Get Rid of Geographical Barriers and Position Your Students for the International Classroom

According to Open Doors report, 5.5% of the higher education population in the United States was comprised of international students during the 2017-18 academic year. Yet, for every three of those students, only one American studied abroad.

To compound the issue, the global economy and technology are both evolving, and the job market is changing rapidly. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates 60% of all occupations could become automated in the future thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, and machine learning. This will impact $15 trillion in wages across the global economy.

With machines assuming many of the duties previously completed by humans, several of the higher-level tasks that remain will require employees to network and collaborate with colleagues on the other side of the world. This is where intercultural communication, compassion, and an understanding and appreciation for diversity come into play. The internationalization of higher education institutions is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a must.

For these reasons, institutions are placing a greater emphasis on prioritizing internationalization on their campuses. But even with the best of intentions, attempts to provide students with a cross-cultural experience has been met by varying degrees of success and adoption. Lack of infrastructure, budget, processes, and direction are partly to blame. However, the real challenge lies in the absence of online technology that’s versatile enough to use at institutions around the world.

Considering these concerns, you may be tasked with finding creative ways to bring the international experience to students at your campus. The result can take many forms such as diving into research projects or developing co-taught courses with educators on the other side of the world. By working together with international cohorts, you give your students the opportunity to broaden their perspectives, challenge their identities, enhance cultural understanding, and obliterate assumptions.

Sounds easy in theory but knowing with whom to collaborate is just as important as the project you plan to undertake. As is integrating the right technological tools to make the process as seamless as possible. By developing relationships with international partners, you inherently bring a wealth of cultural nuances and diversity to your classrooms at home. As a result, your students increase their aptitude for critical thinking and cross-cultural competency. But this can only be accomplished if you’ve been matched with an international educator whose goals, vision, and desires for teaching and learning are on par with yours.

This raises a myriad of questions, such as: How do you find the right partner in the international education space? What steps can you take to streamline the collaborative process – in other words, work smarter not harder? Where can you access tools, tips, and templates created by other educators who have pursued similar research projects or course creation? Once you and your partner have completed your project, where do you find opportunities and funding to promote it to other faculty members, course designers, and administrators? But most importantly, where can you find technology that’s versatile enough to use no matter what your location, technical aptitude, or language? You’ll find the answer to these questions in this fun, educational, and entertaining session. Join us to learn innovative ways to “find your match” in the international landscape by using the first professional engagement platform built for higher education.

Level of Participation:
This highly interactive session follows the same format as the popular game show, Match Game. After introductions, the presenters will host an episode of Match Game by asking the audience entertaining questions that shed a humorous light on, and insights into, the challenges institutions face with internationalization and collaboration on their campuses. All attendees will have the opportunity to answer questions simultaneously by texting a number on their phones. The responses will appear on the screen in real time and the person(s) with the best answer per question receives a prize. Once each prize is awarded, the presenters will turn each question and answer into a “teachable moment” by demonstrating how audience members can use a professional engagement platform to boost internationalization and collaboration on their campuses.

Sampling of the Match Game-like questions for session:

1. Ivan, the IT director said, “The tenured professors at my university are so high maintenance, they demand our software awards them badges for [BLANK].”
    
2. Serena, the software developer, said her professional engagement platform is so intuitive, that the calendar pulls all the information from her personal workspace, and automatically syncs it to her [BLANK].
    
3. Immanuel, the instructional designer, complained, “Our university is so cheap, they demanded I pay for my registration for the OLC Conference by moonlighting as a [BLANK]."

Session Goals: 
Attendees of this session will be provided technological tips and innovative ideas that they can immediately implement when they return to campus. They will also be able to discuss new and exciting strategies for bolstering internationalization in their classrooms. Lastly, they will have the guidance and confidence to choose the best educational partner for them when they design new courses or embark on research projects in the future.