AIEA members have shared a desire to connect with peers around topics of interest. While there are several mentoring programs at AIEA, AIEA Peer-Learning Circles recognizes that all members are leaders and experts who can benefit from learning informally from one another. 

​The goal of this program is to connect members with each other in smaller groups to benefit from the collective experiences of AIEA members navigating these unprecedented times.

Registration

When registration for the AIEA Peer-Learning Circles opens, a special link will be sent to all current AIEA members through the members-only newsletter. 
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AIEA Peer Learning Circles are for AIEA members only. Members are required to login to complete the interest form. If you are not a member of AIEA, please join to become eligible to participate in this program. 

*Note: If your group needs assistance or guidance during the 4-month period, please contact the AIEA Secretariat at [email protected]. 

PEER-LEARNING CIRCLES

Participants will be matched with a group of 4-6 other senior internationalization leaders in a small group for a four-month period of time, starting in November 2025. The expectation is that this group meets monthly to discuss best practices, challenges, brainstorm ideas, and share resources around new challenges related to internationalization.

​Each group will have a designated logistics person who coordinates scheduling and logistics for these meetings (which can be either phone calls or virtually online). This designated person will also be asked to share emerging best practices and resources as appropriate to the wider AIEA community via a brief summary to be completed at the end of the program and send to the AIEA Secretariat. There is no formal curriculum for these groups, though an outline and some questions for consideration are provided below. It is recommended that there be one designated logistics person for the duration of the 4-month period if at all possible.
 
The AIEA Peer-Learning Circles program offers three different types of groups:
 
-Small groups with those of a similar institutional type
-Small groups by geographic location
-Small groups by key issue or topic area identified as an area of concern
 
While the AIEA Secretariat hopes to place you in a group based on your preference, it may not always be possible to form groups based on your first choice.

EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS

~ A commitment to monthly calls/meetings for four months and active participation in the group throughout that time period
~ A commitment to filling out a survey after two months and at the end of the program
~ Working together to share any best practices, insights, or resources that come out of your calls with the greater AIEA community

Logistics coordinator expectations (this is recommended to be the same person throughout the 4 month period): Serve as point person to the AIEA Secretariat with any questions or concerns; remind participants to fill out the evaluation; coordinate scheduling for the circle; coordinate compilation of best-practices or resources by completing a brief summary at the end of the program and sending to the AIEA Secretariat ([email protected] )  
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 *Best Practices for Logistics Coordinators

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MONTHLY MEETINGS

We recommend meeting at least monthly on Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, Whatsapp, Microsoft Teams, or using a conference line. If your group has trouble with these options, please contact the AIEA Secretariat for suggestions; however, it is up to each group to facilitate these connection logistics.

*Helpful tools to organize your virtual meeting- Tech Tools for Virtual Meetings

There is generally a lot to talk about in these groups, but if your group could benefit from some structure, ideas for meeting agenda are below: 

Meeting One 

• Introductions, including a brief description of the most pressing issues at your institution
• Goals: what is each participant hoping to achieve or get from these meetings?
• Brief discussion around pressing issues and/or sharing of resources, insights, and best practices.
• Discussion stemming from goals
• Logistics: setting dates/times for future calls

Meeting Two

• Check-in from previous conversations; any progress on reaching goals discussed initially?
• Continued sharing of best practices, lessons learned, insights, and resources in leading internationalization during these challenging times
• Determine topics you’d like to discuss next month; consider sharing possible articles in advance related to the topic

Meeting Three

• Check-in from previous conversations; any progress on reaching goals discussed initially?
  
• Discuss any pre-determined topics from the previous month conversation
  
• Looking ahead:  What are you anticipating for the next semester?
  
• Continued sharing of best practices, lessons learned, insights, and resources in leading internationalization during these challenging times
  
• Determine topics you’d like to discuss; consider sharing possible articles in advance related to the topic

Meeting Four

• Check-in from previous conversations
  
• Re-visit initial goals from the previous month conversation – any updates?
  
• Discuss any pre-determined topics from the previous month's conversation
  
• Discuss the key take-aways from this group over the last four months
  
• Discuss action steps you’ll take moving forward – immediate action steps, and steps you’ll take within the next month
  
• Consider putting together an AIEA publication or resource if applicable with lessons learned.
  
• In the last few minutes, take turns completing one of these sentences:
  
• Plan to say a goodbye (and maybe develop a plan to keep in touch)

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