Program design proposal for developing globally competent graduates

Pedagogy and Program Design for Developing Globally Competent Graduates

Pedagogy and Program Design for Developing Globally Competent Graduates: A Badge System Pilot Proposal for

the University of Wisconsin-‐Madison

Michelle Mazzeo

University of Wisconsin- Madison

Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, ELPA 940

December 9, 2013

A Badge System for Developing Globally Competent Graduates

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Table of Contents

Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction: The Demand for Globally Competent Graduates ............................... 4 Addressing Global Competence in Real Time ................................................................ 6 Literature Review Conclusions and Implications ......................................................... 8 A Proposal for Public Universities: Applying Best Practices ................................. 11 The Global Competence Badge System: A Pilot for the University of Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................... 12


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Abstract This paper reviews and analyses trends in programming for the development of global

competence within higher education systems, and emphasizes the critical role that

pedagogy and program design play. Especially in the context of a public higher education

institution such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose mission is to provide

equal access to all, but whose barrier is limited resources and a decentralized campus

structure, the role of pedagogy and program design takes on unique form. An exploration

of the science of learning in a foreign context, a theoretical shift in popular pedagogy,

and an understanding of current economic demand sheds light on the current overarching

context within higher education and the need to place emphasis on the critical role that

pedagogy and program design must play in order for higher education institutions to meet

goals related to developing globally competent graduates. The implications from the

literature review, as they pertain to the University of Wisconsin- Madison, will inform a

proposal suggesting a general strategy to address the main barriers to making pedagogy

and design central components in efforts to develop globally competent graduates.

Though the University of Wisconsin provides bountiful opportunity for students to

develop global competence, there is no consistent mandate for prioritizing pedagogy and

design. Moreover, the decentralized approach to internationalization pushes pedagogy

and design to a secondary role in the conversation. Bringing clarity to messaging takes

the primary role, especially as the University of Wisconsin has prioritized the restructure

of the Division of International Studies since 2012. It is critical, both to the individual

and society, that we place a high importance on the role of pedagogy and program design

when considering how we will best prepare our graduates to enter the global workforce.


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Introduction: The Demand for Globally Competent Graduates Certain understandings underlie the demand for teaching global competence through

higher education institutions: it is a skillset that is necessary for competing in the national

economy, in the global economy, and it is necessary to the progress and development for

our planet that people become global citizens both in and out of the workplace. To

compete in a global economy consisting of 7 billion people and where, of the top 100

wealthiest economies, nearly half are corporations, President Obama recently suggested

that a “world-class education is the single most important factor in determining not just

whether our kids can compete for the best jobs, but whether America can out-compete

other countries around the world.” (Green, 2012) As former Communications Director to

the Division of International Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison wrote, “trade,

migration, pandemics, global warming, and a radical shift in wealth from the West to the

East — all of these factors and more indicate that we’re living in a world of global

challenges that will require global solutions. Our graduates need a mindset to match the

world around them. But how exactly do we teach and assess these skills?” (Van Eyck,

2012)

Indeed, after acknowledging basic understandings about the need to teach global

competence, the real question becomes ‘how’? Up until recently, the question of teaching

intercultural competence has largely been left to chance. In fact, Higher Education

institutions have been placing substantial responsibility on students to adapt to the needs

of the global economy, without adapting their own models of education and instruction.


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(Mansilla, 2013) Students commonly returned from learning abroad experiences

“transformed,” but there had been no explicit link to their ability to compete in the global

economy, much less offer effective contributions to global issues. New research, however,

delves deeper into the necessary teaching practices that ensure student learning within

higher education, and even through informal learning environments such as study abroad

or international internships. Assessment of certain high-impact and long-standing

programs laid the groundwork for a national shift in the discussion of ‘how’ to design and

implement programs targeted at teaching intercultural competence (Kuh, 2009). However,

at large public universities, where policies are built to reward research and scholarly

contribution rather than student learning, and where learning goals are often established

by individual departments, the type of investment necessary in programming for the “key

skill of the 21st century- intercultural competence” is debatable and unequal across

disciplines (Bertlesman, 2013) (UW Global Competence Task Force Report, 2008).

A Shift to Meet Demand

Employers indicate that certain skills are equally as desirable as a degree. A 2013 study

undertaken by the British Council, Booz Allen Hamilton and Ipsos Public Affairs

conducted a survey of HR managers at 367 large employers in nine countries: Brazil,

China, India, Indonesia, Jordan, South Africa, the UAE, the United States and the United

Kingdom. The research revealed that employers favor the following intercultural skills in

future employees: an ability to understand different cultural contexts and viewpoints,

demonstrating respect for others and knowledge of a foreign language (pg. 3). To even

the playing field so that everyone has equal opportunity, public education institutions in


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particular must take the lead in making access to global competence development a

priority.

