Team Monterey in El SalvadorHow Relevant are GSIPM Curricula:

Perspectives !om the Field

Table of contents

I. Introduction

II. Relevance of Curricula: Helpful Practical Skills & Knowledge

III. Technology as a Resource

IV. Language

V. Underutilized Resources & Areas of Improvement

VI. Moving Forward: Ideas to Further Strengthen Curricula

VII. Q&A Session

Introduction

Evolution of Team Monterey: Junior Consultancy

Project Range

ProductionEducation InfrastructureEnvironment & ConservationOrganizational Capacity Building

TM: Shaping the vision & practice of leadership

Relevance of Curricula

TM4 team evaluation

Useful skills and coursework:

Market research skills & IBPData AnalysisCapacity building & facilitation skills > DPMITechnology tools: mind mapping/C-Maps, logframes, ExcelSocial Sector Needs AssessmentProgram EvaluationConservation Resources (Protected Area policy, Natural Resource Economics, Conservation Incentive Agreements)

“I took away an invaluable insight into the way development projects actually work on the ground, including knowledge about the obstacles that are often encountered and how to be flexible enough in approach to overcome them.”

“This experience helped me decide which development track I want to focus on in the policy program and what kind of work I would like to be doing in the future. I became personally invested in the development of the community and found that my passion lies in seeing such projects progress.”

Technology as a ResourceTeam Monterey official blog & email address

Digital applications & evaluations

Google Groups & Applications

Cloud Computing

Excel

Etherpad

Video editing

Photography

DMC workshops

Language

Role of translators & interpreters

formal part of the teamcommunication enhancement with partnerslanguage & culture liasonsdevelopment of professional T&I skillspost-practicum report translation

LanguageEvaluation Results

MIIS Spanish curriculum not rigorous enough

Insufficient preparation & support of language advancement

Lack of individual skills diagnostics & weakness identification

Limited feedback on writing, facilitation, articulation, grammar, etc.

Not enough attention paid to details & syntactical proficiency

Focus on media & movies - not enough on interpersonal communication

RecommendationsDevelopment of surveys in Spanish

Spanish workshop on facilitation

Development terminology

Joint language & policy coursework projects

Underutilized Resources &Areas of Improvement

Data & Survey Analysisdiscrepancies between core IPA/MPA & MBA competencies

Conducting cost/benefit analyses

Survey development (English & Spanish)

Delivery of information to a client

Working for multiple parties- academic v professional

Writing & editing skills

Group dynamics & participatory facilitation

Fundraising skills & strategies

Underutilized Resources &Areas of Improvement: Recommendations

Preparatory workshops or series of modular courses on:

Needs Assessment tools

Conducting a Program Evaluation

Capacity Building Skills

Survey Development

Spanish “crash course” on development concepts & terminology

Cultural & contextual awareness - speaker series

Moving Forward:Ideas to Further Strengthen Curricula

Creating a “Brain Trust” / Advisory Board

Structural support to enhance consulting effectiveness

Development of Internship Program for Team Monterey

Enhanced involvement of Career Advising & Development

Creation of Expert Speakers Bureau to expand knowledge base

Enhance support for TM Faculty position

Q & A