“Global competence today is mandatory for students hoping to pursue public health, law, human resources, environmental science, and other professions.” - Heather Clydesdale
From the Asia Society article “Global Vision: Education Aligns to a New World Order” by Heather Clydesdale (here):
The revolution that is reshaping education today is of a Copernican magnitude. The world is shifting to a knowledge economy as sophisticated technologies and continual migrations tighten connections between peoples and cultures. Once the purview of language specialists and international studies majors, global competence today is mandatory for students hoping to pursue public health, law, human resources, environmental science, and other professions. This has deep implications for K-12 and post-secondary institutions as they endeavor to endow all students with tools, skills, and knowledge to collaborate across cultures. By understanding global trends, national strategy, and current realities, teachers can more mindfully play a role as their institutions adapt to an internationalized world.
Dr. Donna Scarboro likens today’s paradigm shift to that of the scientific revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries, when discoveries fundamentally altered European and American views of nature and inquiry. “We are at a moment like that. The importance of global understanding has become an imperative,” says Scarboro, associate provost for international programs at George Washington University.
She adds that internationalization is permeating institutions at all levels: “Things that were untouched 10 or 15 years ago by this force are now being changed. It’s not just curriculum and it’s not just research. It’s really the fabric of how campuses do business.”…..
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