Global Learning
Planning Instruction & Learning Activities (read full series)
What is it?
UC Davis frames global learning as the process of building key knowledge, skills, understandings, and networks that will help students collaborate effectively across cultural and geographic boundaries for the global good. Global learning recognizes that learners are empowered to create knowledge by viewing the world and the challenges that concern all of us not as mere problems but as opportunities. This serves as a beacon of hope and an instrument of collaboration to address how we want to live on this planet together and how we behave towards others.
Research
Global challenges, networks, and dynamics profoundly shape our lives. We need scholars, entrepreneurs, educators, artists, and policy makers who are ready to navigate across different cultural, political, and regulatory environments. And we need empathetic, curious leaders, caregivers, and community members who understand issues in cross-cultural contexts and collaborate to resolve them equitably. The AAC&U “Shared Futures Initiative” challenges students to reflect on “the interdependent but unequal world in which they live” and their sense of responsibility to "creatively and responsibly remedy its inequities and problems.”1
Data
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of UCD students report having had an on-campus experience with an international/global focus. (UCUES, 2018)
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rate their ability to analyze or discuss global issues as “very good” or “excellent.” (UCUES, 2018)
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and professional school accreditation guidelines incorporate an emphasis on global and intercultural awareness and engagement.
Teaching Strategies
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Examine Issues. Incorporate globally focused or comparative perspectives to examine issues through a global lens. Design course activities, projects, teams, online intercultural collaborations, and assignments that support engagement with global perspectives or action on global issues. Include content, speakers, or co-instructors that explore global diversity.
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Transcend Boundaries. Integrate virtual learning experiences with a global focus to transcend place-based boundaries. Connect with peers around the world through technology or participation in international internship experiences without leaving home.
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Value Life Experiences. Recognize that life experiences such as immigration/migration, growing up speaking multiple languages, and helping family members navigate across cultural boundaries support global learning.
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Work With Communities. Engage students with regional communities to learn about an unfamiliar culture; work or intern with businesses with a global footprint; or participate in community-engaged service learning to address global challenges.
Students say ...
- “This has been one of the most positive experiences I have had in a group project…I have gained skills in team effort and communication and gained new perspectives from students with very different experiences across the globe.”
- “Going into this project I wasn’t sure how this collaborative aspect would play out…I was very excited about the potential of working with my classmates and students from Tec [de Monterey, Mexico] to solve a problem.”
- “Being able to meet each week to discuss our ideas, findings, questions, and general well-being made this process a lot more meaningful. I think the whole group will feel very proud of the work we’ve done this quarter, which is the best result I would have asked for.”
Reflection
- Why is global learning important for UC Davis students? How does it add value to what they are already learning in their classes and majors/minors?
- How do I, as faculty, integrate global learning in my curriculum?
- What does my integration of global learning in my curriculum communicate to my students?
- 1List of all references in the complete JITT Guide.