Evaluating Global Education at a Regional University: A Focus Group Research on Faculty Perspectives

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONIt is a widely held consensus among leaders in higher education institutions and policy decision makers that global education is a necessity for college students today (Hovland & Schneider, 2011; Haring-Smith, 2011; Reimer, 2009). With advancement of communication technology, expanding global trade, and intensified global conflicts and social change, it is imperative to prepare college students to become globally competent in an ever-complex global environment. According to Reimer (2009), global competency refers to the knowledge and skills that help people understand flat world in which they live, skills to integrate across disciplinary domains to comprehend global affairs and events, and intellect to create possibilities to address them...[it] also includes fostering an attitude that makes it possible to interact peacefully, respectfully, and productively with fellow human beings from diverse geographies (25). Skills and knowledge such as foreign languages and ability to understand and critically reflect on global issues are of essence in today's global education. This study reflects on question of whether or not college students today are effectively prepared to become globally competent citizens.This study assesses students' level of global competency in setting of a publicly funded, regional university. The three elements of global competency under discussion are (1) Global awareness: knowledge of global affairs and ability to discuss and reflect on issues in today's global context. (2) Global citizenship: understanding of responsible citizenship and action one takes to meet challenges in global community and (3) Global competitiveness and cooperation: professional knowledge and training to compete and work with other nationalities in global work force. The researchers invited college professors to assess and discuss level of global awareness and knowledge among college students, based on their experiences of teaching various disciplinary and general educations courses. Although a significant amount of literature on global education based their analysis on student body, mainly through use of surveys, we believe that college professors are in a unique position to evaluate level of global cultural awareness and knowledge among college students. Because of their regular classroom involvement and contact, faculty members have firsthand knowledge about their students. Additionally, faculty members possess broad perspectives on global issues and current affairs and have expertise in discipline specific knowledge. Therefore, they will be able to discuss expectations of global knowledge for undergraduate students in general and academic disciplines specifically. Faculty members can also identify and critically reflect on issues in academic curriculum and university resources; they can also provide directions and suggestions to enhance global cultural literacy education.We asked college professors, based on their years of experiences working with undergraduate students, to evaluate whether or not college graduates possess sufficient understanding and awareness of global issues to enable them to think critically of world they live in and to empower them to become active citizens in global society. Are college graduates equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills to compete and work with other internationals? If not, what factors contribute to lack of global awareness and knowledge among college students? The current paper will specifically explore cultural barriers that hinder global cultural acquisition. We focus on three aspects of barriers: cultural capital, media influence, and institutional culture.Cultural and Institutional Underpinnings of Global EducationThe acquisition of global awareness and knowledge is greatly affected by culture of higher education practices. American society's economic transformation during post WWI and WWII required professional training and expertise for trained employees and technicians, and institution of education needed to make adjustments and innovations to fulfill these needs (Frank and Meyer, 2007. …