Developing Global Competencies in Higher Education

Conference Overview

In the increasingly interdependent world, the notion of global citizenship, now more than ever, must be confronted. Providing students with a global education increases their ability to succeed in a world marked by instant digital communication, cultural diversity and rapid change. Global education is a process that encompasses the knowledge and understanding of culture, language, geography and global perspective through the ongoing development of key global competencies. Most importantly, a global education is one that enables students to understand their roles in a global community and teaches them how their actions can affect citizens throughout the world.

What are the necessary global competencies that one seeks to develop in students? How should educators and administrators determine the necessary elements of a global education plan to cultivate these global competencies? Identifying global competencies is indeed the first step. But the greater challenge lies in establishing how to develop global competencies within the student body and how to make global education a reality on campus.

Through enlightening presentations by experts in the area of internationalization of the curriculum, insightful commentaries by diplomatic representatives, reports by local and international colleagues on recent experiences and projects and, most importantly, interactive discussions and collaboration among participants, this conference aims to define an essential element of global education as represented in an identifiable set of global competencies. The conference also will help participants develop a blueprint for global education that offers real solutions and operable ideas to apply on campuses, in curriculum and with students.

Please join with colleagues committed to global education and comprehensive internationalization, on April 4 and 5, for this important event.

Visit http://www.globaleducation.edu for more information about the conference and global education efforts at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Objectives

• Collaboratively define necessary global competencies
• Determine ways to develop these competencies in our students
• Identify various explicit and implicit components of a global education plan
• Target ways to incorporate these elements in all aspects of campus life
• Find effective solutions to challenges faced in making global education a reality

Who Should Attend?

• Higher education faculty
• Academic and student services administrators from organizations involved in the creation and development of international and global education curricula
• Institutional leaders and policymakers (Teams of three or more participants from an institution are especially encouraged to attend, and discounted registration is available.)

Outcomes

Conference attendees will hear from international education experts, United Nations diplomats and visiting members of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Global Virtual Faculty and will participate in interactive discussions to share ideas, collaborate on approaches to developing global competencies and contribute to the end result of actionable strategies for global education and internationalization of the curriculum.