ACE Internationalization Collaborative Annual Meeting

Faculty Engagement in Comprehensive Internationalization
February 1 - 2, 2008, Washington, DC

Comprehensive Internationalization
Though this has been the focus of the last few ACE meetings, I think I really understood this concept better this time. I think WMU is striving for comprehensive internationalization, but I now see that it needs a much more organized effort to really make it happen. The process involves the following:

1. Select a leadership team
2. Articulate global learning outcomes
3. Conduct an Internationalization Review
4. Develop an Internationalization Plan

Why do we need to do this?

• Small number of our students get abroad
• Non-traditional students have even less time to study abroad
• Faculty may still be lukewarm about internationalization in the curriculum
• We are not always good at connecting things we are already doing

Learning Outcomes
It is important to get internationalization into the whole fabric of the university, so it is not considered an add-on, but part of what we all do, with outcomes in:

• University mission statement
• General education
• Departmental and class outcomes
  

Internationalization Review - Self Study
This is an important piece of the comprehensive internationalization process and it was suggested not to rush this process, and involve as many people on campus as possible in the conversation.

• Environmental scan – compare to other universities
• Internationalization inventory – what doing already
• Survey & do focus groups with faculty, staff & students

Faculty Involvement
Internationalization needs to be faculty driven, because when faculty members are not on board, internationalization will not be implemented effectively. Some ideas from the meeting:

• Fund for international initiatives
• Mini-grants for developing short term study abroad, or internationalizing course
• Survey faculty
• Hold conferences and workshops
• Visit departments with a small group
• Send faculty overseas
• Encourage applying for Fulbright & other grants in unusual places
• Work on professional organizations to encourage teaching global perspective
• Have proactive leadership leading discussions, providing examples
• Create a support and reward structure
• Include in tenure and promotion considerations
• Work on current grad students – they will be future faculty members
• Explain initiatives to faculty advisors, so they can inform their students

Staff and Administration
Get all players involved – administration, faculty, staff, and students

• Student affairs, admissions, budget, career services
• Open programs to staff too
• One school has staff (including custodial, cafeteria, office) accompany freshmen on trip to UK
• Have staff do logistical planning and then come on trip

Students

• Internationalization linked to improved student retention and engagement
• Parents and students come in with expectations of study abroad, but few do
• Innovative advising techniques – “Picture Yourself Global”, “Get Global!”
• First year experience – live and learn together, go abroad first semester, etc.
• International Café (Hawaii)
• Support international clubs
• Involve international students in classes and co-curricular activities

Other issues

• International and Multicultural – more institutions are integrating these, ACE is holding a symposium in June
• International service learning – can be major draw

Internationalization Across the Curriculum
To give those students who don’t have the opportunity to study abroad, and even those that do, to experience and reflect on international and global issues. Some ideas and issues:

• Designate certain courses as “international” – some don’t like the “I” designation
• Some go abroad, some explore an ethnic, cultural group in the area
• Use the knowledge of international faculty, staff and students, multiculturalism in class
• Draw on global issues –global warming, health, environment
• Create courses that fulfill various requirements – program, ethics, internationalization
• Parallel to writing across curriculum – don’t want people saying “someone else will teach that” – involve in everything
• Co-curricular events – international education weeks, festivals, community involvement

Study Abroad
So that it can’t be said that this is just partying in a different time zone, goals must be clear for the study abroad experiences. Students must be adequately prepared.

• Articulate outcomes
• Debrief – K-College does an overnight retreat afterwards
• Ask them to reflect, write papers
• Ask questions about how their discipline handled in other country
• Have students do workshops for others
• Assess
• Goal could be at least one study abroad program for each department (Juniata)
• Work with financial aid

Projects

• Global Connections Experience (Arcadia, PA) – must spend a semester in a community other than their own.
• Global Design Studio (IUPUI) – an architectural service learning project throughout the world, but currently focused on New Orleans and Indonesia – helping to rebuild after disasters. Involves, engineers, journalists and other departments and local communities and businesses.
• Global Learning for All (Kennesaw State University, GA) - A Quality Enhancement Plan project for accreditation affected the whole campus and made all the international efforts more cohesive. Impressive changes in five years.
• Global Learning Certification -(Kennesaw State University, GA) – some may choose to get this additional certification, which should be useful in getting jobs.
• Ground water project in Bangladesh (Wagner, Staten Island, NY) – project involved chemistry, environmental studies, biology.

Internationalization Laboratory
ACE Internationalization Collaborative offers this opportunity to 8 institutions every year, to go through an extensive process to move to the next level in internationalization. Timing is important and this might be a good time for WMU with new president and dean. Doing this with ACE gives more weight to our actions. The lab includes:

• A site visit
• Meeting with cohorts at beginning and after 6 months
• Monthly meetings with Barbara Hill
• Meetings with leaders throughout campus
• Writing a report including a plan for the future

Some definitions:

Global – denoting the systems and phenomena that transcend national borders

Global learning – international, global, and intercultural learning

Globalization – avoid, because it has negative connotations

International – focusing on the nations and their relationships

Intercultural – focusing on knowledge and skills to understand and navigate cultural differences

Internationalization – process by which institutions foster global learning

Comprehensive internationalization – strategic and integrated approach to internationalization – articulate internationalization as institutional goal, develop internationalization plan, bring together the different aspects of internationalization

Co-Curricular activities - previously known as Extracurricular Activities are activities that education organizations in some parts of the world create for school students. They serve to promote a variety of activities which all school students must attend alongside the standard study curriculum. (from Wikipedia)

“Inter” Framework – intergenerational, inter-cultural, international, interdisciplinary, inter-institutional