Pacific Alliance Program in Peru – In January 2020, I had the great privilege of participating in a project mission to Arequipa, Peru as part of a Canadian college team visiting the Instituto Superior Honorio Delgado Espinoza.  My part was to deliver interactive workshops on the topic of “Backwards Design” and “Assessment and Evaluation”. These were big topics to cover in two days, but we were able to touch on many aspects which sparked a great deal of exchange around educational philosophy, common challenges and best practices, such that I think we all left with new ideas and energy to incorporate into our work.  Also, thanks to the collaborative nature of our wonderful participants, I learned new terminology, and left with a rekindled desire to improve my Spanish proficiency so that, another time, I might be able to understand more deeply the rich conversations we had.  I was also very inspired by the great dedication to lifelong learning demonstrated by the people we got to work with.

The participants were of all ages, and despite it being their summer vacation, despite there being floods in the city that week, and despite there being great distances to travel through the Andes Mountains, there was a commitment to learning everything possible and everyone came and gave it their all for the time that they could be there. It was a wonderful experience working with my Canadian and Peruvian colleagues and I am happy that technology is allowing me to continue learning with them!

Kirsty Lock

Faculty, School of Access, Education and Language

NSCC Strait Area Campus