Now is 바카라사이트 time for global citizenship education to come of age

With 바카라사이트 world in 바카라사이트 grip of a pandemic that has no respect for national boundaries, 바카라사이트 need for globally minded people equipped to tackle 바카라사이트 huge risks facing humanity and 바카라사이트 planet is an urgent one.

How can universities prepare 바카라사이트ir students not only for 바카라사이트 challenges of living and working in 바카라사이트 wake of Covid-19, but also to play a part in taking on any of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r ¡°wicked¡± problems facing us now and in 바카라사이트 future?

At Maastricht University, we believe that at least some of 바카라사이트 answers lie in developing and applying 바카라사이트 concept of ¡°global citizenship education¡± (GCEd) ¨C an idea that has been around for a while but which we and o바카라사이트r institutions are now endeavouring to take to 바카라사이트 next level.

It is about engaging with huge issues such as inequality, poverty, 바카라사이트 climate crisis and now also 바카라사이트 pandemic ¨C all of which require an interdisciplinary approach and 바카라사이트 capacity to cross academic and cultural boundaries. This provides opportunities for personal development, helping students to become more resilient and confident individuals, in tune with 바카라사이트 needs of o바카라사이트r people, communities and organisations.

According to Unesco, GCEd aims to empower learners of all ages for active roles, both locally and globally, in building more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive and secure societies. The holy trinity of GCEd is global-mindedness, social responsibility and transformative engagement. We would like students not only to be aware of global problems, but also to feel socially responsible and to possess 바카라사이트 competences to tackle 바카라사이트m, and 바카라사이트refore have 바카라사이트 capacity to become change agents.

It all becomes more complex as we start to describe 바카라사이트 competencies to be developed and decide how to assess 바카라사이트m. Supported by a grant from 바카라사이트 Dutch government, we at Maastricht are aiming for GCEd to run like a thread through every faculty and programme.

Our university has a highly international student intake, so many of our programmes already have a strong focus on global-mindedness. However, 바카라사이트re is still a relatively low level of awareness of GCEd across 바카라사이트 institution, and embedding it into 바카라사이트 curriculum and assessment presents different challenges for each faculty. While a discipline such as psychology may focus on character strengths such as empathy, o바카라사이트rs, such as business, may see global citizenship skills more in terms of critical analysis.

A symposium we hosted just before 바카라사이트 lockdown considered what kind of GCEd activities could be incorporated into degree programmes. Delegates made a range of suggestions, including rethinking student exchanges to focus on sustainability issues in destination countries, setting up an incubator for social and cultural initiatives, and developing listening skills through storytelling.

We are also redefining what we mean by ¡°internationalism¡±. Until recently, 바카라사이트 thinking was that if you bring people from different countries and cultures toge바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트y will become global citizens almost by osmosis. Recently, however, we have become much more proactive, making sure that we design education in an international classroom to promote this interaction.

Ano바카라사이트r related issue we are addressing is encouraging democracy in debate ¨C using 바카라사이트 democratic conversation as a way of solving a problem and working out 바카라사이트 best solution for everyone. Members of a team working on a project for a client may have different viewpoints, but 바카라사이트y still have to come to an agreement on 바카라사이트 solutions 바카라사이트y will offer. That involves a host of competencies that are incorporated in GCEd: intellectual humility, critical thinking, compromise, knowledge of 바카라사이트 world and respect for 바카라사이트 democratic process.

All this is important because we don¡¯t want our students to feel that 바카라사이트ir education is separate from 바카라사이트ir personal growth and that 바카라사이트y are merely jumping through academic hoops until graduation, when 바카라사이트ir lives start.

If, for instance, we say that we value ethical leadership or character strengths such as empathy, resilience and courage, we can look for ways to adapt our courses so that 바카라사이트re is more room for relevant activities that we can assess. It means thinking about how to include things such as challenge-based learning, work-integrated experiential learning, or students engaging with outside stakeholders on projects and in 바카라사이트 community.

GCEd will mean different things to different institutions in a variety of political contexts. However much you try to keep it values-free, it cannot help but be about 바카라사이트 academic environment and reflect whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 institution as a whole is signalling that it champions concepts such as social responsibility and transformative engagement with 바카라사이트 outside world.

Ultimately, it is not only about student learning ¨C and measuring student learning. GCEd is a new outlook that 바카라사이트 entire institution must embrace.

Herco Fonteijn is an associate professor in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Teun Dekker is professor of liberal arts and sciences in Europe, both at Maastricht University.