Inclusive and equitable quality education for all has been acknowledged as a key goal for achieving sustainable development. It has been increasingly integrated into the missions and policies of higher education (HE) institutions worldwide. Yet, the practical challenge is adopting and implementing a systemic framework that engages diversity and defies inequities for increasing the quality of educational experiences for all. Scholars and practitioners agree that global learning represents a solution for bridging diversity, equity and quality of higher education and preparing the graduates for the challenges of the 21st century. But in order to fulfill the above, global learning needs to be accessible to and benefit all students. This implies the promotion and development of global learning and, therefore, of global competence, for all students, not only in the context of study abroad or double degrees. De Wit and Jones (2018) advocate for bridging the local and the global (sometimes referred to as ‘glocal’) and harnessing classroom diversity through a comprehensive internationalization approach in order to achieve one internationalization agenda for all students.
This proposal addresses the above issues by examining the question of how can Faculty Development facilitate the integration of students as partners (SaP) approach in HE teaching and learning to achieve global learning? The presentation will share the preliminary findings of a research project on ‘Inclusive Global Teachers for 21st Century,’ which is part of a Fulbright-Schuman project carried out by one of the authors at NC State, USA. The research results will build on an international survey on inclusive teaching, comparing the US and EU practices, as well as on semi-structured interviews with faculty, staff and experts in global and inclusive learning at NC State. Based on the above data, the authors will present the first draft of a framework for faculty development of inclusive global teachers for the 21st century based on the SaP approach for global learning.
The takeaways from this contribution for the participants will be:
- First-hand analysis of primary and secondary data on inclusive teaching, including the barriers and enablers of inclusive international education;
- Self-reflexion on the level of inclusivity of their teaching practice through an interactive activity (guided self-reflexion);
- Exchange of inclusive teaching practices among participants and peer learning;
- A model of framework for faculty development on inclusive global learning.
The presentation will have an online format (online conference) and the authors will use several tools for engaging the audience. Firstly, a Wooclap initial survey will request the participants to share their knowledge and practice on inclusive teaching and global learning. This ice-breaking activity will allow the presenters to better understand the background and the needs of participants and adapt their presentation accordingly. Secondly, a padlet will be used to engage anonymous self-reflexion and feedback from participants throughout the session. The anonymous use of the Wooclap and the padlet will contribute to authors’ inclusive approach to presentation, identifying and adapting to participants’ needs as well as harnessing the diversity of the audience through mutual understanding and learning.
