The Wiley Handbook of Collaborative Online Learning and Global Engagement

2How Can I Do a Globally-Connected Course? A Short Primer Based on Past Globally-Connected Courses

Simon J.M. Gray

Great Lakes Colleges Association, USA

How can students studying water conservation in the U.S. Great Lakes learn from students studying water in the deserts of Morocco? How can students in Nigeria studying gender violence partner with students in Pakistan to understand the same issue? Crossing the world without leaving your desk, the Global Course Connections program supports theme-based connections between courses that overlap in areas that would be enhanced by introducing an international perspective. Since the program’s start in 2013, there have been over 100 courses offered. The program is one of several offered by the Global Liberal Arts Alliance (GLAA), an international partnership of 30 colleges and universities advancing liberal arts education within the contexts of its member institutions in 18 countries across 5 continents (see Figure 2.1 for a map of the schools and Table 2.1 for a list of members). This chapter describes the history of the Global Course Connections program and outlines the steps instructors take to participate. We hope this information will prove useful for instructors on how to find partners and how to design and offer a globally-connected course.

Figure 2.1 Map of schools in the Global Liberal Arts Alliance.

Table 2.1 Schools in the ...