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Participating institutions and contact persons

US Lead: University of California, Berkeley
Partner: University of Nebraska
US lead contact:
Miguel A. Altieri
University of California,
Berkeley 201 Wellman Hall
Berkeley, California 94720
Tel: (510) 642-9802
e-mail

Brazil Lead: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
Partner: Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Brazil lead contact:
Paulo Lovato
Centro de Ciências Agrárias
Universidade Federal de Santa
Catarina, C. P. 476 8040-970
Florianópolis SC
Tel:55-48-331-5435
e-mail

Project description

Agroecology course outline

Course activities and assignment

Books and key articles

Resources on
sustainable agriculture

Links to organizations and initiatives

  


[ Project description ]

[ English ] - [ Português ]

Summary

An interdisciplinary, multi-institutional education exchange program in agroecology and sustainability of agricultural systems will be established. The need is acute to combat rural poverty, enhance food security and conserve the natural resource base of small farms thus providing alternative options to family farmers, as well as to convert large-scale, high input agricultural systems to sustainable management both in Brazil and USA. To achieve this, a new generation of professionals must be educated in agroecology, a goal that can be reached by implementing the proposed collaborative program for curriculum development and student exchanges. A highly productive and motivated group of educators and researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and University of Nebraska and two Brazilian Universities (UNICAMP and Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina) will work together on curriculum development and provide mentoring in the areas of agroecology, ecology, rural sociology, pest management, rural development and environmental economics critical for a wider understanding of the complex principles necessary for the design and management of sustainable agriculture. Students will work in interdisciplinary teams to study the various social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects of sustainable agriculture in four different agroecological zones. This study can lead to comparative studies in the area of innovations to assist farmers in the process of conversion towards more environmentally friendly, resource conserving and socially just and economically viable forms of agriculture. Through a series of modules integrating experiential (internships and apprenticeships with farmers or organizations linked to farmers), classroom and web-based learning, this program will allow students from the US and Brazil to engage in a 4 month academic program, leading to a close understanding of the problems and challenges facing agriculture in the hemisphere as well as the various technical, methodological and policy options to move towards sustainability. The proposed program will differ from traditional educational programs at the 4 Universities in major ways: a) Education will be multi-institutional with course work in the USA and Brazil, b) Students will address similar questions in temperate and tropical agroecosystems and c) Students will complete an interdisciplinary curriculum including biophysical and social sciences taught from the various perspectives represented by a diverse group of faculty. The outcome will be a critical mass of about 30 US students and 30 Brazilian students educated through this program who as professionals will have expertise to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams addressing the pressing problems concerning the sustainable management of agriculture. Students will gain cross-cultural experience and geographic exposure to enhance their international experience and common understanding of US-Brazil rural issues. These professionals will be uniquely prepared to pursue careers in academia, government agencies, non-government organizations and international research and development institutions. The program has the potential to be scaled-up after a 4 year period as the curriculum and web based materials can serve as a model for other Universities to follow and implement training on agroecology. In addition the collaboration among the 4 institutions will continue after project termination, with extramural funds targeted at activities along common agroecological research themes and educational exchanges.

Creating the synergism for a sustainable agriculture: the Brazil-US Consortium on Agroecology and Sustainable Rural development

Project Narrative

A. Overview of the Project

A1. Brief Project Description

The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at University of California, Berkeley (UCB) in collaboration with faculty members of the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management (ESPM) will establish a bilateral consortium on agroecology and sustainable rural development (CASRD) in collaboration with the Center for Applied Rural Innovation of the University of Nebraska (UNL) and the Programa de Post-Graduacao em Ecologia of the Instituto do Biologia, via Coordinadoria de Relacoes Internacionais (CORI) of the Universidad Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) and the Programa de Pos-Graduacao en Agroecossistemas of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC). CASRD will develop a 4 year (July 1, 2002 – June 30, 2006) academic program involving exchange of US and Brazilian students and curricular development consisting of a series of modules integrating experiential, classroom and web-based learning which will allow students to understand the problems and challenges facing agriculture in both regions, as well as the various technical, methodological and policy options to move agriculture to a more sustainable path.

The four Universities will establish agreements and mechanisms of institutional and scientific collaboration to promote the yearly exchange of 60 undergraduate and graduate students (30 from US and 30 from Brazil) for a period of one semester. Building on existing efforts at each institution, CASRD will develop common curricular structures allowing students to work in interdisciplinary teams to study the various social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects of sustainable agriculture in four different agroecological zones. This activity can lead to comparative studies in the area of innovations to assist farmers in the process of conversion towards more environmentally friendly and economically viable forms of agriculture.

