staff
• Created list of all materials to bring to fair
• Organized box of tape, scissors, extra paper, etc.

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Tasks Fair

• Logistics (cont.)
• Created signs for all areas of the fair
• Displayed all entries in student photo contest
  and featured winners at the fair
• Printed name tags for all Resource Tablers,
  staff, and planning committee
• Created volunteer sign-in area

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Tasks Fair

• Logistics (cont.)
• Obtained bags and posters for attendees
• Solicited give-aways for volunteers
• Coordinated cultural background music
• Planned transport of all materials to and from
  fair
• Planned set-up and clean-up

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Planning Committee Tasks

• Volunteer Recruitment and Coordination
• 4 student members of the committee served as
  Country Table Managers
• Staff supported them in recruiting and
  coordinating volunteers

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Volunteers

• 150 student volunteers
• Mostly returnees
• Also reciprocal exchange students
• the key to the Fairs success!

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Volunteer Recruitment

• Mass email messages sent to returnees over the
  summer

Greetings EAP Returnees!We hope your time abroad
was amazing! Ready to talk about it? The first
ever all-EAP information fair is coming and we
need your HELP! . . .
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Volunteer Recruitment

• Welcome back letter to returnees

Explore EAP Fair Returnees Needed!! What
The hottest new way for UCLA students to explore
what EAP has to offer. A room filled with tables
from Australia to Vietnam with returnees and
visiting reciprocity students there to talk about
studying in those countries. Why This is your
chance to shine! Share your experience and
expertise with a captive audience of peers.
Feature your photos or cultural memorabilia.
Encourage other UCLA students to get out and
explore the world through EAP. And have fun with
other returnees and reciprocity students at the
Prep Parties beforehand.
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Volunteer Recruitment

• Email messages sent to new reciprocal exchange
  students
• Flyers used to recruit volunteers at every
  opportunity

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Volunteer Recruitment

• Welcome back event used to recruit more
  volunteers

Volunteer for the EXPLORE EAP FAIR! Complete the
following information to sign up to help at your
country table at the Explore EAP Fair in Ackerman
Grand Ballroom on Wednesday, Oct. 9th between
11am and 5pm.
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Volunteer Recruitment

• Phone calls to returnees, especially those from
  countries needing volunteers
• Invitations to campus staff/faculty with special
  connections to EAP (former study center
  directors)

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Volunteer Coordination

• Each volunteer invited to
• Wear EAP t-shirts or country clothing
• Bring photo albums and any memorabilia

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Volunteer Coordination

• Volunteer Guidelines
• Given to student volunteers at Prep Parties and
  upon check-in at the Fair
• Volunteer Check-in Table
• Signed in and agreed to guidelines
• Name tags
• Phone cards thank you gifts
• Food and drink for Volunteers

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Volunteer Coordination

• Country Table Managers
• Floated during fair
• Thanked volunteers for their help
• Made certain tables were covered
• Helped trouble shoot

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Volunteer Coordination

• Volunteer roles
• Country tables
• Welcome tables
• Outside student union, handing out flyers

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Fair Publicity

• Created flyers and posters

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Fair Publicity Flyers Posters
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Fair Publicity

• Distributed flyers and posters
• Student residence halls
• Activities fairs during first week of school
• Student organization tables during orientation
  and first weeks of school
• Select classes
• Study Abroad Fair day before EAP fair
• Outside student union on fair day

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Fair Publicity

• Sidewalk Signs
• 2 x 4 color posters placed on sidewalk boards
• Boards positioned in high traffic areas the week
  of the fair

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Fair Publicity

• Student newspaper
• Placed huge ad in student paper
• Invited student newspaper to write an article
  (ran day of fair)

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Fair Publicity

• Post-fair follow-up
• What Next flyer handed out to every student at
  Fair re
• How to research options further
• How to schedule advising appt.
• How to apply

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Explore EAP Fair Budget
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Evaluation

• No formal evaluation by fair attendees
• Committee review
• Staff input
• Comments from students and resource tablers

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Evaluation

• Impact - new students
• Increase in student traffic in EAP office
• Increase in student applications - up 30 over
  year prior
• I was really excited to be able to talk to
  another UCLA student about her experiences abroad
  in Vietnam.  It solidified my desire to go to
  Vietnam.

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Evaluation

• Impact student volunteers
• Students appreciated chance to talk about their
  study abroad experiences/host countries
• The EAP Fair was one of the
  highlights of my quarter.  I planned to be there
  only an hour but ended up spending all afternoon
  talking to prospective EAP students about my
  experience in England.

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Evaluation

• Impact student volunteers
• Created connections between returnees and
  exchange students
• The best part was meeting an
  exchange student from Spain who is now studying
  at UCLA.  All I wanted to do was take him out and
  show him all the good that UCLA and LA had to
  offer, like my Spanish family and friends had
  done for me..

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Evaluation

• Recommended changes
• Improve usage of Powerpoint introduction
• Anticipate more volunteer coordination by staff
• Improve display stands, flag attachments

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Evaluation

• Recommended changes, cont.
• Adjust layout of room so advisors are beyond
  country tables
• Invite more dept. counselors to table
• Make prep parties an integral part of Returnee
  Welcome Back event

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Replication Ideas

• Incorporate students as much as possible. Simple
  model
• Invite students to be at your outreach meeting(s)
  and fair(s) to talk with prospective students.
  Ask them to
• Bring pictures to share
• Wear a name tag name, country
• Wear relevant t-shirt or country clothing

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Replication Ideas

• For campuses with existing study abroad fairs
• 1) Students at provider table
• 2) Students at tables, possibly organized by
  country or region, in unique Student Perspective
  section of the fair
• 3) Student Perspective Fair prior to Study Abroad
  Fair

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Replication Ideas

• Plan more student participation
• Invite students come an hour or two early to make
  displays and mix with each other
• Provide a little food or thank you item
• Enable as much one on one interaction as
  possible. If planning a panel, have breakout
  rooms for q a by region.

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Replication Ideas

• Involve students in the planning
• Invite students to serve on your planning
  committee.
• Too much? Invite a few students to comment on
  your plans and add ideas.
• Get students to create or at least give input on
  your marketing materials and plans

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Replication Ideas

• Invite resource people to your meeting(s) and
  fair(s)
• Financial Aid
• Scholarship Resource Center
• Other study abroad offices or reps
• Department counselors (especially from languages,
  area studies)

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Discussion

• Questions and Answers
• Additional ideas?

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Thank you

• Please complete an evaluation before you leave.