Global Learning Outcomes
Many institutions have identified global learning outcomes to identify what a global learner can do. Here are a few examples of global learning outcomes from a variety of AAC&U member institutions.
Dozens of individuals from a variety of disciplines and institutions identified what global learners should be able to do, as part of AAC&U’s Shared Futures: Global and Social Responsibility initiative. Here is the list.
- Become informed, open-minded, and responsible people who are attentive to diversity across the spectrum of differences
- Seek to understand how their actions affect both local and global communities
- Address the world’s most pressing and enduring issues collaboratively and equitably
Sample Global Learning Outcomes
Carnegie Classification: SYS: University System Office
Global Learning Goals:
A globally competent student will demonstrate:
AWARNESS by having
- Knowledge of interconnections between local and global issues and events
- Understanding one’s own and other’s cultural norms and expectations
- Understanding of global dynamics by continuous learning and reflection
PERSPECTIVE by showing ability to
- Knowledge of interconnections between local and global issues and events
- Understanding one’s own and other’s cultural norms and expectations
- Understanding of global dynamics by continuous learning and reflection
ENGAGEMENT by practicing
- A deep understanding of a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in local and global contexts
- Open, appropriate, and effective intercultural interactions
- A sense of local and global social responsibility
Board Learning Goal:
Global experiences abroad and at the Colleges provide new perspectives and a framework on how we engage with the world. Whether you are a student or a faculty member, the Alamo Colleges District Office of International Programs is committed to facilitating students, faculty, and staff with exposure to diverse cultural perspectives for a global citizenry.
Carnegie Classification: Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
The cornerstone of Central’s liberal arts curriculum is the Core, a combination of course and proficiency requirements which ensure that the education of all Central College students is grounded in an understanding of the breadth of human thought and experience.
The Core is divided into five main parts: integrative studies, disciplinary studies, global perspectives, global sustainability, and writing intensive.
Global Sustainability (3 credits) introduces students to their role as citizen in a global society “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs” (UN, Brundtland Commission, 1987). Sustainability as a concept captures the interconnectedness of environmental, economic, and social systems. Sustainability education helps students acquire and apply heightened knowledge and awareness of significant intergenerational issues and problems and solutions by raising awareness and understanding of “how their personal and collective actions affect the sustainability of local and global systems” (National Sustainability Education Standards, 2005).
Global Perspectives (0-14 credit) continues the discussion of global citizenship and brings “hands on” applicability. Students take courses in a second language, study abroad on one of Central’s study abroad programs, and/or complete courses in International Studies or Intercultural Studies.
Carnegie Classification: Baccalaureate / Mixed (Baccalaureate_Associate)
Broad Learning Goal:
Global and Intercultural Fluency – Demonstrate awareness and respect for commonalities across and difference between identities, cultures, experiences and/or goal origins.
Carnegie Classification: Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Delaware State University aims to graduate an educated person possessing the following characteristics:
- An ever-expanding capacity for appreciating, understanding, and sympathizing with the human condition in all its variations of cultural, social, racial, ethnic, moral, and physical diversity.
- A desire to know more about one’s environment and the global perspective.
https://www.desu.edu/academics/university-college/uc-services/general-education
Carnegie Classification: Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity
- Global Perspective: the ability to conduct a multi-perspective analysis of local, global, international, and intercultural problems
- Global Awareness: knowledge of the interconnectedness of local, global, international, and intercultural issues, trends, and systems
- Global Engagement: willingness to address local, global, international, and intercultural problem solving.
Carnegie Classification: Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
As part of the General Education Program, students will take courses under the themes of Global Crossroads and Diversity and Traditions and Movements that Shape the world.
Under the Global Crossroads and Diversity component:
Courses explore cross-cultural perspectives and selected concepts that underscore contemporary issues of global concern. Students will develop awareness of cultural practices and traditions in the context of a changing, globalizing world while reflecting on their own values and customs. Students will learn exchange ideas and connect with diverse communities and cultures.
Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills, knowledge, and perspectives:
SKILLS (Mākau Naʻauao):
- Teamwork – Students work effectively in teams.
KNOWLEDGE & PERSPECTIVES (`Ike):
- Historical & Conceptual Perspectives – Students investigate and apply concepts from history or the humanities to describe and analyze phenomena over time.
