Participants engage in a discussion during a past global perspective FLC..

In support of President Nellis’s strategic priorities for the University to strengthen its global engagement efforts and become a national leader for diversity and inclusion, a spring 2019 Faculty Learning Community (FLC) will focus on creating global classroom environments and learning experiences.

Sponsored by the Office of Instructional Innovation and the Office of Global Affairs and International Studies, the FLC will help instructors with challenges when assessing and redeveloping a course from a global perspective.

The sessions will be co-facilitated by Dawn Bikowski, director of the ELIP Academic & Global Communication Program in the Department of Linguistics, and Christine Bhat, professor in counselor education in the Patton College of Education.
 
“I love working with faculty across all campuses and from so many different departments, who can share their struggles and solutions,” said Bikowski. “Helping students develop a global perspective is something we can all contribute to—it won’t happen in one class, it’ll happen as we all work with students to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need in order to be comfortable with diversity. Working with faculty on their classes and sharing ideas is a highlight of my day.”

Topics of the FLC will include:

• Incorporating a global perspective into existing, content-rich courses
• Facilitating communication between different student populations
• Increasing international student participation
• Assessing multilingual students’ work

“Discussions during meetings of this FLC provide opportunities for a rich interdisciplinary sharing of ideas,” said Bhat. “The projects that emerge make for interesting and fun global engagement initiatives for both students and faculty.”  

The FLC will take place in four sessions throughout the spring semester on the Athens Campus, with regional campus faculty invited to participate via Skype or by coming to Athens (travel compensation available). Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend upon completion of their project and will receive a copy of the book Teaching with a Global Perspective: Practical Strategies from Course Design to Assessment in either PDF or print form.

All full-time faculty (including regional campus faculty) are eligible for this opportunity. The priority application deadline is January 11, 2019. For application instructions and more information, visit the global perspective web page.

The Office of Instructional Innovation (OII) serves as a catalyst to spark bold experimentation and sustainable discovery of innovative instructional models that fulfill the University’s promise of a transformative educational experience. OII provides a variety of services to faculty, staff, and students in support of academic units and online programs, as well as to advance initiatives to further the institution’s mission. Visit www.ohio.edu/instructional-innovation for more information.

Participants engage in a discussion during a past global perspective FLC.