Educators at all levels are moving away from teacher-directed learning, and toward

meeting students where they are. Like a stationary weather front, as the preference for

learner-centered education meets an economic demand for globally competent workers,

the world of higher education is pushed to transform. A strong economic demand for

globally competent workers calls for increased attention on the quality of pre-

professional training programs. The next section will further address what a high quality

program should look like.

Addressing Global Competence in Real Time Human evolution has brought about incredible advancements in technology, which have

subsequently trickled into the field of education and in particular, teaching and learning.

Because knowledge is now accessible at the drop of a pin, education systems are

beginning to recognize that adopting constructivism paradigms such as the Experiential

Learning Theory (ELT) is the most sensible means to creating ‘high impact education’

(Kuh, 2009); the process of learning is emphasized, rather than the accumulation and

proof of knowledge.

Research continues to prove that more intervention—programs that are based on

experiential learning methodology and offer direct supervision of skill development or

faculty-led programming, rather than random exposure to culture or language regardless


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of setting— is directly related to the development of globally competent graduates.

Proficiency in a foreign language does not guarantee intercultural competence (Jackson,

2008; Hemming Lou, 2008). Those who are proficient in a foreign language may still be

unaware or uncomfortable with values and behaviors that are different from their own.

The frequency of international experience, therefore, is not as important as the quality of

experiences (Chang, Yuan, & Chuang, 2013). In other words, cultural adaptability is not

guaranteed by simply sending people overseas. Rather, positive outcomes occur through

deeper engagement and reflection within the new culture (Chang, Yuan, & Chuang 2013)

Furthermore, an international work experience, such as an internship, can enable students

to see their future careers with an international perspective. This is an example of deeper

learning, as it enables a wider array of connections to be made. As a result, students have

a more holistic foundation before entering the world of work (Hannigan, 2008). Thanks

to a sixteen year study from UC San Diego, “solid evidence supports the contention that

students with an experiential international education compete more successfully than

their peers in today’s global workforce” (Adler, 2013). ‘Work Integrated Learning’

(WIL) in an international setting is also becoming an important element of tertiary

educational experience where students learn in the workplace through a range of

mechanisms (Meehan, 2009). In alignment with other case study results, physical therapy

students who participated in a service-learning trip reported positive effects, such as

improved critical thinking and problem solving, greater cultural sensitivity, and an

expanded worldview when dealing with patients (Pechak & Thompson, 2009). Applying

skills in a new context adds an element of complication and difficulty that requires


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creativity and higher order thinking and application skills. It requires students to apply

the content knowledge while monitoring their intercultural and interpersonal

communication skills.

Meehan, Klak and Martin (2003) concluded their study with an assertion that global

citizens are largely developed outside the scope of on-campus education (as cited in

Lumkes, Hallet, & Vallade, 2012). The implications of this last finding call into question

both access and quality. If higher education institutions are called upon to provide equal

access to opportunity, they must make “outside the scope of on-campus education”

accessible to all students. This implies that learning abroad gives students an advantage in

developing these essential skills. However, regardless of access to learning abroad, the

quality of the program determines whether a student will gain essential global

competencies. (Hemming Lou, 2012). Therefore, more emphasis should be placed on

designing quality programs and increasing effective educator participation, rather than

prioritizing the sending of more students abroad.

Literature Review Conclusions and Implications Administrators may benefit from adopting a general, campus-wide approach to

programming in alignment with best practices. Based on the current literature, assessing a

program’s ability to develop globally competent graduates lies mainly in testing for

individual students’ gains with one of many assessment tools developed over the last few

decades. Assessment tools, however, only measure the gains made to the student and do

not explicitly link gains to the specific elements of the program’s design. This


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individualized approach is also not realistic at large public institutions of over 30,000

students, and where campus units generally have the freedom to test their students

according to their own standards. Though global competence skills do differ by field and

industry (British Council, 2013) prioritizing a departments’ freedom over general

outcomes to the individual may prove to be a disservice to some students, and therefore

the University’s general efforts to provide equal access to high impact activities that lead

to global competence (Kuh, 2009).

Learning abroad is most effective when integrated into the curriculum, facilitated by a

professor and cultural mentor, and is delivered either as a part of the Intentional and

Targeted Online Intervention [ITI] model, or through on-site mentor programs. Gains

made in IDI are significantly higher when these conditions apply. Though on-site mentor

interventions are more meaningful, the ITI model— which involves intervention before,

during and after the international experience— also proves to add significant value to the

learning that takes place abroad. By contrast, students who directly enrolled in University

courses abroad alone, showed the least gain in intercultural competence (Hammer, 2012).

