by Global Washington Education Coordinator Mariah Ortiz and GW intern, Pat Orozco
Recently, a team of global education volunteers has been convened to support the international education work of Global Washington members. Washington State has a dynamic global education community! Many organizations work together to shape culturally competent citizens, who will take full advantage of our interconnected world and form a strong foundation for the state’s dynamic global development field. Global education is the tide that lifts the international development industry’s many boats.
This is the first of many upcoming blogs, which will highlight global education organizations, schools, business, nonprofits and other public agencies throughout the state. You will be hearing from many of our wonderful global ed volunteers: Michelle, Kelly C., Kelly T., Lindsay, Luke, Pat and Sheel. We also welcome any story ideas or news submissions for inclusion in the blog! Email Mariah Ortiz with your ideas!
What kind of international education project has Global Washington been working on?
· Global Learning Goals
The Washington State Global Learning Goals are the result of collaboration between Global Washington and faculty from seven Washington State institutions of higher education. The goals express Washington State’s support for global education. They serve three major objectives: (1) bring statewide attention to the importance of producing globally-competent graduates; (2) provide a platform of common goals for Washington colleges and universities that can be adapted to fit individual institutional missions; and (3) position Washington State as a leader in global learning.
28 colleges and universities in the state have endorsed the Global Learning Goals so far. The goal is for all Washington State college and university presidents to endorse the Global Learning Goals. We are reaching out to institutions, advocating for their endorsement of the goals, and inclusion in school policies and curriculum.
· Metrics for Assessing Global Learning Goals Implementation
In collaboration with the Global Washington Educational Advisory Committee, the Global Ed team is researching ways to assess the impact of programs that support the Global Learning Goals. We are researching best practices for measuring global learning programs. Our aim is to identify a clear, easily adoptable and uniform set of metrics and tools that higher education institutions can use to assess the progress of their global efforts.
· Updating the International and Global Learning Inventory
Global Washington published a report in 2007 that provides detailed information about the international global learning opportunities available to students at Washington’s four-year degree granting colleges and universities. The Inventory shows the depth, breadth and innovation of the state’s formal and informal global education programs. We are updating the report to make the content easily and publicly accessible and more comprehensive by including more higher learning institutions.