One of my favourite things about being an Educational Developer is the opportunity to regularly and consistently step outside my (academic and professional) comfort zone. I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in an Academic Innovation Fund (AIF) grant project that has sought to define and expand the pedagogy of Globally Networked Learning (GNL) across the institution. While I am familiar with pedagogy and curriculum, the inclusion of intercultural competencies and the emphasis on partnership in pedagogy challenged me to consider traditional frameworks and common challenges through a new, global lens. I recently had the exciting opportunity to travel to the COIL Conference - Global Learning for All in New York City to present our work on building a community of practice and network of unique pedagogy at York.
What struck me right away about this conference was the level of camaraderie and community that was evident right from the start of the day. While perhaps unique in its principles and processes, Globally Networked Learning attracts colleagues with an appreciation for the values inherent in this work - intercultural competence and the broader goal of bridging boundaries (physical or otherwise) between students and instructors from around the world. I easily interacted with colleagues from North America, Europe, and beyond, each time surprised by how quickly our shared interests were uncovered and how similar those interests were. We are all working to prepare students for both the opportunities and challenges inherent in working (and living) in a global society, and negotiating the assumptions found in definitions of global that seem to rely solely on mobility and geography. This push for a global mindset is what we found central to our work at York, and, refreshingly, apparent throughout many other sessions at the conference.
The GNL project team presented two sessions at this conference - an Action Lab that offered participants a framework for developing a course or course activity with GNL, and a short presentation to discuss the intricacies of completing this project work at such a large institution. I also attended several sessions where GNL principles and practices where highlighted in practical tips and strategies for supporting student learning. Three of my top takeaways from facilitating and attending these sessions were:
- Everything we do in higher education is strengthened and supported by community. Our keynote speaker, Norman Bier, emphasized the needed shift toward teaching as a community-based research activity. He also challenged our assumptions and ideals in often working from a Western perspective or lens. If we are to truly work in community, how big (or small) are the boundary lines we draw around it?
- Considering our classrooms as learning laboratories can change how we approach course design. In both the keynote and during our Action Lab, we considered questions around what data we have about our students that will allow us to 'test' our hypotheses related to student learning? Asking "how will we know?" may enable us to consider activities and assessments that offer students different ways to share their knowledge, understanding, and learning with us, rather than simply making assumptions about if, when, and how learning occurs.
- Technology plays a large, important role in this work, particularly as it can open doors to partnerships with colleagues and classes throughout the world. Rightly so, however, several presentations highlighted the intersections of access and technology, considering different platforms for different purposes and challenging us to consider why we assume every student has the access, competency, and willingness to use the same technologies we are so comfortable with.
What stands out for me from this conference is a new way of framing student engagement as critical, creative, and collaborative. I certainly saw this in my interactions with colleagues from around the world, and look forward to applying these ideas to workshops and sessions that, for both GNL and other topics, can consider what this type of engagement may look like for students and instructors from diverse backgrounds. This diversity, it seems, truly is our strength in teaching and learning - how will we create, facilitate, and encourage such a community of practice beyond the perceived brick and mortar borders of our individual institutions?
