Global Learning QEP: All hands on deck for internationalization efforts at FIU

Faculty members and administrators returned from a conference on internationalizing higher education curriculum energized about the possibilities of doing so at FIU.

By Hilary Landorf, director of the Office of Global Learning Initiatives

On January 30-31, 10 FIU faculty members and administrators braved the cold winds of Washington, D.C., to contribute to the American Council on Education (ACE) conference on Internationalizing Higher Education Curriculum. This latest set of ACE meetings, “Accelerating Comprehensive Internationalization through Campus-Wide Collaboration,” brought together faculty, administrators and staff from 60 universities and colleges throughout the U.S. Plenary panels and discussions focused on strategies and best practices for ensuring that all areas of the university are involved in the process of internationalization.

ACE Conference participants, seated left to right: Nancy Borkowski, Hilary Landorf, Angela Salmon, Ophelia Weeks, Jeffrey Knapp. Standing, left to right: Stephanie Doscher, Marcia Magnus, Yong Tao, Dan Bentley-Baker.

“From the vantage points of diversity of the student body and number of global curriculum initiatives, FIU is already a global university,” said Nancy Borkowski, assistant professor of health policy and management. “From what I learned at the ACE conference, the next natural step for FIU is to coordinate our many distinct global initiatives under one banner thus creating a culture of internationalization. As I understand it, this is precisely the mission of the Office of Global Learning Initiatives.”

Angela Salmon, assistant professor of early childhood education, said that she came away from the conference convinced FIU is “quite serious about honoring its name, not only by transcending national borders, but by taking advantage of the international community that surrounds us.” Salmon expressed excitement about the possibility of different units conducting workshops on internationalization. “For example, the Office of Education Abroad could conduct a workshop for faculty members who are interested in creating courses with an international travel component. This workshop would give information on different models of study abroad and practical tips on the logistics of adding such a component.”

“We are way ahead of the curve of internationalization in terms of designing assessment instruments that will be implemented to gauge the impact of our efforts,” observed Marcia Magnus, associate professor of dietetics and nutrition and another ACE conference attendee. “The lesson I learned from ACE is that the biggest threat to international initiatives is the current paucity of impact evaluation data. Our greatest promise is that if impact evaluation becomes the base of our global learning initiatives, FIU could lead the way to efficiency in the internationalization of the undergraduate curriculum. Yes we can!”