The Office of Global Learning Initiatives and the Office of the Provost request proposals for the development of foundational global learning courses during Summer C 2009.

Four teams will be invited to develop interdisciplinary, thematic courses that meet the global learning outcomes of the first two goals of the Global Learning Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). Teams should consist of three faculty members from multiple academic units. Faculty members will be funded $5000 each to jointly develop the courses, to be taught on an in-load basis by one or more of the team members during the 2010-11 academic year as part of the implementation of the QEP.

Background and Purpose:

FIU has chosen global learning as the main focus of our QEP, a key portion of the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools (SACS) reaffirmation of 2010. The purpose of FIU’s Global Learning QEP is to educate for global citizenship–to ensure that every FIU graduate has the educational opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to actively address issues and challenges in an interconnected world. Global learning is shorthand for three kinds of learning: global (systems and phenomena that transcend national borders); international (nations and their relationships); and, intercultural (knowledge and skills necessary to understand and communicate with different cultures).

In order to achieve the goal of the QEP, the Faculty Senate has endorsed a draft of the global learning curricular framework. The framework stipulates that all undergraduate students entering FIU without an AA degree from an accredited Florida public institution be required to take a minimum of one lower division foundational global learning course within the university’s core curriculum and one upper division global learning course within the context of their major.

While the courses will be located in separate disciplinary sections of the core (e.g. Humanities, Natural Sciences), course themes and content should be addressed through an interdisciplinary lens. Foundational global learning courses will have a one-course prerequisite to ensure that students have an adequate grasp of disciplinary concepts before they attempt interdisciplinary connections.
The lower division global learning courses will be foundational in that they will provide students with knowledge of international and global interrelationships, foster interdisciplinary connections and multi-perspective analytical skills, and enable intercultural dialogue. Such knowledge and skills will be practiced and refined throughout the FIU student’s undergraduate career. The foundational courses are also intended to become signature FIU courses, featuring a high degree of student interaction and participation, achieved through a variety of state-of-the-art pedagogical strategies such as the use of team-based learning, information communication technology, and the case method of instruction.

Faculty participants will receive extensive support from the Office of Global Learning Initiatives throughout course development and implementation. The Office of Global Learning Initiatives, in conjunction with the Office of Undergraduate Education, will facilitate professional development to address various models and strategies for team teaching and student assessment, as well as multiple pedagogical strategies for global learning and large class instruction.

Required Elements for the Global Learning Foundational Course Proposal:

A. Identify the faculty team members who will develop the course and describe their professional interest/qualifications in global learning, interdisciplinarity, and/or use of state-of-the-art pedagogies

B. Clearly define the broad theme that unifies the course

C. Provide a summary statement of the purpose, goals, and outcomes* of the course (list core curriculum and global learning outcomes separately)

D. Provide a rationale for and examples of interdisciplinarity for the course

E. Discuss the options for the team teaching model for the course

F. Give examples of pedagogical methods that may be used in this course (course should be designed for a class of 250 students; graduate teaching assistant support will be provided for each subgroup of 50 students)

G. Describe methods of assessing core curriculum outcomes and global learning student outcomes

H. Provide explanation of sustainability of the course

I.  Provide an endorsement letter from the Dean(s) of the Colleges or Schools of the applicant(s)

Criteria for Judging the Proposals:

-    Compelling and relevant interdisciplinary theme
-    Research-oriented faculty members qualified to teach an interdisciplinary global learning course
-    Sound rationale for course purpose, interdisciplinary content and team-teaching approach
-    Interactive pedagogical methods
-    Clear, realistic assessment plan that will contribute to the success of student learning
-    Clear, realistic plan for course sustainability
-    Appropriate endorsements from Deans
-    Faculty commitment to full Summer C participation

Proposals that infuse global learning into courses already offered are not appropriate for this RFP.

Proposals should be submitted via email to the Provost’s Office by April 6, 2009.  Send proposals to provoff@fiu.edu with RFP in the subject line. A panel of faculty global learning specialists, fielded by the Office of Global Initiatives, will review proposals. Awards will be announced by April 20, 2009.

Questions regarding the details of proposal preparation should be sent to:

Hilary Landorf, Director

Office of Global Learning Initiatives

landorfh@fiu.edu