The end result will be the formation of a critical mass of US and Brazilian students who, as professionals, will have expertise to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams addressing the pressing problems concerning the sustainable management of agriculture. Another key outcome will be the scaling up of the proposed project by extending the experience to at least 20 other Universities in each country, that can use the developed curriculum and web-based materials for new and innovative agroecology training programs. The four Universities will continue collaboration after project termination by identifying multidisciplinary research themes to serve as the foundation for further student traineeship activities.

The Brazil and US have a long history of institutional collaboration in agricultural research and training. New ecological, socio-cultural and economic challenging a globalized food system call for renewed types of academic exchanges and the urgent interdisciplinary preparation of bilingual professionals that have a deeper and critical knowledge and appreciation of agricultural systems and policy objectives of a hemispheric neighbor. Issues about the potentials and risks of biotechnology, biodiversity and natural resource conservation, climate change and the environmental impacts of various forms of production are all of common concern and must be clearly analyzed and understood in order to guide the work of future professionals. University training in agroecology can foster such understanding by integrating ecological, economic, agronomic and social knowledge as a basis for a more sustainable agriculture.

The objectives of CASRD are clearly in line with the goals of FIPSE/CAPES of establishing US-Brazil Consortia on Higher Education. Our strategy to reach such objectives will involve:

      1. During the first year, consolidation of inter-institutional agreements in order to establish the framework of exchange and ensure mutual recognition and portability of academic credits among US and Brazilian institutions.
      2. Development of integrated curricula and implementation of a common agroecology course including field internships and web-based learning activities engaging 60 US-Brazil students.
      3. Dissemination of CASRD experience through various University networks as well as state, non-government and farmers linkages.
      4. Continue collaboration among the 4 institutions after program termination in the area of agroecology research that build upon established curriculum and expand training opportunities that foster interactions among students and faculty.

This effort should result in significant improvements of the programs at the 4 institutions by:

      1. Promoting better integration of relevant research and educational activities at the 4 Universities, and enhancing interaction between our faculties and students.
      2. Providing a broad-based interdisciplinary education to participating students.
      3. Enhancing the exchange of information, knowledge, and research experience on agroecology.
      4. Providing our students with a broad-based understanding of ecological and social processes, and preparing them to integrate theoretical knowledge and practical experience to assist thousands of family farmers in the US and Brazil in need of alternative agricultural technologies.
      5. Providing an expanded geographic coverage for our undergraduate and graduate programs.
      6. Helping our students and faculty gain international experience.

A2. Objectives

      1. Establish institutional mechanisms between four US and Brazilian universities in order to have in place the basis for fruitful bilateral student and teaching exchanges in the area of agroecology and sustainable agriculture.
      2. Recruitment of high quality and motivated students and academic-language preparation of 30 US and 30 Brazilian students who will be involved in the exchange program. CASRD will ensure safe mobility and logistical support to carry out academic activities and portability of credits.
      3. Development of a curricular structure manifested in the development of a common agroecology course that integrates the theoretical perspectives and teaching approaches of the 4 institutions. This course will be supported by a common bilingual reader including key articles and book chapters written by various CASRD faculty as well as a web-page following a similar format to Webct used extensively at Berkeley by Educational Technology Services (see Appendix I) which allows posting of course syllabus, course documents, assignments as well as to set-up discussion boards with students on various topics. Teleconferences will also be used to enhance the possibilities of accessing key lectures given by faculty at each institution taking advantage of the facilities at the Laboratorio de Ensino a Distancia of the UFSC (Appendix II).
      4. To complement classroom and web-based learning by engaging students in experiential learning activities through internships with state or non-government organizations involved in agroecological field work or apprenticeships in farmers fields under the guidance of faculty or other partners.
      5. To prepare a critical mass of US and Brazilian students whom as professionals will have expertise to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams addressing the pressing problems concerning the sustainable management of agricultural resources. These professionals will be uniquely prepared to pursue careers in academia, government agencies, non-government organizations and international research and development institutions.
      6. To scale up the proposed project extending the experience to at least 20 other Universities in each country, who can use the developed curriculum and web-based materials for new and innovative agroecology training programs. Such training modules can also be adapted for use by a number of non-government organizations and farmers associations.
      7. Continue collaboration among the 4 institutions after program termination by identifying agroecology research themes that will serve as a foundation for expanding educational exchanges and interaction among faculty, students, and partners. A potential source of funding for such project continuation is the NSF’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT).

