Global Academic Initiatives
Jami Leibowitz, Ph.D.
Leslie Pagliari, Ph.D.
We Live In An
Interconnected World
The Situation
Strangers in a new culture see only
what they know.
Arab Proverb
We cannot build our own future without
helping others to build theirs.
William Clinton
Why Global Academic Initiatives /
Global Understanding?
• 79% of U.S. population agree that college students
should have a study abroad experience.
• Approximately 4% of U.S. college students study
abroad.
• Approximately 2% of ECU students study abroad.
• 100 % of students will face challenges associated
with a globalized world
What About the Other 95+%?
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The world is diverse - need to understand
Students info: movies and television
Stereotypes and misunderstandings abound
Risks and fears of foreign travel are real
Project Goal: use regular internet technologies
to bring international students and faculty
into the same virtual classroom
International Education and Research via
a Virtual Collaborative Environment
• Promoting
– Discovery
– Exploration
– Engagement
– Collaboration
– Understanding
– Within and Between Cultures
Building Relationships since 2003
Over 50 partner institutions in over 30
countries. Impacting approximately 2500
students worldwide this year.
Algeria, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador,
Egypt, Ethiopia, France, The Gambia, Germany,
India, Iraq, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon,
Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova,
Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland,
Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, UK, USA
Andrew Heiskell Award
Innovation in International Education
OUR GOALS
•
Use simple, widely available Internet technology to provide
students an easily accessible, meaningful international
experience.
•
Create a virtual collaborative environment where students
can develop a deeper, first hand understanding of other
cultures and themselves.
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Provide an environment where students can develop the
skills necessary to become global workers and citizens.
Create opportunities for international collaborative
research.
Encourage continued international education.
Benefits to Our Students
• Develop “global competence” and broader
understanding of global perspectives
• Learn to effectively communicate with people for
whom English is a second language
• Better understanding of own culture
• Cost/time effective; minimize ”risks & fears”
• Complements study abroad program
• Better job opportunities for students who have
global work and communication experiences
Global Academic Initiatives
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Global Understanding Course
Shared Discipline Specific Courses
Course Modules
Lecture Series
Individual Lecture Exchange
Global Discussions
Special Events
Research
Tools
• Inexpensive, Sustainable & Reliable
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“Regular” Internet Based
─ Minimum 256K Upload and Download
Videoconferencing
─ Standard H.323 Protocol
Webconferencing
─ Sabameeting
Chat
─ IRC
•
Plan to Fail!
Wiki
─ Confluence
Global Understanding Courses
• Work with 3 +1 cultures over the semester
for approximately 4 – 5 weeks each.
• General Education Credit in multiple
disciplines (3 SCH)
• Facilitated student discussion.
• Collaborative project.
• Develop a better understanding of other
cultures from peer students living within
those cultures.
• Academically and Disciplinarily Independent.
• The Core—Shared format, topics,
procedures
• Dual Structure—Link vs. Local Time
• ANTH
1050
• COMM
1050
• ENGL
1000*
• FORL
1060
• INTL
1050
• MIS
4963*
• POLS
1050
• PSYC
1070
• SOCI
3000*
Discipline Specific Courses
Global Climate Change
Global Leadership and Global English
Course Modules
Youth Theatre
27
Medical Lecture Series
•Series for medical students
•Various topics each
semester
•Universities from Ethiopia,
Moldova and Iraq attend via
teleconference
Example Topics
•Cardiac Physical Examinations
•Type 2 Diabetes
•Asthma
•Pulmonary Vascular Diseases
•Anxiety Disorder
Lecture Exchanges
Peru  ECU
Peruvian Cuisine
Malaysia  ECU
Traditional Malaysian Music
and Instruments
ECU  Poland: The Super Mother Role in
India and the US
Poland  ECU: The Super Mother Role in
Poland in the context of the EU
ECU  China
American Folklore and Urban
Legends
China  ECU: Public Archaeology in China
ECU  China: Public Archaeology in the U.S.
ECU  Pakistan
Language and Culture
ECU  Mexico: The U.S. Electoral Process
and the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election.
Mexico  ECU: The Mexican Electoral
Process and the 2012 Mexican Presidential
Election
Nigeria  ECU
Patriarchy, Women’s Rights
and Widow Inheritance in
Nigeria
Global Discussions
ECU and Chile
COAD 1000 Class
Special Events
Dancing with the World
International Education Week
1:09
Research: International Collaboration
Global Partners in Education
Global Partners in Education Journal
Solutions that Meet the Need
• Attitude, Behavior, and Cognitive components
• Face to face provides rich communication
• Multiple cultures promote balanced view
• All countries participate - beneficial to all cultures
• 9 years of formal assessment improves course
• Cost and time effective and self sustaining
• Administratively independent & local standards
• Plan to fail contingencies ensure ongoing class
OUR OUTCOMES
• Increased intercultural communication skill.
• Increased intercultural awareness and competency.
• Increased participation in international
programming.
• Self-awareness, confidence, personal growth,
maturity, leadership, critical thinking,
inquisitiveness.
Table 1: Pre- Post Course Differences
Items
Getting to know someone of another culture is an
uncomfortable experience for me
I enjoy making friends with people who are different
from me
I am interested in learning more about other countries
and cultures
I am interested in teaching others about my country and
culture
Mean
Pre Post
1.95
1.82
4.20
4.31
4.10
4.32
4.31
4.40
Scale: 1: Strongly Disagree; 2: Disagree; 3 Neither agree or Disagree; 4: Agree; 5: Strongly Agree
Table 2: Post Course Student Opinion
Mean
Std.
Dev
I enjoyed the interaction with our international partners this semester
4.53
.660
I would like to visit one or more of the countries we linked with
A year from now I think I will still be in contact with some of the
international partners I met this semester
This course has challenged me to learn new things about myself and
my culture
I am satisfied with experience in this course
4.28
.843
3.23
1.033
3.94
.825
4.32
.584
I would participate in a course with a similar format again
4.32
.705
I would recommend this course to my friends
4.47
.638
Items
Scale: 1: Strongly Disagree; 2: Disagree; 3 Neither agree or Disagree; 4: Agree; 5: Strongly Agree
Challenges?
•Communication
 Comprehension
 Accents
 Meaning
•Timing
 Semester Schedule
 Time Zones
•Different Academic Goals
•Different Standards
•Technology
 Access
 Proficiency
 TECHNOLOGY FAILS!
Support
• Technical
– Technical Support Provided for Each Interaction
– Server and Wiki Maintenance and Troubleshooting
• Administrative
– GU Classes: Master Scheduling, Maintaining the
Core, Partner Evaluation, Program Assessment
– Other GAI Activities: Coordinating
• Teaching
– Resource Development
– Training / “Hand-Holding”
Things to Think About
• Where does this fit within your
University / Program?
• How will you get / provide support?
• How will you get participants?
• What tools can you use?
• Are you willing to work in an
uncertain environment?
Jami Leibowitz
Leibowitzj@ecu.edu
Leslie Pagliari
pagliaril@ecu.edu