What is Global Learning?

Global learning “is the process of diverse people collaboratively analyzing and addressing complex problems that transcend borders and engaging in actions that promote collective well-being” (Landorf & Doscher, 2023). 

Global Learning at UCA

Our Global Learning initiatives help students from all academic disciplines apply multilateral cooperative strategies and solutions that respect yet transcend national borders and cultural differences. These initiatives are based on the American Association of Colleges and Universities Global Learning VALUE Rubric (2014).

Global learning emphasizes how students’ own coursework provides perspectives on the diverse cultural, economic, educational, institutional, linguistic, scientific, and social practices that both shape and can improve the world.

Global perspective-taking requires us to weigh, understand, and recognize all sides of complex problems such as those related to climate change, economic development, environmental sustainability, theories of economic and social justice, global health, or world poverty.

Some things you learn, some things you earn

Across the U.S. and around the world, highly effective academic programs require students to engage in experiential learning through education abroad, internships, practicums, and service-learning to apply what is taught within the classroom in an applied setting.

Doing so helps learners gain a deeper, more consequential understanding of the topic in ways that build resilience, confidence, and mastery of the subject. Whether developing fluency in a second language, or seeing theories applied to effect change, experiential learning helps learners understand the facts and theories learned in the classroom on a broader and deeper level.

Global learning promotes cultural humility and empathy in learners whose knowledge of the world and their chosen academic disciplines inspire them to explore contemporary issues that all people face.  As a form of critical thinking, global perspective-taking acknowledges the diversity of human perceptions and practices, promoting openness in a lifetime dedication to seeing the world through others’ eyes.

Global Learning is life-long learning!