Context and Connections: Examining Changing Practices for Global Learning Paul McVeigh Indira Nair February 24, 2012

General Plan Brief introductions – Indira and Paul Participants Introductions Brief Answers to Questions- Lets try to categorize Break Group discussions – Include: – What is the priority of global learning –in your view, on your campus. How do we get global education to be an important component of gened? What are the challenges? Strategies? Be prepared to share: - 3 min per table Wrap-up 2

Expectations Chart out a general framing/ scaffolding for global general ed – make a start Get new ideas to try back on campus How to engage faculty How to realize global in general education 3

NOVA Northern Virginia Community College 6 campuses across region 78,000 students (37,000 FTES) Highly multicultural student population, F1s, 13,000 non-US citizens… Typical CC: 90% students PT, working, families, no residence halls, therefore high mobility from and to classes, work, home, etc. ACE Internationalization Laboratory – Institutional Review – Implementation Gen. Ed.: AAC&U Roadmap Project

Trends influencing Higher Ed (1997) Poor economic conditions – Increasingly limited public funding support – Low growth/flat productivity – Increasing competitiveness Increased societal dependencies – Among nations/political units – Among business and economic units – Among educational sectors (e.g., HE, K12) Increasingly public agenda (as a result) – new accountability for HE – Credentialing as an entitlement for citizens

The Institution v. Environment Institution People Finances Programs Facilities Values Image Climate Environment Economic Social Demographic Political Technological Legal Competitive

External Factors (examples) Number & type of students expected to be served Anticipated economic conditions Changes in the workforce that may effect needs for education (and Con. Ed.) New areas of knowledge that may effect needs for revision of current programs

Strategic Themes (examples) Develop a stronger student-centered approach Assess the educational outcomes of each degree program and gen. ed. core Encourage a community-focused environment

Karens Why do faculty & administration not see diversity and global learning (as described) as important to their work on student success? Why was no one involved with diversity and global learning attending this particular Institute?

Changing Contexts (examples) Technology – What is the impact of social networking on Study Abroad? Demographics – How are classrooms adapting to increasing numbers of multicultural students?

Competencies: International & Intercultural Knowledge Knowledge of world geography, conditions, issues, and events. Awareness of the complexity and interdependency of world events and issues. Understanding of historical forces that have shaped the current world system. Knowledge of ones own culture and history. Knowledge of effective communication, including knowledge of a foreign language, intercultural communication concepts, and international business etiquette. Understanding of the diversity found in the world in terms of values, beliefs, ideas, and worldviews.

Competencies: International & Multicultural Knowledge/Content Oriented Understand the interconnectedness and interdependence of global systems. Understand the historical, cultural, economic, and political forces that shape society and explain their own situation in this context. Develop a nuanced/complex understanding of culture as a concept and the deep/complex/dynamic nature of culture. Understand various/different cultures and how culture is created. Understand the relationship of power and language, and how language interacts with culture. Understand the connections between power, knowledge, privilege, gender, and class (locally and globally). Understand conflict and power relationships. Understand how language frames thinking and perspective (the language you speak creates the box in which you think). Recognize how stereotypes develop and where they come from.

Competencies: International & Intercultural Skills Technical skills to enhance the ability of students to learn about the world (i.e., research skills). Critical and comparative thinking skills, including the ability to think creatively and integrate knowledge, rather than uncritical acceptance of knowledge. Communication skills, including the ability to use another language effectively and interact with people from other cultures. Coping and resiliency skills in unfamiliar and challenging situations.

Competencies: International & Multicultural Skills Think, work, and move across boundariesin diverse environments with a range of people. Develop and use skills in conflict resolution. Develop and use intercultural communications skills. Demonstrate language proficiency. Take informed responsibility for actions in a globally connected world. Link theory and practice through their own experience both as citizens and in professions. Internalize and apply cultural understandings and knowledge. Seek out multiple perspectivesinside perspectives as well as outside ones.

Competencies: International & Intercultural Attitudes Openness to learning and a positive orientation to new opportunities, ideas, and ways of thinking. Tolerance for ambiguity and unfamiliarity. Sensitivity and respect for personal and cultural differences. Empathy or the ability to take multiple perspectives. Self-awareness and self-esteem about ones own identity and culture.

Competencies: International & Multicultural Attitudinal/Mode of Being Develop a sense of perspective and social responsibility. Overcome provincial/parochial thinking. Reduce their own prejudice. Appreciate difference; value and acknowledge other cultures as legitimate. Improve cultural self-awareness and understanding of ones self in the global context (ones own place and connections). Demonstrate greater appreciation of or an interest in learning about different cultures. Develop empathy and perspective consciousness. Demonstrate open-mindedness and an understanding of complexity.

Opportunities for linking assessment, planning, decision-making Harnessing accreditation self-study – Building an infrastructure – Keeping planning assets intact Tracking the plan – Indicators and updates – Forums and retreats Results dimension of program review – Annual indicators – Multi-year cycles Assessment and budgeting – real role for assessment committees – Fixing problems or rewarding performance Packaging decisions around assessment results

Indira – My context and expectations CMU- global research university - Students from about 50 countries, almost 40% of non- US heritage General education-slight variation in colleges Global courses – expected ones + courses using data –often comparative- from other countries on assignments educating for global awareness project- objectives from 15 courses interviews of faculty – Outcomes in Liberal Education. 18

Global literacy Global vs. international Pedagogy in approaching literacy Embedding for habits of thinking and working, worldviews rather than disciplinary expertise only How do we formalize and articulate? – Some examples – E.g., Engineering 19

UNESCO on literacy – a useful definition in this context Complex notion: vital competencies that an individual should possess in order to function in todays world as a participant in decision making Plurality: Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, (using printed and written materials) associated with varying contexts…. (Involves) a continuum of learning …incorporate..various circumstances in which individual learners live their lives.. Situational, yet dynamic 20

Some Principles Living knowledge: Introduce models that compare favorably with the models students have already formed to explain events in their own lives (Strike and Posner 1992) : e.g., cases, scenarios, UN discussions, Round tables Strategy instruction + topic instruction Involve full mind (James Zull) Lifelong: Students should have a generative understanding and an inclination to progressively refine their ideas (Linn & Muilenburg 1996) 21

Questions we Sent Changing contexts at your institution that affect general education and global learning; conversations that are taking place: – Identify some of the changing contexts you have seen/felt affecting your institution; – What is their impact/influence on general education? Examples of pedagogy and practices for global learning in general education Roadblocks to incorporating global learning in general education Assessment issues, practices Any other points that you may want to raise 22

Expectations Chart out a general framing/ scaffolding for global general ed – make a start Get new ideas to try back on campus How to engage faculty How to realize global in general education 23