1. Team Monterey in El Salvador
How Relevant are GSIPM Curricula:
Perspectives !om the Field

2. 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

3. Introduction
Evolution of Team Monterey: Junior Consultancy
Project Range
Production
Education
Infrastructure
Environment & Conservation
Organizational Capacity Building
TM: Shaping the vision & practice of leadership

4. Relevance of Curricula
TM4 team evaluation
Useful skills and coursework:
Market research skills & IBP
Data Analysis
Capacity building & facilitation skills > DPMI
Technology tools: mind mapping/C-Maps, logframes, Excel
Social Sector Needs Assessment
Program Evaluation
Conservation Resources (Protected Area policy, Natural Resource Economics,
Conservation Incentive Agreements)

5. “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.”

6. Technology as a Resource
Team Monterey official blog & email address
Digital applications & evaluations
Google Groups & Applications
Cloud Computing
Excel
Etherpad
Video editing
Photography
DMC workshops

7. Language
Role of translators & interpreters
formal part of the team
communication enhancement with partners
language & culture liasons
development of professional T&I skills
post-practicum report translation

8. Language
Evaluation 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
Recommendations
Development of surveys in Spanish
Spanish workshop on facilitation
Development terminology
Joint language & policy coursework projects

9. Underutilized Resources &
Areas of Improvement
Data & Survey Analysis
discrepancies 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Q&A