In recent years there has been increased rhetoric regarding the supposed outcomes of internationalization activities producing global citizens. In this discussion, Kyra will outline the findings of a mixed methods study which investigated the intercultural development scores and perceptions of intercultural and global learning of upper level students in regional British Columbian universities. The results indicate that participants significantly overestimated their intercultural development. Furthermore, focus group discussions revealed student perceptions of the influence of curriculum and pedagogy on their intercultural and global learning was intermittent and that in some cases administrative, curricular and pedagogical choices may even entrench stereotypes and strengthen biases. These findings will be outlined and followed by round table discussion to address the following questions:
1. How can higher education better prepare students across disciplines to be effective professionals and citizens in increasingly multicultural and globalized settings?
2. Which elements of programs designed to foster “global citizenship” should be addressed in order to meet learning outcomes?
References:
Andreotti, V. (2011). The question of the “other” in global citizenship education: postcolonialanalysis of telling case studies in England. In L. Shultz, A.A. Abdi & G.H. Richardson (Eds.). Global citizenship education in post-secondary institutions: Theories, practices, policies (pp.140-157). New York, N.Y.: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.
Brunstien, W. I. (2007). The global campus: Challenges and opportunities for higher education in North America. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11, 398-413. doi:10.1177/1028315307303918
Lee, A., Poch, R., Shaw, M.,& Williams, R. (2012). Engaging diversity in undergraduate classrooms: A pedagogy for developing intercultural competence. ASHE Higher Education Report, Volume 38, Number 2.
Otten, M. (2009). Academicus interculturalis?Negotiating interculturality in academiccommunities of practice. Intercultural Education, 20(5), 407-417. doi: 10.1080/14675980903371266
