Although NIU School of Art professor Kerry Freedman is on a one-month residency in Taipei, there was no distance great enough to keep her from her students in DeKalb.
On Monday, Oct. 8, School of Art doctoral students and Douglas Boughton, director of the NIU School of Art, gathered around a conference table in the NIU Music Building to join Freedman and students at National Taiwan Normal University for a Skype discussion regarding cultural differences in education.
“Both classes are studying issues that have to do with assessment and program evaluation,” Boughton said. “We thought it was a wonderful opportunity to connect and give both groups a window into another world.”
Samantha Goss, a doctoral student in Freedman’s NIU art education class, said bringing the two classrooms together through Skype created a unique educational experience. “I think it’s a really interesting opportunity, not just for art education, but for the whole university, to think about international research opportunities.”
“I think the more we do this,” Boughton said, “the better the university is going to be able to make connections worldwide.”
