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Pays : États-Unis  Langue(s) : anglais 

2014 AIEA Annual Conference - Universalizing Global Learning in the 21st Century Academy


Date :  du 16-02-2014 au 19-02-2014

Lieu :  Washington

Organisation :  Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA)


Programme : 
The rapid pace of innovation and the increasingly complex nature of the systems that manage and direct human experience has led to the gradual realization that not bullion or oil, but rather intellectual capital will become the most important commodity of the 21st century. This global recalibration of what is necessary to fuel human progress, push the boundaries of knowledge and even extend profits requires, as a fundamental enabler, international higher education. Nurturing and affording access to this increasingly desirable commodity therefore demands a robust and responsive international higher education sector. The most salient aspect of intellectual capital and the most consequential feature of its value is that it performs within a global context. And yet, notwithstanding this dynamic, there is a frightening disconnect between the demands of the world into which we are evolving and the commitments of colleges and universities to prepare their students, particularly undergraduates, to succeed in this new world.
      There are certainly pockets of awareness here and there. For example, accrediting bodies are increasingly calling for global learning experiences as part of the standards of education required in various disciplines. Despite various initiatives to address global learning at institutions around the world, the majority of institutions still accord global learning a marginal place in the curriculum (a single course or a single co-curricular workshop), if it is there at all. In short, there continues to be a conspicuous absence of a consensus for global learning in the curriculum as part of an intentional effort to align student learning with the demands of a global information age. Let us not forget that education is at the core of international higher education. Moreover, the character of such an education in the context of globalization must be global, where students have multiple, intentional and substantive encounters with global learning experiences throughout their respective programs of study.

      There is therefore an urgency to universalize global learning in the 21st century academy, meaning that all colleges and universities come to understand that part of what defines their mission in this historical moment is the need to prepare students for global realities. This commitment must be expressed, not merely in a menu of education abroad opportunities, but more importantly, throughout their specific fields of study, the curriculum in general, and the co-curriculum. In addition to the demands of government and industry, and taking into account what is needed to push the boundaries of knowledge, the fact remains that the greatest challenges facing humankind are global in nature. These challenges can only be resolved by graduates/citizens who are themselves globally competent. The case for global learning in the academy is overwhelming. Action is expected and required of all institutions, regardless of size, mission, history, wealth or location. In the end, each institution must commit to making global learning a central feature of a curriculum that will impart the skills, knowledge and dispositions necessary for life in a global information age.

      Conference Speakers:

      Philip G. ALTBACH
      Philip G. Altbach is Research Professor and director of the Center for International Higher Education in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. His research interests focus on international higher education issues, and especially with topics that relate to developing and emerging economies.

      Kwame Anthony APPIAH
      Kwame Anthony Appiah is often called a postmodern Socrates, and for good reason: he asks probing questions about identity, ethnicity, honor, and religion during a time when these difficult notions continue to shift. Exciting and erudite, he challenges us to look beyond the boundaries—real and imagined—that divide us, and to celebrate our common humanity

      Azar NAFISI
      AZAR NAFISI is Visiting Professor and the director of Cultural Conversations at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and bestselling author (best known as the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books).

      Derald Wing SUE
      Derald Wing Sue is Professor of Psychology and Education in the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology at Teachers College and the School of Social Work, Columbia University.


      The following are subthemes that are especially encouraged:

      1. The role of the SIO in advocating for global learning in the curriculum. Can SIOs who are primarily administrators, be effective agents in advancing global learning in the curriculum? Would faculty view the advocacy by SIOs for a curriculum more responsive to global realities as inappropriate meddling in curriculum matters? Can SIOs guide the conversation about global learning, even if behind the scenes, to help achieve campus-wide support?

      2. Models of global learning in the academy. What kinds of successes have been achieved using the general education curriculum as the principal site for global learning? Are their models to simultaneously target all curricula sites (the disciplines, the general education curriculum and the co-curriculum) to advance global learning?

      3. The role of technology in global learning. How can technology be effectively employed as pedagogical strategies to support global learning? Might the arrival of MOOCs advance or retard global learning?

      4. The intersection of student development theory and global learning in the curriculum. Does an intentional approach to global learning, beyond study abroad, contribute to the overall goal of facilitating student development during the college experience? Could student development theory be used as an argument for curriculum transformation in ways that advance global learning?

      5. The role of global learning within comprehensive internationalization. How can SIOs create the space among the myriad administrative responsibilities and tasks associated with comprehensive internationalization, to focus on advancing global learning in the curriculum?

      6. Global learning and accreditation standards. How are accrediting bodies articulating global learning as part of the standards that must be met in various disciplines? To what extent are accredited programs of study responding to these standards and what do their efforts to comply reflect meaningful engagement with global learning?

      7. Supporting institutional change to facilitate global learning. How can institutions advance global learning in a time of declining resources? How institutional strategic planning and change in senior administrative leadership can provide openings for advancing the global learning agenda.

      8. Strategies that encourage faculty engagement with global learning. Can traditional tenure and promotion practices be used to reward faculty for their engagement with global learning? Supporting faculty in taking advantage of international teaching and research opportunities as a way to provide them with insights on global issues that can inform their teaching and simultaneously induce a more positive disposition to global learning. What strategies are used to inspire faculty who are reluctant or indifferent to global learning to engage with this project?

      9. Research on global learning. How can existing initiatives for student research be mobilized to encourage student research on global issues? How can faculty research on global issues within their respective disciplines be used to foreground the importance of global learning. Expanding research abroad opportunities that provide both a cross-cultural immersion experience together with learning opportunities focused on research.

      10. Assessing global learning efforts in the curriculum and co-curriculum. What are some models that help to capture significant global learning occurring in the curriculum? Can global learning assessment be implemented fairly easily and affordably? What are some of the challenges of utilizing faculty driven assessment as opposed to institution-wide models of assessment?

      11. International perspectives on global learning. How do institutions outside of the United States conceptualize global learning? What are some of the unique structural, historical and cultural circumstances that may impact the understanding and practice of global learning?

      12. Global Learning in STEM disciplines. What strategies are used to overcome the inflexibility of STEM curricula to ensure global learning opportunities? What are some models of successful integration of global learning in STEM disciplines?




      URL :  http://www.aieaworld.org/2014-conference

      Ressources mises à disposition à l'issue de la manifestation : 

      • diaporamas :  http://www.aieaworld.org/2014-annual-conference--session-materials

        Quelques diaporamas sont disponibles sur le site du colloque.


      mot(s) clé(s) :  enseignement supérieur, internationalisation de l'éducation et mobilité