Policy in Focus: A Virtual Exchange on Global Education Policies and Comparative Perspectives

The virtual exchange project implemented across both courses explored educational policies and their impacts through a collaborative, multi-part learning process. Part 1 focused on situating the context, analyzing educational autobiographies, identifying educational challenges, and mapping the systems that influence policy. Part 2 centered on comparative education, examining the effects of global policies on curriculum, pedagogy, and schooling, with a focus on post-colonial impacts.

Developing Global Citizenship Through Interdisciplinary Conversations

This Virtual Exchange (VE) project focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and connected students across five universities in the USA, Brazil, Honduras, and Algeria. The four-week program included synchronous and asynchronous activities that fostered global awareness and collaborative dialogue. Through these interactions, students shared solutions to address some of the Sustainable Development Goals that were specific to their country contexts and interests.

Building Bridges for Sustainable Futures: International Virtual Collaboration Through Shared Lesson Planning

Students across both groups were partnered to collaborate around the design and planning of a lesson related to one of the UN SDGs. Each set of partners chose which goal they would like to focus on, discussed how that goal relates to their local context, and how they could design a lesson to educate students about the international situation around that goal.

Solution-Focused Brief Counseling

UF students collaborated with peers at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) to analyze a counseling case study and designed an intervention using solution-focused brief counseling techniques. Students from both universities worked in small groups to apply the knowledge they learned through recorded lectures and readings.

 

Cross-Cultural Conversations: Exploring ESOL Foundations in Taiwan and the U.S.

This project connects UF teacher education undergraduates with students at National Taipei University of Education (NTUE) in Taiwan. Through virtual exchange, 52 UF and 48 NTUE students, guided by Drs. David Herman and Chien-Han Chen, will discuss language, culture, and ESOL education in American and Taiwanese contexts. The project fosters cross-cultural understanding and explores ESOL instruction foundations, including second language acquisition and culturally responsive teaching.

Madurometer, Collaborative Solutions for Fruit Management

Food collection centers face great challenges in selecting the level of food maturity to determine relevant actions according to the case. In this virtual exchange or international collaborative learning project between Universidad Icesi (Colombia) and the University of Florida (USA) students from both universities will evaluate the problem and propose solutions supported by technological tools. First, students will develop an activity to determine the maturity level of a banana tree using IoT and Machine Learning.

Early Childhood Teacher Education

The first communication method will occur via Zoom. This will occur after the asynchronous Padlet icebreaker. Then students will complete a group project composed of students from both universities. The stages of the project will be:

1. Research: Gather specific information about the assigned program

2. Development: Analyze and design a program that could have potential impact for K-12 educators regarding mental health.

Designing a Global Classroom

The module introduced concept of an international teaching approachs that leads to improved critical thinking and problem solving from a global perspective. The module focused on appropriate technology use to connect classrooms across borders where students could ask questions to virtual guests about how elementary students learn in other world regions.

EDG4930: Global Studies for Educators

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Term: 

Faculty: 

Mary Risner

Major: 

Education

College: 

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, global education is crucial to prepare students with knowledge and critical thinking skills to navigate our complex world. Global education aims to infuse regional content across disciplines to enable students to analyze information from diverse perspectives as we seek solutions to resolve issues that affect humanity at the local and global levels. In this course, students will gain an understanding of ways to teach global studies, foster global competence, and integrate global education concepts into the curriculum. 

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