GlobalInternational Student Academic Integration (ISAI) supports faculty in designing and facilitating effective interactions in undergraduate classrooms among students from diverse national and cultural identities and different native languages.
ISAI is a partnership between the Global Programs and Strategy (GPS) Alliance and the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI), with funding from the International Student Academic Services Fee.
Why is integration important?
Students want to interact across differences, but they tend not to do so on their own. They look to instructors to facilitate meaningful opportunities for interaction. International students report a relatively lower sense of belonging; some report feeling like a “ghost” and even “unwanted” in the classroom.
Further, the University's mission aspires for graduates to be “prepar[ed] for active roles in a multiracial and multicultural world.” Importantly, we also know that employers are explicitly seeking individuals who can work effectively in diverse teams and across differences (AAC&U, College Learning for a New Global Century)
Every instructor in every discipline has both the opportunity and responsibility to help students develop the intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes to fulfill the promise of a university education. Instructors seek institutional support and the ISAI Initiative responds to this call.