A3. Schedule of Strategic Activities

Year 1

  • Establish inter-institutional agreements.
  • Establish the basis for student exchanges and portability of academic credits, and initiate student selection process for year 2.
  • Initiate collaboration in the development of common curricula through exchange of course syllabus, course teaching materials, audiovisual materials and bibliography.
  • Develop a common course on agroecology and sustainable rural development.
  • Set up web-page for complementary web-based learning activities.
  • Collate bi-lingual reader for course.

Year 2
    • Exchange of 20 students.
    • Implementation of the common course on agroecology coordinated by faculty from both countries.
    • Establishment of student internships and/or apprenticeships.
    • Evaluation of academic activities and impact on first year students.
    • Selection of students for 3rd year.

Year 3
    • Exchange of 20 students.
    • 2nd offering of common agroecology course.
    • 2nd round of student internships/apprenticeships.
    • 1st student cohort involved in web-led group discussions.
    • Updating of reader and web-page.
    • Student evaluations.
    • Preparation of proposal to NSF-IGERT to continue collaboration after year 4 (Appendix III).

Year 4
    • Exchange of 20 students.
    • 3rd offering of common agroecology course.
    • 3rd round of student internship/apprenticeships.
    • 2nd student cohort in web-led discussions.
    • Updating of reader and web-page.
    • Project evaluation.
    • Dissemination of results of project through publication in an educational journal and scaling up of activities by extending use of curriculum by other Universities and organizations.

A4. Expected Outcomes

The proposed program will differ from traditional educational programs at the 4 Universities in major ways:

      1. Education will be multi-institutional, multi-lingual and multi-cultural with course work in the USA and Brazil.
      2. Students will address similar questions in temperate and tropical agroecosystems, explore cross-regional comparisons and contrasts and engage in practical activities through internships.
      3. Students will complete an interdisciplinary curriculum including biophysical and social sciences taught from the various perspectives represented by a diverse group of faculty.

The outcome will be a critical mass of about 30 US students and 30 Brazilian students educated through this program, as professionals, will have expertise to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams addressing the pressing problems concerning the sustainable management of agriculture. Students will gain cross-cultural experience and geographic exposure to enhance their international experience and common understanding of US-Brazil rural issues. These professionals will be uniquely prepared to pursue careers in academia, government agencies, non-government organizations and international research and development institutions. This new generation will promote paradigmatic shifts in their future host institutions, necessary to advance agriculture in a more sustainable path.

In addition, the program will result in well-established inter-institutional agreements to foster continuing student-faculty exchange in areas of teaching and research. Moreover the curricular structure and materials will serve as a model to at least 20 additional universities in Brazil and in the US to initiate agroecology-training programs.

B. Cooperative Projects

B1. Potential Academic and Professional Impact

The unifying theme of this project is the integration of undergraduate and graduate educational programs on agroecology in regions with diverse ecology. The aim is to integrate agricultural disciplinary areas, which traditionally have been separate fields. Historically, the research and education programs in agriculture and natural resources at all 4 institutions have not focused on sustainable agriculture and have emphasized issues of statewide importance. Existing research and education efforts require an international perspective and broader geographic and ecological coverage. The proposed project will result in significant improvements of the programs at all 4 Universities by:

      1. Promoting better integration of relevant research and educational activities and enhancing interaction between our faculties and students.
      2. Providing a broad-based interdisciplinary education to participating students.
      3. Enhancing the exchange of information, knowledge, and research experience on agroecology.
      4. Providing our students with a broad-based understanding of ecological and social processes and mechanisms, and preparing them to integrate theoretical knowledge and practical experience.
      5. Providing an expanded geographic coverage for our graduate research programs.
      6. Helping our students and faculty gain international experience fostered by the established relationships between US and Brazilian Universities.

Sixty professionals educated through this program will have the ability and desire to work in interdisciplinary teams, a clear vision of the need to integrate research in sustainable agricultural production, and cognizance of the social and policy dimensions of these efforts. These scientists will have the experience of cross-cultural and geographic exposure, which will enhance their international perspective. This new generation of professionals will be prepared to pursue careers in academia, government agencies, and international research and development institutions.

B2. Target Student Population

The program will aim at third and/or fourth-year undergraduate students in the four Universities, as well as 2nd-year masters of the Maestrado en Agroecossistemas at UFSC, and 2nd-year Masters or Ph.D. students of ESPM at UC Berkeley, agricultural sciences at UNL, and ecology graduate students at UNICAMP.

