The Internationalization Laboratory

American Council on Education

For the Universidad del Este

August 11, 2009

Dr. Barbara Hill, Senior Associate

Center for Institutional and International Initiatives

barbara_hill@ace.nche.edu

American Council on Education

www.acenet.edu

Non-Governmental, higher education association of over 1800 member institutions and associations

• Mission: to provide leadership and unifying voice on key higher education issuesissues

• Roles: Represent and advocate, lead, serve, build capacity and capability

• Areas of focus: Access, learning and attainment, equity and diversity,

leadership and professional development, and global engagement

Activities of ACE’s Center for

International Initiatives

• Support senior leaders and institution-wide teams in enhancing internationalization on campuses through meetings, publications, web resources and programs

• Conduct research and provide timely information to campus leaders and policy makerscampus leaders and policy makers

• Convene U.S. higher education leaders and their colleagues to discuss issues of shared interest

• Coordinate and advocate on international issues• Cooperate with national and internationalization organizations abroad.

What is the Internationalization

Laboratory?

The Internationalization Laboratory is a learning

community that assists participating institutions

to develop a capacity, capability, and strategy for

comprehensive internationalization, which is

infusing an international/intercultural dimension to

all aspects of teaching, learning, research, service,

and outreach. Involvement lasts 16-20 months.

How is the Internationalization

Laboratory organized?

Each institution forms an internationalization leadership team on campus.

Each team sends representatives to three learning community meetings in Washington, DC, to share information.

Each team does on-campus work of an internationalization review, development of student Each team does on-campus work of an internationalization review, development of student learning outcomes, and creation of an internationalization strategic plan.

Each campus hosts a site visit to begin the Lab process and a peer review visit at the completion of Lab activities to assess goals and strategies.

Each campus gets monthly phone calls from the Lab director to assess progress in completing Lab activities.

What is the integrated approach to

comprehensive internationalization used in the

on-campus work of the Internationalization

Laboratory?

• An internationalization review to catalog and analyze what the

institution is doing

•• The development of student global learning outcomes and a method

for assessing them to better understand the impact of what the

institution is doing

• The integration of the results of the review and the learning outcomes

process into a strategic internationalization plan

What are the steps in the integrated

approach to comprehensive

internationalization?• Develop a team and communication plan to engage the broader community

• Clarify institutional goals and language and craft a common vision• Organize the work and develop a timetable• Conduct an internationalization review, analyze strengths and • Conduct an internationalization review, analyze strengths and weaknesses, and develop a report on findings

• Articulate global learning outcomes and a plan for assessing student achievement of the global learning outcomes

• From findings, develop a strategic internationalization plan• Invite a peer review team to assess goals and strategies• Assign responsibility and monitor progress on the implementation of the strategic internationalization plan

What is an internationalization

review?

A process for …

• Taking stock of the current international and global

initiatives on campus

• Collecting and analyzing information as a basis for an • Collecting and analyzing information as a basis for an

internationalization plan

• Identifying strengths, weaknesses, gaps and possibilities

for new strategic activities

• Engaging people across the institution in a discussion of

internationalization

What are the phases of the

internationalization review?

• Launching the review process by establishing a team and assigning responsibilitiesteam and assigning responsibilities

• Gathering information

• Analyzing the review findings

• Drafting a report on the findings

What does an internationalization

review consider? (1)

• Articulated commitment (mission, goals and vision)

• Local, state, and broader environments for • Local, state, and broader environments for internationalization

• Structures, policies and practices, resources

• Curriculum and co-curriculum

• Study, internships, and service learning abroad

What does an internationalization

review consider? (2)

• Engagement with institutions in other countries

• Student and faculty attitudes, knowledge • Student and faculty attitudes, knowledge and interest

• Synergy and connections among discrete components

What does articulating student global

learning outcomes add to the review

process?

• Encourages an intentional approach to internationalization

• Offers a guide for reviewing curriculum and other activities to see if they offer students opportunities to achieve the desired learning outcomes

• Helps the campus and stakeholders understand the impact of institutional international activities

•international activities

• Develops and implements a plan to assess for student achievement of outcomes

• Makes improvements in learning opportunities based on the findings

• Encourages a culture of quality improvement

• Satisfies accrediting agencies

• Helps prioritize activities in an internationalization plan.

Basic Questions Addressed by Student

Global Learning Outcomes & Assessment

• What do we want our students to know and be able to do?

(knowledge, skills, attitudes)

• Where would students acquire this knowledge and these • Where would students acquire this knowledge and these

skills and attitudes?

• What is our evidence that students are actually achieving

these outcomes?

