In Pursuit of Global Competence: Effective Practices for Student Learning Outcomes in Community College Study Abroad Programs

ABRAHAM LINCOLN COMMISSION ON STUDY ABROAD, 2005 What nations don’t know can hurt them. The stakes involved in study abroad are that simple, that straightforward, and that important. For their own future and that of the nation, college graduates today must be internationally competent.

Background Information  Senate Resolution 308 ATS, 2005 There is a “serious deficit in global competence in the United States,” and “institutions of higher education in the United States are struggling to graduate enough students with the language skills and cultural competence necessary to meet the current demands of business, government, and educational institutions”

Rationale for Community College Study Abroad Programs  There is a clear need to build global competence in college students  Community colleges have 45-55% of all undergraduates but only 3% of students studying abroad annually  There exists a community college research gap on study abroad programs, structures, and their relation to global competence acquisition.

Research Background Elements of Global Competence

Global Competence: Global Competence: Elements and Characteristics Appreciation of own and others’ personal and cultural norms Critical awareness & appreciation of cultural differences Effective intercultural communication skills including language skills Ability to function as a member of another culture Knowledge of world history and current events Appreciation of and openness to global interdependence Knowledge of geo-political issues, changes, and decision making Knowledge of global business interactions and organizations Knowledge Elements Identified in Research Knowledge

Appreciation of own and others’ personal and cultural norms Critical awareness & appreciation of cultural differences Effective intercultural communication skills including language skills Ability to function as a member of another culture Knowledge of world history and current events Appreciation of and openness to global interdependence Knowledge of geo-political issues, changes, and decision making Knowledge of global business interactions and organizations Skill and Experience Elements Identified in Research Global Competence: Elements and Characteristics Skills and Experiences Global Competence:

Attitudes Appreciation of own and others’ personal and cultural norms Critical awareness & appreciation of cultural differences Effective intercultural communication skills including language skills Ability to function as a member of another culture Knowledge of world history and current events Appreciation of openness to global interdependence Knowledge of geo-political issues, changes, and decision making Knowledge of global business interactions and organizations Attitude Elements Identified in Research. Global Competence: Elements and Characteristics Global Competence:

Global Competence Elements and Characteristics Global Competence: Elements and Characteristics Appreciation of own and others’ personal and cultural norms Critical awareness & appreciation of cultural differences Effective intercultural communication skills including language skills Ability to function as a member of another culture Knowledge of world history and current events Appreciation of and openness to global interdependence Knowledge of geo-political issues, changes, and decision making Knowledge of global business interactions and organizations Specific skills, abilities, and experiences that relate to and operationalize global competence elements

Global Competence –Definition Used in Student Learning Outcomes Global competence is a continuing process of acquiring specific economic, historical, and geo-political knowledge which supports the intercultural communication skills and authentic lived experiences that allow a person to function in another culture, and result in attitudes of cultural appreciation and interdependence. Global competence is a continuing process of acquiring specific economic, historical, and geo-political knowledge which supports the intercultural communication skills and authentic lived experiences that allow a person to function in another culture, and result in attitudes of cultural appreciation and interdependence.

Study Abroad Program Structure Study Abroad Program Structure Academic (study abroad) Residential (living abroad ) Academic Program Program Length Program Location Faculty Selection Curriculum Selection Residential Program Type and level of student services Housing options Cultural activities Cultural Experiences

Los Rios Study Abroad Program Student Learning Outcomes Global CompetenceGlobal Competence Personal GrowthPersonal Growth Continued Interest in TravelContinued Interest in Travel Knowledge AcquisitionKnowledge Acquisition Development of Skills and ExperiencesDevelopment of Skills and Experiences Attitude Enhancement and ChangeAttitude Enhancement and Change

Los Rios Study Abroad Program Student Learning Outcomes 1. Global Competence Global Competence -- As a result of participating in the Study Abroad program, the student will be able to contextually appreciate, analyze, and articulate global competence.

Los Rios Study Abroad Program Student Learning Outcomes 2.Personal Growth -- The student will be able to successfully live and thrive in a culture not the student’s own and grow individually and personally from the experience.

Los Rios Study Abroad Program Student Learning Outcomes 3. Continued Interest in Travel -- The student will incorporate an interest in international travel into the student’s lifelong learning plan.

Los Rios Study Abroad Program Student Learning Outcomes 4. Knowledge Acquisition -- The student will incorporate specific cultural, geopolitical, economic, and social knowledge into academic and personal contexts.

Los Rios Study Abroad Program Student Learning Outcomes 5. Development of Skills and Experiences -- The student will develop skills to appreciate visual, historical and experiential cultural products of cultures different from the student’s own.

Los Rios Study Abroad Program Student Learning Outcomes 6. Attitude Enhancement and Change -- As one consequence of participating in the Study Abroad program, the student will question, analyze, and potentially change attitudes about the host culture that the student had prior to the experience, and this attitudinal analysis will result in less ethnocentric behavior.

“We need a group of academic leaders to challenge us, to make us dream, to lead us to sacrifice a little for the long term benefit of our nation and our world.” Senator Paul Simon