B3. Value Added

Involved students and faculty will gain an international perspective of the complex relationships between agriculture, the global environment and social systems in both hemispheres. In addition, students will obtain a broader ecological and geographic coverage on aspects of agriculture that they usually approach from a much more limited and local perspective.

So far, very few US and Brazilian Agricultural Universities have incorporated agroecology or the concept of sustainable agriculture into their formal curricula. The problem is that the majority of professionals in agriculture have been trained from a disciplinary and atomistic perspective with specialization in one component of the whole agrarian system (its economy, a group of crops, soils, entomology, etc.). This specialization constitutes more a barrier than a bridge towards the understanding of agricultural systems, and has impeded agricultural researchers to appreciate the complexities of the social, economic and ecological processes that characterize today’s agriculture. As the need to more globally understand the process and integration of agriculture and to incorporate sustainability criteria in the evaluation of agriculture, the training of agricultural professionals of the XXI century should necessarily incorporate in the conventional curriculum, more integrated approaches such as agroecology and sustainability issues. Our proposed consortium can help in the design of a curriculum to build this capacity in students, making them better prepared to face the future challenges of agricultural development in both regions.

Future US and Brazilian professionals will understand that the improvement of agriculture is intimately linked to advances in the social, cultural, environmental and economic spheres. Agriculture is a biological and ecological activity that interacts closely with socioeconomic systems that prevail around the globe, and cannot be separated from them. The problems of rural development are more than technical problems, and these should be resolved at local as well as regional, national and international levels, thus requiring much needed bilateral collaboration.

C. Consortia activities

C1. Review and Assessment of Existing Curricula

All four Universities have implemented courses on agroecology and sustainable agriculture, as well as post-graduate programs such as the Maestado en Agroecossistemas at UFSC. For example, M.A. Altieri has for more than 20 years, developed educational materials for courses given at the University of California at Berkeley and also in Latin America through the Latin American Consortium on Agroecology and Development (CLADES) and in Spain in collaboration with the Universidad de Cordoba and the Universidad Iberoamericana de Andalucia. The course syllabus and most of the didactic material of the Berkeley Agroecology course (ESPM 118) is already in the web www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~agroeco3 (Appendix IV) and www.agroeco.org.

At the University of Nebraska, Dr. C.A. Francis has designed courses and taught Agroecology at the undergraduate and graduate levels for five years. Of special interest to exchange students will be the summer Agoecosystems Analysis course that builds on farm visits and group projects to evaluate the production, economic, environmental and social impacts of alternative farming systems. His close connections with the Nordic Region open a window of opportunity for students to include agroecology courses in Norway, Denmark and Sweden as part of their program of study. At UNICAMP, since 1994, Dr. Maria Alice Garcia has taught Topics on Agroecology (NE 433) for ecology graduate students as well as undergraduate students in the Biology program. Garcia also organized an international agroecology short course, with the collaboration of M.Altieri and C. Nicholls from Berkeley, opened to students from all over Brazil(Appendix V).

At UFSC, the Centro de Ciencias Agrarias, created in 1995, Dr. Paulo Lovato and colleagues at the Programa de Pos-Graduacao en Agroecossistemas offer a series of courses related to CASRD activities such as Sustainable Rural Development, Agricultural Sustainability, Agroecological Management (see Appendix VI). Clearly there is an enormous task at hand in order to integrate the various course perspectives, didactic materials and bibliography for the purpose of developing a common curricular structure on agroecology that will integrate the various approaches.

C2. New and Innovative Course

A main goal of CASRD is to develop a common course on agroecology and sustainable development. This common course will feature an innovative curricula and teaching materials used in the format of a colloquium-seminar where, in addition to listening to lectures, students will:

  1. Read assigned papers and documents contained in a bilingual reader, complemented by material posted in the website and prepare summaries and discussion points.
  2. Engage in live discussions in class and in the discussion boards established in the website.
  3. Prepare conclusions highlighting areas of consensus and disagreement on topics such as:
    • The role of agriculture in the economic development of the region and its role in the conservation of natural resources.
    • The impact of economic globalization on agricultural sustainability. To some, today’s restructuring of the region’s economy major threats to food security, environmental integrity and the livelihood of millions of farmers.
    • The importance of agrarian reform programs in relation to issues of equity, poverty and productivity, and especially in relation to trends that favor large-scale versus small farms.
    • The importance of incentives and support programs for small farmers to create economic opportunities and access to necessary inputs and resources for increasing the productivity of their small landholdings.
    • The role of rural development programs as vehicles to reach a better quality of life through the generation of income and employment, nutrition, health, education and other social benefits.
    • The importance of production for exports versus production for local and/or bioregional self-reliance.
    • The need to focus the technological effort over favorable land versus fragile and marginal environments.
    • The role of international aid and the private sector versus the public sector as promoters of development.
    • The potential of biotechnology in the development and structuring of agriculture, the restructuring of the global market, possible effects on environmental quality, etc.
    • The potential of agroecology and organic farming techniques in satisfying increasing food needs.