This conclusion lends itself to clarifying the common misconception that the self-reliance

and independence involved in study abroad is linked to the claimed “transformation” of

students. It may be that the combination of experiential learning theory, which

emphasizes reflection, and increasing educators’ role in developing global competence

simply enables students to articulate their experiences more clearly. It is important to note

that the ability to articulate global competence may have led researchers to believe that


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students make more impressive gains with these conditions- a key validity threat to these

studies.

One meta-analysis of 50 years of research on transformational learning revealed that the

‘sink or swim’, non-interventionist approach to learning abroad shows only a small to

medium significance in reduction of prejudice- a critical element of intercultural

competence. A high (90%) intervention rate from international educators before during

and after is recommended. International educators must be able to provide a balance

between providing opportunity for use of skill and providing challenge for optimal

growth outcomes (Hemming Lou, 2012).

Finally, results from testing the constructivism paradigm within learning abroad

education programs shows that experience itself does not lead to new knowledge. Rather,

the learner must make meaning out of the experience. Without a paradigm for

approaching the process of meaning-making, students gain less from their experiences

abroad and are largely unable to prove global competence in terms of employers’

demands. Neuroscience and psychology research supports the constructivist theory, and

proposes roles and strategies for successful interaction between educators and students so

that students extract more meaning from their experiences abroad and successfully

transfer it to new situations thereafter (Zull, 2012). Previously left to chance, Savicki

(2012) concludes that student learning can be maximized through intentional program

design. Just as curriculum is designed sequentially, to enable clear and coherent learning,


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learning abroad programs can be designed in alignment with the appropriate pedagogy to

enable maximum transfer of global competencies.

Especially today, in a world where countless bits of information are competing for our

attention, the practice of making information personally relevant is essential for gaining

the “tools needed to operate effectively” (Elspeth, 2013). A program’s design, and the

educator’s role therefore become central to the conversation. If higher education

institutions desire to develop globally competent graduates, administrators must prioritize

the delivery of programs aimed at global competence.

A Proposal for Public Universities: Applying Best Practices How can America’s public universities of 30,000 students or more make the most of the

more recent developments in best practices, given the barriers that are unique to large and

often research-focused institutions? Aggressive intervention programs allow for the

extraction of more meaning and value from the “transformative” experiences that

students are having abroad. Perhaps down the line, when the crux of learning abroad is

more closely linked to the development of intercultural competence skills, we will be able

to improve efforts to internationalize the curriculum on campuses at home. Until then, a

continued focus on learning abroad is necessary to gather more informative results. Large

public institutions, especially, have more barriers to success on this path.

This proposal profiles the University of Wisconsin- Madison, a leading global institution

that holds bountiful opportunities for its students to gain global competence skills. As the


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University of Wisconsin- Madison undergoes a review and restructuring of its Division of

International Studies, it opens itself up to new opportunity to increase both quality of

student learning and quantitative data on its contribution to developing globally

competent graduates.

The Global Competence Badge System: A Pilot for the University of Wisconsin Two critical documents were published in 2008 and 2013 by faculty members at the

University of Wisconsin Madison: the Global Competence Task Force Report to the

Division of International Studies (2008) and the Advisory Board Recommendations

Report to the Division of International Studies (2013). After defining and recommending

how the UW-Madison can best “Develop Globally Competent Graduates” in 2008, the

conversations have been focused on a bigger picture discussion on restructuring of the

Division of International Studies. These conversations continue.

The development of a “Global Competence Badge System” will help the Advisory Board

members envision a clear path for moving forward immediately after formalizing and

implementing the restructure. Before the proposed reorganization, programs and

opportunities for developing global competence were bountiful, but decentralized and

buried. As a response, the reorganization of the Division includes four

administrative/functional sub-units or “pillars”, under the supervision of associate and

assistant deans. As found in the Report (2013):


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• “Research: Led by an Associate Dean (faculty) this pillar would house research

and graduate training, incorporating oversight of existing centers, programs and

initiatives currently included in the International Institute (which would cease

to exist in its current form), in addition to the coordination of programs and

initiatives across campus that are not currently part of the International

Institute.

• Global Student Engagement: Also headed by an Associate Dean (faculty), this

pillar would oversee undergraduate exchanges, study programs, degree

programs, and vocational activities involving international or global study.

• Finance and Operations: As its title states, this pillar would manage

administration, budget, human resources, IT, and support activities, under the

supervision of an Assistant Dean (staff).

