Using the International Negotiation Modules Project (INMP) to Build a Learning Community

Background

In 1995, Joyce Kaufman and Rosalind Latiner Raby adapted the University of Maryland ICONS project specifically for the community college environment (ICONS, 2013). Since its inception, over 135 classes in 60 community colleges have participated. The range of colleges include both rural and urban areas and even a community college in Northern Thailand. In total, more than 6,500 students have participated in the program. Student ethnicity varies with college location and many classes consist exclusively of low income students, students of color, and non-traditional students. Also, depending on the college, there can be a large percentage of first generation, immigrant, and international students. Most students concurrently take classes and work at least five hours a week, and the average age of students remain in late-twenties, which is the norm for community colleges (Raby, 2006).

When first developed, INMP was designed to be multi-institutional. Each year, there are a minimum of eight different colleges that participate. The multiple voices that come from students who live and work in various parts of the country add to the depth of on-line discussions. All the examples provided in this chapter come from evaluations from students and faculty who have participated in the INMP from 1998-2013. These stories represent a changing construct of the power of simulation over time.