In addition, students will have the opportunity to take additional relevant courses in the host institutions in the areas of rural sociology, environmental economics, ecology, pest management, etc. to gain a broader perspective. For example, US students attending UFSC will be able to benefit from the many courses taught at the Centro de Ciencias Agrarias. Equally, Brazilian students visiting Berkeley will take courses in the ESPM department but also in Geography, Energy and Resources, and Anthropology and Development Studies but also take seminars at UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz. At UN, students from Brazil can take the Agroecosystems Analysis course during the summer in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.

C3. Student Exchanges

CASRD will initiate a process to establish a series of institutional agreements to facilitate the proposed student exchanges. The University of California’s Education Abroad Program (EAP), an international exchange program that sends over 2000 students annually to over 120 universities in over 30 countries for a semester or a year, can serve as a working model under which to organize the consortia (Appendix VII). In EAP, students pursue specialized studies in their major, take courses from host Universities to add breadth to their general education, concentrate on language or area studies, perform internships, and conduct research. UNL has participated in five FIPSE international cooperative projects, and this accumulated wealth of experience will be brought to bear on the success of the proposed project.

UC-EAP has a study center in Brazil at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) with whom CASRD will work closely to establish the exchanges, following their extensive experience. At UNICAMP, the Coordenadoria de Relacoes Internacioais (CORI), which has wide experience in the exchange of students, will also collaborate in establishing the needed mechanisms.

C4. Language Preparation

Selected students will be required to take either English or Portuguese intensive language courses one semester before their travel, taking advantage of the existing language programs in their Universities. For example, at UCB students have the option of taking Advanced Spoken Portuguese and Portuguese for Advanced Students that provide effective speaking ability and listening comprehension. Similarly, at the University of Nebraska, undergraduate students are provided opportunities for language preparation and to study in other countries and cultures, through scholarships and financial aid sources. Both at UNICAMP and UFSC students have the opportunity to take advanced English courses as part of the normal Campus offerings.

After students complete these courses, specialized instructors from the respective language departments will assess the level of language proficiency of each candidate.

C5. Internships/Apprenticeships

Participating students will be placed at organizations (state agencies, non-government organizations, or farmer networks) to gain direct hands-on activities on agroecological techniques and methodologies to achieve sustainability in agriculture. In California, there is a wide range of organizations including the Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food First), Rural Development Center, Pesticide Action Network (PANNA), California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), California Family Farmers Association (CAFF), to name a few, that can host students and involve them in their policy advocacy, technical assistance, community development and information dissemination activities. In Nebraska, will be linked with farmers through the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, a farmer-based organization that works closely with the university in research, education and outreach.

In Campinas, organizations such as the Organic Agriculture Group at the Instituto Agronomico de Campinas (IAC), Centro de Assistencia Tecnica Integral (CATI), EMBRAPA’s sustainable agriculture program, Associacao de Agricultura Organica (AA0), Instituto Biodinamico de Botucatu and various family run enterprises such as Horta e Arte, will host students in planned field activities. In Santa Catarina, EPAGRI (the state’s research and extension agency) has an active agroecology program linked to various farmers-consumers associations such as ECOVIDA and ECONIEVE which constitute prime candidates for student apprenticeships.

C6. Web-Based Learning

The course will build on the existing web site of Altieri’s agroecology ESPM 118 course at Berkeley (webct.Berkeley.edu-Appendix VIII) and on the materials posted in the website for an agroecology course in Spanish (www.agroeco.org/curso). This material will be complemented with documents, videos, slide shows and Powerpoint presentations (in English and Portuguese) provided by the various faculty involved in CASRD. The course website will be online by May 1, 2003.

Throughout the 4 months of each year, students will be assigned specific assignments connected to the various readings (short questions, essays, and term papers) and will organize themselves around topics for group discussions. All assignments and discussions conducted in each participating institution will be supervised by the collaborating instructor and their respective student assistants. Grading will also be provided locally by the instructors in charge.

