Reflections of the NIU Faculty members on the Impact of the
GROW Project at NIU
At the NIU Advisory Committee Meeting held on December 5, 2005
 Phyllis: Involvement in the Sri Lanka project is a critical ingredient in the
internationalization of the curriculum because we bring to our classrooms
knowledge about Sri Lanka and its culture. In the same manner, the U.S. graduate
students who are directly involved with the project leaders and also through their
own involvement in the project have gained valuable knowledge and cultural
perspectives to be informed citizens of a global community. This is a very
participatory project and has taught us the importance of participation at all levels
and how to do it. Also, this kind of model, to a certain degree, enables dissipating
the hegemonic control of the U.S.
 Deb: At NIU, we bring NIU’s expertise to the world through ITO’s programs
(such as the SL project) and those involved in ITO’s programs bring back
perspectives of the world to NIU’s classrooms. It is a two-way involvement.
When compared with the experience I had at one of my former universities, ITO
administered Sri Lanka project involved faculty and staff at different levels and
does not favor the involvement of only the top administrators. This is a unique
aspect of the program.
 Laurel: My students are eager to learn about the SL project and inquisitive about
the styles of involvement through an internationally-focused project such as this.
They are keen to learn from faculty involvement in projects abroad, specifically
its position with personal/family agendas, and international experience, new
insights and learning we bring back to the classrooms.
 Meena: At the beginning I was not sure of the rationale for my involvement in
the project, but my discussions with Jaya & Laurel have changed my perception
about my role in the project. The project heavily influenced my professional path.
My dissertation focus was impacted by concepts and principles of the Sri Lanka
project. I consider myself in the right place at the right time.
 Phyllis: The Sri Lanka Project is a key event in our careers, which we must
proudly write about. NIU faculty traveled to Sri Lanka to share their expertise
with the community, esp. with grassroots women. NIU faculty empowered the
women to become active participants in government, taught the ordinary citizens
participatory decision-making processes. There is now a template to make
women participate in democratic process & civil society. The only issue in the
project is that it involved only a few students.
 Laurel: Most of CAHE faculty members have years of experience working in
foreign countries and this makes our department very special. Also having
students from other countries have an impact in the classroom. International
students change the direction of learning. It is important to have non-U.S.
perspectives in our classes.
 Jaya: From my teaching experience, I can say that students are very much
interested in learning about the Sri Lanka Project. They have heard about the
project from other faculty members such as Laurel and are enthusiastic in
knowing more about the project. Students like this learning from the “lived”
international experience of the faculty. Students believe that in order for them to
be citizens of a global village, learning from faculty members who have “lived”
international experience is important. This was revealed during a needs
assessment in my class, last spring.
 Sabiha: The more I hear about the Sri Lanka project, the more I am inspired to
infuse my teaching with international perspectives by constantly citing the Sri
Lanka project in my teaching. I used the distance learning mode presented by the
Vice chancellor of the Open University (a partner organization in the project) as
an example in my class. Sri Lanka Project adds an international dimension to the
classroom teaching.
 Catherine: I teach Southeast Asian art and understanding Buddhism and
Hinduism through such art. My travel to Sri Lanka and India to study their art has
enriched my teaching. I always share with my students the
experiences/knowledge I have gained from my fieldwork/research in Sri Lanka
and Southeast Asia.
 Rick: “In the beginning, I didn’t know much about Sri Lanka and about
grassroots women’s empowerment.” I was a learner. Participation in the SL
project enhanced my knowledge and impacted my professional development. The
Faculty Panel Discussion during the International Education Week was a laudable
activity because it made students (in the audience) aware of what we are doing.
 Jaya: The experience students have received from their experience with the
project though limited is a deeper one. For an example- Agnes Convey (Laurel’s
student) did a major part of the curriculum development work when the Sri Lanka
group was here and that was inspirational work. She did an outstanding job of
guiding the group in developing the curriculum.
At the NIU Advisory Committee Meeting held on November 6, 2006
Murali:
 The project influenced his teaching the course on International Program
Management at the Engineering College. He added a new module focusing on
deadlines and deliverables, to the curriculum of this course tapping into his
GROW experience.


GROW Project has helped to bring international learning into NIU’s classrooms
in many other ways.
State Department grant money enabled stimulating a few great faculty members
of the NIU faculty to be in the Sri Lanka Advisory Committee, thus enabling
international bridge building.
Laurel:



GROW Project enabled experiencing/practicing real life teaching
methodologies such as role plays and simulations.
The composition of the Sri Lanka Advisory Committee with a good
number of faculty members from CAHE has tremendously impacted
CAHE students.
Two project websites with their comprehensive coverage and information
supplemented by photos and easy navigation was a tremendous resource
for classroom teaching and learning.
Nalika:



Made several classroom presentations on the GROW project thus sharing
the learning from the project with other graduate students.
Did a conference presentation and contributed to a joint publication on the
project, thus further enhancing the learning among the students.
GROW project has become a “social movement” not just a project (she
realized this when taking the course on Social Movements), and thus it is a
very rich learning experience to NIU students.
Itxaso:

Demonstrated the value of international education and the fact that people
who live far away could be interested in the activities of the people in another
corner of the world.
Cindy:
 In teaching assessment it is helpful to understand the cultural impact on
assessment and innovative ways of assessment that people could easily relate
to.
 Personally amazed by the power on the ground and power of collective effort.
 Project demonstrated how ordinary people could do extra-ordinary things.
Meena:
 GORW project is a significant positive experience and impacted her life as a
student
 It gave a head start to her doctoral research work.
Sharee:
 As a graduate student, the opportunity to learn about the GROW Project through
Laurel’s and Jaya’s classes was an eye opener.
 Listening to the GROW II leaders from Sri Lanka who visited the class (when
they were at NIU) was a very rewarding and amazing learning experience.
 As a lecturer in community health, learning more about popular education through
GROW Project was quite useful.
Rey:

Jaya:





Received remarkable opportunities to contribute through class presentations
and also during the International Education Week. The development of movie
files on GROW I and II had a direct impact on the project as well as on my
learning.
GROW as a project started small and expanded as the project moved forward,
acting as a practical model for similar interventions.
The project has put Sri Lanka on NIU’s map.
GROW Model Villages with modest assistance from the NIU Advisory
Committee members continue their role as rich learning laboratories to other
villages, NGOs, and other development interventions in Sri Lanka, both
national and international
Energy emanating from the NIU Advisory Committee is in fact infectious and
has strengthened the Sri Lanka advisory committee.
Decision by the Sri Lankan partners to continue the Diploma Program after
the funding period is a good indicator of the energy created by the GROW
Project.
Phyllis:
 Sri Lanka Project is a living and a breathing demonstration. It is like you
plant something and let it GROW enabling change of attitudes and
understanding in the institutions.
 GROW Project enabled the demonstration of bottom up approach to learning
and working.
 This is a good example of community linking with the academic world where
connections are made in the minds.
 GROW Project enabled progressive understanding of the world.
 It helped to change the academic structure of a university in which many are
trapped in their robot roles and hierarchies.
Sabiha:
 When I first joined NIU as a new faculty member, GROW Project provided me a
“home” with a value system closes to my heart.
 Project demonstrated the participatory approach development. The project with its
12 underlying principles is a rich learning base.
 Enhancement of student awareness beyond what they hear is important and the
GROW Project experiences enabled just that.
 The excellent communication between the two advisory committees was an added
strength to the project and to us.