Sample Student Global Learning

Outcomes: Knowledge

• Understands his culture within a global and comparative context (that is, the student recognizes that his culture is one of many diverse cultures and that alternate perceptions and behaviors may be based in cultural differences).

• Demonstrates knowledge of global issues, processes, trends, and systems (that is, economic and political interdependency among nations, environmental-cultural interaction, global governance bodies, and nongovernmental organizations).

• Demonstrates knowledge of other cultures (including beliefs, values, perspectives, practices, and products).

Sample Student Global Learning

Outcomes: Skills

• Uses knowledge of diverse cultural frames of reference, alternate perspectives to think critically/solve problems.

• Communicates and connects with people in other language communities in a range of settings for a variety of purposes, communities in a range of settings for a variety of purposes, developing skills in each of the four modalities: speaking (productive), listening (receptive), reading (receptive), and writing (productive).

• Uses foreign language skills and/or knowledge of other cultures to extend his access to information, experiences, and understanding.

Sample Student Global Learning

Outcomes: Attitudes

• Appreciates the language, art, material culture, politics, religion, and philosophy of different

nations.

• Accepts cultural differences and tolerates cultural ambiguity.

• Demonstrates an ongoing willingness to seek out

international or intercultural opportunities.

Mapping Where Students Have the

Opportunity to Achieve Global Learning

Outcomes

• Surveys of curriculum

• Analyses of other opportunities, like study • Analyses of other opportunities, like study abroad, co-curriculum, and service learning

• Comparative surveys of the teaching and learning practices of other institutions

Assessment tools that faculty and staff can

use to evaluate students’ global learning

Checklist:A simple rubric that indicates whether certain learning outcomes are demonstrated in a essay, test, or portfolio of student work.

Rating Scales: Often in the form of a matrix, with outcomes on one axis and a scale on the other axis, rating scales show the degree to which certain learning outcomes are demonstrated. The rating scale is often on a 1 to 5 scale, or outcomes are demonstrated. The rating scale is often on a 1 to 5 scale, or ranges from "poor" to "excellent".

Descriptive Rubrics: Also frequently organized as a matrix, descriptive boxes within the grid contain information about the performance to be exhibited by a student at a certain level. It allows for very clear and objective communication of expected performance.

Issues to Consider when Developing a Plan for

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

• Is it possible to limit the outcomes or stage their assessment over time

to keep the process manageable?

• What methods will be the most authentic and meaningful for faculty

and students? and students?

• What mix of methods will best capture the wide range of global

learning outcomes and provide the best evidence of learning?

• How will the results of the assessment be used for program

improvement?

Steps in Developing the

Internationalization Strategic Plan

• Understanding the institutional planning process

• Situating the plan in the institutional context

• Carrying forward recommendations drawn from

internationalization review process

• Setting priorities & building support

What are the elements of an

internationalization strategic plan?

• Vision for Internationalization

• Strategic Goals

• Performance Indicators – Outcomes and Evidence of SuccessSuccess

• Specific Action Steps and Timeline

• Responsible Agents (though this may be in a later implementation plan)

• Funding

• Plan for monitoring implementation

Comprehensive Internationalization is not

just “What are we doing?”

� Study Abroad� International students and scholars� Linkages/institutional partnerships and exchanges� Long-distance education (virtual study abroad) and internationalized

courses� Area Studies programs � Area Studies programs � Foreign Language� International Studies (interdisciplinary)� International Business (multi-regional, discipline-based)

� Research collaboration

� Dual and joint degree programs

� Outreach

� Cross-cultural events and training

� & etc…….

Comprehensive internationalization

answers “Why are we doing this?”

• Enhancing institutional reputation and competitive position

• Preparing students for global citizenship

• Making students more competitive in the global • Making students more competitive in the global marketplace

• Generating revenue

• Enhancing the research agenda

• Strengthening engagement that promotes the application of knowledge

• Making a better, more understanding world

Comprehensive internationalization addresses

“What do we want our institution to be?”

• Comparing our institution to others through a review of internationalization efforts at similar institutions

• Developing the human capital of our faculty, staff, and • Developing the human capital of our faculty, staff, and students

• Finding our hidden treasures and celebrating our successes

What are the benefits to the institutions

participating in the Internationalization

Laboratory?

• The opportunity to participate in a national/international invitational learning community

• Regular access to expert consultation and research

• The opportunity to learn from the experiences of • The opportunity to learn from the experiences of approximately 130 institutions with which ACE has

worked on internationalization

• A customized process to accelerate progress on internationalization and ensure concrete

outcomes/deliverables that the institution chooses.

ACE looks forward to working with the

Universidad del Este in the

Internationalization Laboratory.Internationalization Laboratory.

Thank you.