Changes

This week was International Education Week , an initiative started in 2000 to showcase the impact of international education on students around the world. We held a variety of events each day across campuses. On Monday the Library held a virtual scavenger hunt. On Tuesday at the CV campus, we held ‘in person’ country visits – you could meet with an international student and find out a little more about their home country. Wednesday and Thursday there were virtual opportunities for students, faculty and staff to find out about study / work abroad opportunities that OGE can help facilitate. And on Friday, we held an international student panel. This is the first time we’ve held a panel virtually. We had one student from Mexico, another from India and another from Zimbabwe. It’s always enlightening, hearing about the unique experiences of students, and especially so at a time when so much is changing. And yet, there are aspects that haven’t change and should. One student gave the example of an instructor relying solely on students reading the text book and testing through quizzes as the sole means of ‘teaching’ asynchronously. While hopefully that example is an exception, it is concerning that students continue in our context to have that experience. I read once that there are only two emotions; fear and love. If it is fear holding an instructor back from trying a different pedagogical approach, what can we do to help someone move through that fear? Peter Drucker, an influential thinker on management, said,

“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not turbulence itself, but to act with yesterday’s logic.”

I’ve been trying to get my head around What is change management? Part of supporting colleagues is helping people navigate change. Most of us don’t like change, yet change is the only constant. And when it comes, it takes time for us to get the message that the only way forward is adaptation. International students have no choice but to adapt, but the responsibility lies with all of us to create safe and inclusive spaces for each other. I’m thinking that if more instructors were able to take part in some kind of Virtual Exchange project, there would be greater combined confidence in experimenting with different ways of teaching.  I spent a few hours this week researching resources for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), also known as Virtual Exchange or Global Classrooms. In a world where travel is more precarious and uncertain than it has been in decades (from a Canadian perspective at least), COIL offers unlimited possibilities for exploring diverse perspectives. I’ve not tried it yet, but I hope to some time soon.