SUNY COIL Conference 2018

With the continual integration of new technologies and pedagogies that facilitate group learning and virtual communication, institutions are changing the way that they provide international education opportunities to students. An example of a virtual international education opportunity is the Global Classroom Initiative from the Office of International Affairs at the University of Maryland, College Park. As educators carry out these innovations and pedagogies it is important to understand how they perceive both this specific teaching practice and the impact of these new virtual international education opportunities on students, specifically how students learn about other cultures. If these programs are to become commonplace then the perception of their impact held by faculty instructors, and the experience of facilitating them, should be well documented and understood.
These questions are currently being investigated through a qualitative approach focusing on the lived experience of professors participating in the Global Classrooms Initiative at the University of Maryland as a specific case. This study includes observations of faculty workshops provided by the Office of International Affairs and interviews of faculty members participating in this initiative.
In this presentation, we will cover this specific research process, including information about this specific initiative at the University of Maryland, subject access and methodology. Additionally, and more in depth, we will examine the findings of the research process and review three key findings of faculty perceptions of cultural learning in these courses. This findings will be presented highlighting the faculty members specific perspectives and understandings as evidenced in interviews and observations, using their own voice when possible.