- Societies & Cultures – Students explore cross-cultural perspectives that both distinguish and connect regions, countries, languages and cultures.
Under the Traditions and Movement that Shape the World component:
Courses will help students explore the historical development of human societies and important movements and themes which have shaped and continue to influence the world. Students will assess information, ask questions, debate ideas and explain the significance of political, social, scientific, and cultural trends in a historical context.
Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following knowledge perspectives, and values:
KNOWLEDGE & PERSPECTIVES (`Ike):
- Historical and Conceptual Perspectives – Students investigate and apply concepts from history or the humanities to describe and analyze phenomena over time.
- Societies and Cultures – Students explore cross-cultural perspectives, investigate trends and analyze issues of various communities. They will identify behaviors, thoughts, and perspectives that both distinguish regions, countries, languages and cultures from one another and connect them.
VALUES (Mea Waiwai):
- Ethical Reasoning and Values – Students will identify, articulate, and evaluate the ethical perspectives of others and themselves.
Carnegie Classification: Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Within Academic Affairs, a subset of University Learning Goals has been selected to serve as the Academic Learning Goals, which inform and direct the Integrative Core Curriculum.
John Carroll University graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of human and natural worlds
- Act competently in a global and diverse world
- Understand and promote social justice
- Apply a framework for examining ethical dilemmas
- Understand the religious dimensions of human experience.
These nine goals drive the Integrative Core Curriculum as described below:
Languages
Act competently in a global and diverse world
- Communicate skillfully and effectively in a language other than English, at a level commensurate with the language and program. (Classical levels are explained in more detail here.)
- Demonstrate foundational cultural and linguistic knowledge of a target-language area.
- Demonstrate emerging intercultural competence
Distributive Courses: Humanities Experience
Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of the human and natural worlds (Understand the perspectives of science, social science, and humanities)
- Offer informed interpretations of texts, art, or other cultural products or practices within their social, cultural, and/or historical contexts.
Distributive Courses: Social Science Experience
Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of the human and natural worlds (Understand the perspectives of science, social science, and humanities)
- Demonstrate how social science insights and approaches can be used to understand contemporary social, economic, or political issues
Integrated Courses: Engaging the Global Community
Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of the human and natural worlds
- Draw conclusions by connecting examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective
- Apply skills, abilities, theories or methodologies gained in one situation to contribute to their understanding of a problem or issue
Act competently in a global and diverse world
- Identify several factors that resulted in social cultural, economic, political or environmental linkages between people at regional and/or global levels;
- Describe the reciprocal power relationships that result from these linkages.
Jesuit Heritage: Theology and Religious Studies
Understand the religious dimensions of human experience; Develop habits of critical analysis and aesthetic appreciation; and Act competently in a global and diverse world
- Critically analyze the culturally and globally diverse dimensions of religious experience as expressed in sacred texts, art, ritual practices, and ethical commitments.
Understand and promote social justice; and Act competently in a global and diverse world
- Appreciate how culturally and globally diverse religious traditions provide resources for responding to injustice and living ethically.
Jesuit Heritage: Issues in Social Justice
Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of the human and natural worlds
- Acquire knowledge about the human experience. Included herein may be how the natural world has shaped the human experience, particularly as it applies to issues of social justice.*
Understand and promote social justice
- Communicate understanding of and respect for differences between individuals and across cultures.
- Understand the historical/structural conditions that have given rise to injustice.
- Recognize an injustice and articulates the consequence of that injustice.
Carnegie Classification: Doctoral Universities: Moderate Research Activity
About the General Education Program
Kennesaw State University’s General Education program offers a comprehensive series of interrelated courses in the liberal arts and sciences for all KSU students. Whereas the major program contributes depth within a chosen specialization, the General Education Core Curriculum Areas A-E provide a breadth of understanding within a variety of disciplines. Together, the General Education Core Curriculum and the major degree program offer students the knowledge, skills, and perspectives to become informed and engaged citizens living in a diverse, global community.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will encounter the General Education learning outcomes over the course of their General Education Core Curriculum in Areas A-E.
Literature: Students will include multicultural, social, or historical contexts in their interpretation of literary work.