C7. Student Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students will be a priority of CASRD including the recruitment of minority students. We will be to develop a common bilingual inter-institutional brochure to advertise the Consortia activities and also use existing communication channels (newsletters, web pages, etc.) available in each participating University to advertise the goals, activities and requirements of the program. Each University has existing mechanisms to reach a wide range of students. At UCB, both CLAS and ESPM have periodic newsletters, web pages and email directories that reach all students and faculty in the Berkeley campus.

US students must demonstrate proficiency in Portuguese, which can be provided through courses described in section C4. CASRD will establish a coordinating committee composed by the US and Brazilian project leaders who, based on written documents and personal interviews, will select students based on language proficiency, academic background and plan of study elaborated by each candidate including the areas of interest relevant to the consortia and the Brazilian or US university to visit.

Following the selection process, the first cohort of students will be selected in the spring of 2003 to begin joint course work at the host institution in the fall of 2003.

C8. Communications

As explained above, CASRD will create a website featuring all the consortia activities, bibliography, student reports and group discussion, and will be available to all interested public. The common agroecology course will also have a website as described in section C6, complemented by a system of teleconferences taking advantage of the facilities of the LED at UFSC. Communication among students and faculty will be enhanced through electronic mail (including interactive electronic conferences as needed), already massively used in both countries.

C9. Program Evaluation

CASRD proposes 3 levels of evaluations:

      1. Evaluation of the student exchange program.
      2. Evaluation of the common curricular activities (including common course, teleconferences, and web-based activities, internships/apprenticeships).
      3. Final evaluation of the project.

The first two initiatives will be conducted yearly to assess work in progress, and to what extent the consortia is reaching its goals. Results from such evaluations can be used as a mechanism to improve the academic activities and exchanges during the duration of the project. Evaluation is considered an ongoing and integral part of the total educational experience, and adjustments will be made according to feedback from students, faculty and cooperating farmers in the program.

C9.1. Impact on Exchange Students

Through the use of evaluation sheets filled by participating students and interviews of returning students, it will be possible to assess the positive and negative impacts of the project. Results will be analyzed to improve the program while it lasts and will also be sent to FIPSE and CAPES at the end of the 3rd year.

C9.2. Evaluation of Curricular Activities

In order to assess if the common activities developed are reaching the objectives of the Consortia, it will be important to:

      1. Determine to what extent it was possible to integrate the various agroecological perspectives and educational materials developed by the participating institutions.
      2. To assess the impact of such activities in enhancing the learning and professional capacities of participating students.
      3. To examine the continuity of the new program among the collaborating Universities and it’s potential expansion to others utilizing existing available telecommunication technologies.

C10. Scaling Up of the CASRD Experience

The diffusion of the results of the consortium experience will be achieved through the CASRD website linked to other key websites, specialized publications in educational journals and through presentations in national-international professional society meetings.

D. Administrative Issues

Every year we plan to send 10 students from the US to Brazil and receive 10 Brazilian students in the US (5 at UCB and 5 at UN), who will spend on semester in the host university. Adopting the model of UC-EAP described in section C3 will ensure full academic credit recognition for a student’s study time abroad and that visiting students are not charged fees at the host institution. Students will be provided with a monthly stipend sufficient to cover room and board as well as costs associated with educational materials, access to the Internet, and field internships/apprenticeships. In addition, students will be provided with guidance both at the home and host institutions on issues related to academic requirements, health and personal issues.

E. Preparatory Phase

During the first year, the Consortia will formalize all agreements and plan the curricular activities necessary to ensure success of the entire project. In practical terms this will involve:

  • Signing of agreements that highlight institutional financial commitments to the project and its sustainability beyond the funding period. This may require the commitment of special funds during the project (i.e. UCB’s CLAS targeting 2 student travel grants from its Tinker funded program devoted to CASRD- see enclosed leaflet announcing grant program for 2002-Appendix VIII ) or assisting Faculty in identifying sources of extramural grants to continue the project or expand it into new directions.
  • Following procedures described in section C7 to ensure process for student recruitment, selection and language preparation.
  • Working closely with UC-EAP study center at PUC-Rio and UNICAMP’s CORI to formalize the mechanisms for student credit transfer and/or recognition.
  • Engaging participating Faculty on curricular development through face-to-face activities during the 2 meetings of project leaders (1 in Brazil and 1 in US) during the first year of the project and continual Internet exchanges of ideas and materials until the launching of the exchanges.