• External Communications, Advancement and Outreach, under an

Assistant/Associate Dean responsible for coordinating and integrating all

Division activities in these areas.”

On such a large campus, a comprehensive approach aims to bring clarity to the many

paths to achieving global competence on both the individual and institutional level. It is

necessary to establish an end goal that to work backwards from producing globally

competent graduates. As previously mentioned, research shows that not all ‘international’


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experiences are created equal and that intervention from faculty and staff is essential. As

we consider how to create clear pathways, we must also consider how to ensure quality

through our programs’ design and faculty’s expertise. As the Division of International

Studies restructures for clarity, it must not lose sight of an opportunity to ensure quality

so that it might more effectively achieve its goal to produce globally competent

graduates.

The Global Competence Badge System will hold each of the many components of the

DIS restructure accountable to its mission by offering a clear method for tracking student

development outcomes.

Goal 1: Profile the University of California-Davis and the Asia Society Badge Systems as

a starting point for visualizing how this system could work at the University of

Wisconsin. Badges are indicators of skills and knowledge gained outside of the

classroom and jumpstart a commitment to lifelong learning- one of the missions that DIS

adopted from Kuh’s [2009] Essential Learning Outcomes.

Goal 2: Visualizing the outcomes for University of Wisconsin will help the DIS

understand the potential value in this comprehensive approach to assessing global

competence. The badge would go on the transcript in the “certificates section” with

designation of mastered skills relating to global competence. The students would also be

invited to put the badge on their LinkedIn profile next to their degree. This would allow

employers to read more about the skill the student developed and to what extent it was

mastered. One of the biggest reasons the DIS should consider this idea is that beyond


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incentivizing students, staff and departments to put more attention and energy forth on

quality of the many pathways to global competence, it also gives them an ‘easy-in’ for

tracking their students after graduation, to see how the global competence skills may have

‘transferred’ into their careers. Not to mention, this system will get all recent graduates

on LinkedIn, a proven tool for facilitating global networking and employment.

Goal 3: How does a badge system fit into the context of the DIS restructure? The Board

feels that part of a UW ‘branding’ would be the visible, interdisciplinary, fully integrated

nature of global studies at UW. It is reflective of the University’s goals to ensure that

students become world citizens. The Badge System is a clear deliverable and it gives “the

visible, interdisciplinary, fully integrated nature of global studies” a tangible form of

measurement at the program, educator and student level.

How will badges be awarded?

“By graduation, UW Madison students should be able to:

• Communicate effectively across linguistic and cultural boundaries

• See and understand the world from a perspective other than one’s own

• Understand and appreciate the diversity of societies and cultures

It will ultimately be left up to each unit (department) to decide how they will interpret the

proposed essential learning outcomes as aligned with global competencies looks like to

their department’s goals. To ensure that all is equal in rigor and quality, the Student

Global Engagement (SGE) Pillar of the Division of International Studies will “approve”


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and “accredit” each unit/department’s assessment strategy. The Student Global

Engagement Pillar will be responsible for providing suggestions and recommendations

for designing and assessing each program. Lists of possible assessment tools are readily

available for each department.

The SGE will “accredit” all existing programs that already meet these standards and grant

permission to respective units to award a badge in global competence. Students can earn

badges from other accredited programs not within their department. The Research

division will implement an ELT training for all programs, faculty, units that still need to

be approved for offering a “global competence” badge, and they will pull from the

already-accredited programs as examples- both as a reward to those who are already

moving the UW in the right direction, and also to maintain consistency in approach and

caliber as much as possible. Though the UW is well equipped to design a course in house,

there are online courses being offered for professional development in the field.

By the end of a two-year accrediting and training process, the UW will offer multiple,

clear pathways for students (regardless of major, college etc.) to earn the “global

competence” badge before graduating. Each of the units under the new DIS that serve

students will be responsible for approving the GC badge for each graduate. Graduates

will get a badge on their transcript and a chord at graduation. The first three years it will

not be mandatory, so the University can gather data on the number of students who earn

the badge and those who do not. Ideally, students could earn a global competence badge

as part of the movement toward creating “portfolios” “capstones” “thesis” or other


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campus efforts to help them articulate their experience and skill outside the classroom.

Departments would be held accountable for creating pathways for their students to gain

these skills while still graduating on time. The ethnic studies requirement could be

changed out for approved global competence experiences to enable students to earn the

badge. By bridging an educational innovation with the need to hold global competence-

focused programming to a higher level of quality, the Global Competence Badge system

may deliver a comprehensive intervention that is appropriately implemented with the

launch of a new Division of International Studies at the University of Wisconsin-

Madison.


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Documents

Program design proposal for developing globally competent graduates