Global Perspectives: Students will analyze creative works from multiple international cultures in relation to the historical, political, economic, sociocultural, aesthetic, or personal contexts in which those works emerged.
U.S. Perspectives: Students will demonstrate a broad understanding of history, political systems, or culture of the U.S.
Social Sciences: Students analyze the complexity of how historical, economic, or political relationships develop, persist, or change.
http://catalog.kennesaw.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=54&poid=6268
Carnegie Classification: Associate's Colleges: High Transfer-Mixed Traditional/Nontraditional
CULTURAL AND GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
Institutional learning Outcome: Encompasses the awareness of cultural systems, events, and creations and an ability to apply this cultural and global awareness to human interaction and expression.
- CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE: Identify cultural systems, events, or creations.
- GLOBAL INFLUENCES: Identify the global forces that shape culture and subculture.
- CULTURAL AND GLOBAL SELF AWARENESS: Analyze and explain the impact of culture and experience on one’s world view and behavior, including assumptions, biases, prejudices, and stereotypes.
- CULTURAL AND GLOBAL AWARENESS: Analyze and explain the impact of historical events, perspectives, or cultures on world societies, human interaction and expression, and the natural environment.
- INCLUSIVENESS: Demonstrate a willingness and ability to engage with other cultures and global societies.
- CULTURAL EXPRESSION: Generate ideas, creations, or models that express the human condition and our relationship with the world around us.
https://www.mesacc.edu/community-civic-engagement/our-purpose/student-learning-outcomes
Carnegie Classification: Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity
Michigan State University has outlined a set of learning goals in the following five categories:
- Analytical Thinking
- Cultural Understanding
- Effective Citizenship
- Effective Communication
- Integrated Reasoning
Global competencies linked to each student learning outcome.
Cultural Understanding
The MSU graduate comprehends global and cultural diversity within historical, artistic, and societal contexts.
DIMENSIONS OF CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
- Reflects on experiences with diversity to demonstrate knowledge and sensitivity
- Demonstrates awareness of how diversity emerges within and across cultures
Effective Citizenship
The MSU graduate participates as a member of local, national, and global communities and has the capacity to lead in an increasingly interdependent world.
DIMENSIONS OF EFFECTIVE CITIZENSHIP
- Understands the structures of local, national, and global governance systems and acts effectively within those structures in both individual and collaborative ways.
- Applies knowledge and abilities to solve societal problems in ethical ways.
Integrated Reasoning
The MSU graduate integrates discipline-based knowledge to make informed decisions that reflect humane, social, ethical, and aesthetic values.
DIMENSIONS OF INTEGRATED REASONING
- Critically applies liberal arts knowledge in disciplinary contexts and disciplinary knowledge in liberal arts contexts
- Uses a variety of inquiry strategies incorporating multiple views to make value judgments, solve problems, answer questions, and generate new understanding
Carnegie Classification: Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity
Global Learning Outcomes:
Global Awareness
- Students examine actions and relationships that influence global systems from multiple perspectives, analyzing how complex systems impact themselves and others.
Global Diversity
- Student explore complex dimensions of diversity, equity, and inclusion around the world, including language, culture, and identity.
Global Action
- Students create strategies to apply knowledge, skills, and abilities to collaboratively and equitably foster global well-being and resilience.
Broad Learning Goal:
Global learning opportunities at UC Davis focus on cultivating skills, knowledge, abilities, and networks to prepare students to engage the challenges and opportunities of our highly interconnected world. Broad global learning goals guide learning and each goal has a set of outcomes that demonstrate what students will know or be able to do upon completion of their educational experience.
https://globalaffairs.ucdavis.edu/ge4a/global-learning-outcomes
Carnegie Classification: Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity
As part of the General Education Curriculum:
On completion of an Understanding Plural Societies course, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate understanding of the basis of human diversity and socially-driven constructions of difference: biological, cultural, historical, social, economic, or ideological.
• Demonstrate understanding of fundamental concepts and methods that produce knowledge about plural societies and systems of classification.
• Explicate the policies, social structures, ideologies or institutional structures that do or do not create inequalities based on notions of human difference.
• Interrogate, critique, or question traditional hierarchies or social categories.
• Analyze forms and traditions of thought or expression in relation to cultural, historical, political, and social contexts, as for example, dance, foodways, literature, music, and philosophical and religious traditions.
