GESI 2009 Program Feedback

All GESI students MUST complete and submit a GESI 2009 Program Feedback form before their credits can be transferred. This evaluation is intended to give you the opportunity to provide critical feedback on your experiences before, during, and after your time in the field, which helps us make improvements for future years.

Please note: This is a formal document, used by various offices to improve future programming. Please be candid and thoughtful, but constructive in your comments. Your professors will have access to these reports after grades are submitted; your names will be removed from the document.

10-Day Institute

Please reflect on the 10-day Institute. In retrospect, what information from the Institute was most useful for your in-country experience. Why? *

What parts of the Institute were least applicable to your experience? Why? *

What would you recommend we do differently during the 10-day training in order to prepare students for their projects, NGOs, families, personal experiences and team work? *

Homestays

Please describe your home-stay arrangement to us. (Comment on roommate situation, family size, family behavior, location, safety, communication, food, and the amenities provided.) *

Were your home-stay expectations met? Why or why not? *

Did you live with another GESI student? If so, would you have preferred to live alone? If not, would you have preferred a roommate? Why? *

What did you learn from your homestay? How did it contribute to your experience?

Academics, NGOs, and Projects

Please comment on the the NGO's preparedness and ability to host and guide you in your projects. *

Would you recommend placing a group at this NGO again next year? Why or why not? *

How much did your project involve community members? How much contact did you have with the community? *

How useful was professor, FSD, and student instructor feedback in constructing and implementing your project? Would you keep this the same for next year? How would you change their role, if at all? *

Discuss the weekly reporting process. Was it helpful to you and your group? Would you recommend a similar reporting model for next year? *

Did you feel that you received adequate support from GESI staff and professors throughout your GESI experience? How could this have been improved?

We considered adding an in-country course for GESI next year. Classes would be taught in the evening (once a week) by a local development expert. Based upon your experience, would such a course be feasible? Desirable? Why or why not? What other variables should we consider?

FSD Site Team

Please comment on the FSD site team and its relationship to you and the host NGO. *

If you had any personal and/or group issues/concerns, do you feel the site team addressed them adequately? Why or why not? *

Is there anything you would change about the FSD site team or their relationship to students and NGOs?

What did the FSD on-site orientation involve? Did the orientation provide sufficient information and/or resources to help you understand issues related to living and working in your host community? *

Describe the midterm retreat. What did it involve? Was it useful? What, if anything, should we change next year? *

Please describe the FSD site team led workshops. Were they useful? What would you change about those next year? *

Students

Please comment on group size. How did the size of your team affect your work? Would you have preferred the team be smaller, bigger, or stay the same? *

Were there any barriers due to group issues that disrupted your work? Explain.

What type of student would be best suited for the GESI program? *

Please remark on your perceptions of the other students who participated in GESI. Did they seem committed? Knowledgeable? Sensitive to the host community? *

Program Selection

What factors led you to select this program over others? *

Explain: *

How did you hear about GESI?

Logistics

What do you recommend about travel within your host city/country? *

How did you communicate with those at home while abroad? *

Were there any health concerns (necessary immunizations, food issues, etc.) related to your host country that were not covered in predeparture material or orientation which students should know about? *

How did you spend your free time, nights, and weekends? *

How much should a future student anticipate spending on personal expenses on the GESI program in your host country? * $250-500$500-750$750-1000$1000-1250Over $1250

Does this amount include a significant amount of travel? Explain. *

Summary

What do you wish you had known before you left that no one told you? *

What are the 3 most important things GESI should repeat next year? *

What are 3 things GESI should do differently next year? *

What was most unique about this program? Please explain. *

Other

In what ways can/should GESI alums be involved in helping to train next year's participants? In sharing what you learned on campus? *

If GESI were to change its programmatic or regional scope 1) Which location would interest you? 2) Is there a theme or subject you think we should explore? *

Is there anything else you'd like to comment on to help us improve this program? Please do so: *

How do you think you might use the experience gained through GESI (personally, professionally, academically)?

Permissions/Signature

The Northwestern Study Abroad Office and the Global Engagement Summer Institute have my permission to file this evaluation in their library for people to read. * YesNo

The Northwestern Study Abroad Office and the Global Engagement Summer Institute have my permission to quote anything I have written here in their publications and presentations, using my name. * YesNo

Signature and Date (If submitted electronically, please type your name). *

Need assistance with this form?