Our third and last roundtable this semester will be held on Friday, November 12th, 2:30 – 4 pm: Visitors' Voices, featuring three speakers who have spent time with us as fellows and scholars from different parts of the world over the past several months.

Burcin Kagitci-Yildiz (Visiting Scholar in APLNG); Zaure Kertaeva (Faculty Enrichment Program Fellow); and Sasiporn Phongploenpis (Humphrey Fellow) will be sharing research, reflections, and thoughts on international exchange from their unique perspectives.

Please see brief information about each speaker below:

Burcin Kagitci-Yildiz (Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey) A Cultural and Academic Exchange amidst Pandemic: Experiences of a Turkish Fulbright Scholar In my talk, I would like to share with you how my experiences at Penn State have helped me reconsider my academic interests as well as my personal and professional goals and assumptions, despite the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic.

Zaure Kertaeva (Alisher Navoi` Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, Tashkent, Uzbekistan) Learner Autonomy as a Social Construct: Independence vs Interdependence In a presentation, I would like to talk about how my thoughts about developing learners` independent study skills have been shaped because of Penn State experiences. I will also share how I am planning to modify my teaching and to help my students to become better learners relying on these experiences.

Sasiporn Phongploenpis (Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand ) COVID-19’s Effect on Education in Thailand toward Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship Program in the US In my talk, I will share the findings of my research on the effects of COVID-19 from the perspectives held by Thai students at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (SSRU). Hearing my students voice, I paved and shaped my way to Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program in the United States of America with the goals of becoming a better teacher.