Jennifer Widom·Follow4 min read·May 22, 2018--ListenShareAll Instructional Odyssey Posts in Chronological OrderFrom MOOC to MOIC — Launching an Instructional Odyssey. First Stop: Sri LankaOne of the most rewarding experiences in my career to date came in 2011, when I created one of Stanford’s first massive…medium.comA Successful Preview of Latin America (Colombia)After my first teaching stint in Sri Lanka I had some family vacation planned to round out the summer, then a small gap…medium.comTiny Bhutan Offers Unforgettable Teaching ExperienceThis instructional odyssey is a bit of a leap into the unknown — I don’t entirely know what to expect, or even what I’m…medium.comA Somber Time in Thailand, but Teaching Goes OnIt’s a major event when a King of 70 years passes away, particular one who was credited widely with holding a country…medium.comIndonesia: A Whirlwind Tour Barely Scratches the SurfaceIndonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country, and more than 40% of that population is under the age of 25. In…medium.comVietnam Excels in Student Engagement and Smooth OrganizationAfter my two-week whirlwind teaching-tour of Indonesia, I was looking forward to Vietnam where I would settle down in…medium.comTech and Temples in IndiaMy plane landed at the Chennai airport right on schedule at 3:00 AM. By late morning I was exploring the magnificent…medium.comA Wonderful but Complex University Experiment in BangladeshWow, what a week in Bangladesh. The Asian University for Women is a bold experiment that launched in 2008. Its mission…medium.comValparaiso, Chile — Enthusiastic Students in a Unique CityAfter a three-week family vacation in the Middle East and a few days at home on either side, I inaugurated my 2017…medium.comLaunching Africa with Arusha, TanzaniaFinally, Africa, a continent I’ve felt all along might be ideal for my odyssey: English as an official or co-official…medium.comSome Challenges in Namibia, but One Can Hardly Expect a Perfect RecordI knew going into my year of worldwide instruction that not every stop would turn out perfectly. I’ve done remarkably…medium.comAn Odyssey Cut Back, but Still Time for PeruIn mid-February I was offered and accepted the incredible opportunity to serve as Stanford’s tenth Dean of Engineering…medium.comPoland Adds Another ContinentAfter two weeks settling into the dean’s office, and a couple of days visiting my daughter who’s on a college semester…medium.comNew Heights of Enthusiasm in AzerbaijanI knew next to nothing about the country of Azerbaijan or its capital city, Baku, before my visit. My guidebook…medium.comLast Stop on the Odyssey (for now): an Innovative African University in MauritiusMauritius is a popular destination for European holiday-makers, though many Americans haven’t even heard of it…medium.comDedicated Nigerian Host Assembles 350 Students from Around the CountryWhen they heard about my instructional odyssey, the Very Large Data Base Endowment — a professional society I’ve been…medium.comThe Philippines: A Perfect FitAround the time I launched the instructional odyssey back in the summer of 2016, I received a persuasive invitation…medium.comAshesi University in Ghana: Liberal Arts, West African StyleAlmost 20 years ago, Patrick Awuah was rising the ranks at Microsoft when he decided to return to his home country of…medium.comMy First Second Visit — Enchanting BhutanAlthough my sabbatical is in the distant past now, I periodically sneak away from the dean’s office to indulge my hobby…medium.comA True Liberal Arts University in IndiaFollowing my return visit to Bhutan, it was a short hop to Delhi, India for a four-day Big Data short-course at Ashoka…medium.comBosnia and Herzegovina — Not Quite As I ExpectedI’ve visited Bosnia and Herzegovina once before, just a couple of years ago on a family trip. We spent most of our time…medium.comKazakhstan’s Nazarbayev University — a Bet on the Future in Central AsiaKazakhstan is still considered by some to be a developing country, but you wouldn’t know it from the capital city. I…medium.comKyrgyzstan Delivers Unexpectedly Smooth and Fun ExperienceTo take advantage of a short gap between my visit to Kazakhstan and the start of Stanford’s academic year, I initially…medium.comInstructional Odyssey COVID Edition — a Virtual Short-Course in PeruI had a busy and exciting travel-teaching schedule planned for this summer: short-courses and workshops at Universidad…medium.comSecond COVID Edition Short-Course Attracts Grateful Audience in the PhilippinesAfter the success of my first “COVID edition” virtual short-course, hosted by Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología…profwidom.medium.comPicking Up Where I Left Off, Beginning with EcuadorIt’s been three years since I’ve indulged my hobby of traveling to low- and middle-income countries offering…profwidom.medium.comA Rewarding and Smooth-Running Week in ColombiaAfter a successful four days of teaching in Ecuador, I flew to Bogotá, Colombia, where a similar schedule awaited me…profwidom.medium.comLast Gasp for the Summer — a Shortened Short-Course in Monterrey, MexicoI had originally planned to visit Monterrey, Mexico in summer 2021. With several destinations needing to be…profwidom.medium.comThird Time in Charming Bhutan — with a Royal Finale, but Change is AfootBhutan is the only country I’ve considered repeating on my instructional odyssey, not to mention three-peating! There’s…profwidom.medium.comMongolia Embraces an Intense Week of Data ScienceI’m always on the lookout for new places to take my instructional odyssey. So when I had a student from Mongolia in my…profwidom.medium.comA South African Launchpad for Advanced High-Schoolers from across the ContinentI learned of Johannesburg’s African Leadership Academy back in 2017 when I was arranging my visit to the African…profwidom.medium.comAfrican Leadership University v2: the Flagship Campus in Rwanda Heads OnlineBack in 2017 I offered a data science short-course at the African Leadership University’s inaugural campus in…profwidom.medium.comBig Success in BangladeshI often get asked how I find the destinations for my “instructional odyssey.” There’s no single answer, but several…profwidom.medium.com
