Global Competence Task Force Report

Presented to Provost Patrick Farrellby the members of the Global Competence Task Force

August 2008

The Charge:

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Develop a working definition of global competence for UW–Madison graduates

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Define appropriate global learning outcomes including any suggested corecompetencies for all students

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Review learning opportunities available to meet global competence goals andrecommend new areas for development

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Identify methods of assessment

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Explore models for a certification process, such as through portfolios

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Identify any barriers that need to be addressed to accomplish the desired results

Task Force Members:

Marianne Bird Bear, Division of International StudiesWei Dong, Environment, Textiles and DesignRandall Dunham, School of Business (Chair)Rebecca Gilsdorf, undergraduate engineering studentRob Howell, International Academic ProgramsLeslie Kohlberg, L&S/School of Human Ecology Career ServicesTura Patterson, Division of International StudiesMary Regel, Department of CommerceBrett Schilke, undergraduate psychology studentKenneth Shapiro, International Agricultural ProgramsEdwin Sibert, ChemistryAmy Stambach, Educational Policy StudiesJolanda Vanderwal Taylor, GermanGilles Bousquet (ex-officio), Division of International Studies

Summary of Recommendations:

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Create a campus-wide student portfolio program to demonstrate, certify, and assessglobal proficiency. A pilot project will begin in fall 2008.

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Remove barriers for students to study abroad and learn world languages.

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Provide incentives and recognition to faculty and staff who participate in internationalteaching, research, learning, and outreach. Increase faculty and staff involvement ininternationalizing the campus.

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Align defined global learning outcomes to campus-wide liberal education goals (LEAP).

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Recommend or require that schools’ & colleges’ strategic plans include the importanceof developing citizens and leaders who can solve global problems in the context of their disciplines. Core components of global competence should be adapted by eachdiscipline.

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Engage and integrate international students on campus.1

Today’s great challenges facing society span all fields—but they share one characteristic:they are global in scope and require a collaborative response from groups or nations. In order to educate the generation of students who will face the challenges of the 21

st

century,

universities need to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to workeffectively in our increasingly interdependent world.

Foremost amongst these “globalcompetencies” are the abilities to communicate effectively across linguistic and cultural boundaries, to see and understand the world from a perspective other than one’s own, and tounderstand and appreciate the diversity of societies and cultures. Students need to appreciatethe interdependence of nations in a global economy and to know how to adapt their work to avariety of cultures.What is the university’s role in developing students with these global competencies? Giventhe inherent complexities and breadth of the issues involved, we must recognize thatdeveloping global competency is a life-long process.

The university’s role is to makestudents aware that all disciplines have international or cross-cultural implications, andto train them to recognize when they need global or cultural skill sets in order toaddress a given problem.

College courses should highlight the global context of alldisciplines and the cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural skills that might be associated withthem.Training in global competency must become part of the culture of the university, a strategic priority. Naturally, each area of specialization will view global competencies from its ownunique perspective. Units should be encouraged and/or required to develop strategic plansthat include developing citizens and leaders who can solve global problems within thecontext of their disciplines. The university must also establish a central plan wherebygraduating students can demonstrate and showcase the global skills they have acquiredthroughout their academic careers.

Opportunities & New Areas for Development

UW–Madison offers a wide variety of undergraduate academic and co-curricular programsand activities that teach students about diverse cultures and global perspectives. Acomprehensive inventory of these opportunities is provided (Appendix A).Students may encounter one or many of the following types of global-learning opportunities:

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Academic majors

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Certificates in global subjects

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Language courses

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Study abroad programs

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Work, service learning, fieldwork, and volunteer abroad programs

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Learning communities

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Scholar programs

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Student organizations

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Co-curricular activitiesStudy abroad and academic plans (majors and certificates) are the largest contributors—in both scale and impact—to global competence. Increasing global learning opportunities is nota matter of increasing the number or types of programs, but entails making these

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