• Use a comparative, intersectional, or relational framework to examine the experiences, cultures, or histories of two or more social groups or constituencies within a single society or across societies, or within a single historical timeframe or across historical time.Courses in Cultural Competence must address at least 3 of the 5 Learning Outcomes. Learning Outcomes in bold are required.
On completion of a Cultural Competency course, students will be able to:
• Understand and articulate a multiplicity of meanings of the concept of culture.
• Explain how cultural beliefs influence behaviors and practices at the individual, organizational or societal levels.
• Reflect in depth about critical similarities, differences, and intersections between their own and others’ cultures or sub-cultures so as to demonstrate a deepening or transformation of original perspectives.
• Compare and contrast similarities, differences, and intersections among two or more cultures.
• Effectively use skills to negotiate cross-cultural situations or conflicts in interactions inside or outside the classroom.Carnegie Classification: Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity
USF defines global learning within the context of global citizenship. Specifically, we define a global citizen as someone who engages meaningfully and effectively with diverse people, places, events, opportunities, and challenges. Our student learning outcomes for the Global Citizens Project are divided into cognitive and affective/conative domains (see below) and grouped into three broader competencies (global awareness, global responsibility, and global participation) in our conceptual framework found at http://www.usf.edu/gcp/being-a-global-citizen/index.aspx.
The following behavioral indicators can be used by students, faculty, and staff to assess the degree to which students are achieving Global Citizens Project objectives:
Self-Awareness
- define personal values and beliefs
- explore how one's worldview is shaped by personal values, identity, cultural rules, and biases
- evaluate congruency between values and actions
- recognize differences in people's values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors
- recognize common human experiences
Willingness
- participate in community service that strengthens communities and improves lives
- participate in research that strengthens communities and improves lives
- participate in a study abroad program that strengthens communities and improves lives
Practice
- evaluate the impact of individual choices on local and global communities
- actively communicate to prevent or resolve conflict
- use appropriate language and communication methods that consider others' points of view and respect differences
- develop relationships with others from different cultural backgrounds
Knowledge
- identify and describe major global issues
- describe multiple dimensions of global/cultural systems
- recognize that cultural systems experience historical and geopolitical processes differently
- recognize that global issues and systems are experienced differently at local scales
Analysis
- analyze cultures as complex systems shaped by relations of power and interdependence
- analyze global issues and challenges, their histories, and impacts
- compare and contrast the impact of historical and geopolitical processes on cultural systems
- compare and contrast how global issues and systems are experienced at different scales
Synthesis
- synthesize different types and sources of information to assess global/cultural issues or situations
- incorporate multiple perspectives into decision making when addressing global/cultural issues or situations
- assess local and/or global impacts of planned actions when addressing global/cultural issues or situations
- weigh options/planned actions and/or formulate possible solutions when addressing global/cultural issues or situations
- communicate ideas and information to diverse audiences
Carnegie Classification: Master's Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Global/Intercultural competence is essential in every professional and civic environment. The Global/Intercultural requirement underscores UVU's commitment to valuing global/intercultural opinions, backgrounds, traditions, perspectives, and experiences. The Global/Intercultural requirement contributes to student success by fostering an awareness of a variety of cultural perspectives and experiences, which is a vital element of higher education. The Global/Intercultural Initiative is a component of UVU's Office of Engaged Learning.
Global/Intercultural understanding should be considered and explored from a variety of perspectives. The requirement will foster greater understanding of, interaction with, and appreciation for, cultures that reflect the diversity present within the local and campus communities, up to the larger state and global context. Courses satisfying the requirement will articulate and examine the unique perspectives, experiences and concerns of individuals and groups representing cultures other than one’s own. Such understanding and appreciation will both enhance the educational experience of students and develop skills that allow them to participate as inclusive, active, informed, and respectful citizens.
The Global/Intercultural Requirement seeks to develop student learning through the following objectives and trait:
Objectives:
- To analyze global or intercultural issues.
- To discuss stereotypical cultural conceptions and recognize the complexity and variety of different cultural groups.
- To evaluate how one's own cultural values compare with those from different backgrounds.
Trait:
- To interrelate respectfully with individuals representing cultures and perspectives other than one’s own.