GlobalThis series of workshops is offered as a collaboration between the Office of Curriculum Internationalization and the Minnesota English Language Program (MELP).
These workshops are currently not open to non-UMN participants.
The first five workshops* listed below follow the book, Fostering international student success in higher education. You can pick and choose to attend any workshop, and there is no requirement to read the book. If you would like to go more in-depth on this topic, these five sessions are also part of the curriculum for a cohort. Learn more about the cohort and the citation for the text.
Online Synchronous Workshops
This session is the start of a five-part series based on the text, Fostering International Students Success in Higher Education. We will focus on the first chapter of the book and explore the context of international students in the U.S. and at the University of Minnesota including: reasons why international students are here; relevant policies; data highlighting challenges, opportunities, and successes international students can experience; important terminology; connections to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; and campus internationalization. We will also introduce asset-based frameworks and pedagogies that will guide future conversations. [No need to read the book prior to attending the webinar.]
In this webinar we will explore ways to minimize linguistic and cultural bias in assignments and assessments. We will also discuss ways to provide feedback on language and consider informal accommodations to help ensure equitable and inclusive assessments and assignments.
This session is based on the text, Fostering International Students Success in Higher Education, and focuses on the second chapter. No need to read the book prior to attending the webinar.
This webinar will explore the role of academic culture in the experiences of international and multilingual students and how we can support transition into common U.S. classroom culture. We will present some typical classroom values and practices of U.S. academic culture that might be new for students and identify some strategies that can facilitate the adjustment.
This session is based on the text, Fostering International Students Success in Higher Education, and focuses on the second chapter. No need to read the book prior to attending the webinar.
This webinar will explore pedagogical approaches that foster a linguistically inclusive classroom where multilingualism and language differences are seen as assets. We will also highlight some second language acquisition (SLA) principles and related teaching practices that can support ongoing language and literacy development, while making classroom content more accessible.
This session is based on the text, Fostering International Students Success in Higher Education, and focuses on the second chapter. No need to read the book prior to attending the webinar.
In this webinar we will explore ways we can be advocates for international and multilingual students beyond our classrooms and help ensure their voices and experiences are considered and included in campus-wide conversations, particularly those related to DEI. We will also discuss ways to help students develop agency and ensure they are and feel integrated on campus.
This session is based on the text, Fostering International Students Success in Higher Education, and focuses on the fifth chapter. No need to read the book prior to attending the webinar.
Self-Paced Asynchronous Workshop
Inclusive Teaching for the Multilingual Classroom: Content Delivery
International and multilingual learners bring their languages, cultures, and diverse perspectives to the classroom. Their unique backgrounds allow them to approach problems in new and creative ways, interact with broader audiences, access more varied information, and engage across more diverse groups. These indisputable assets enrich the learning experience for all and can help foster critical thinking, cultural awareness, and intercultural skills among everyone in the classroom. Via a series of mini-lessons, this online, asynchronous course explores common challenges international and multilingual learners can face when learning in a new educational context and through a foreign language. You will also learn several strategies for making your content and teaching more inclusive and accessible, particularly for international multilingual learners of English.
This is a self-paced asynchronous module that should take 30 to 45 minutes to complete.
Partner Workshop
Addressing Xenophobia and Minoritization
Xenophobia—fear or hatred of people from other countries—is a real barrier to international community members who come to the University of Minnesota to study, work, and research. This is not a new phenomenon, but it has become more visible due to the global pandemic and has been escalated by incendiary rhetoric. Further, while many international students come to the U.S. with a sense of, and language for, their own identities in the context of their home nations, these are more often than not experienced differently in the U.S. racialized context. Most international students undergo challenges as a U.S.-centric label and identity are imposed upon them by the institution, policies, or individuals, often attaching an experience of minoritization not previously experienced.
In this session, we will raise awareness of these issues and discuss how we can support the international community and understand our complicit role and active anti- racist actions we can take. Our aim is to foster a more inclusive and just campus where everyone—including international community members—can contribute at their highest and best.
This workshop is a collaboration between the Office for Equity & Diversity (OED), Global Programs and Strategy (GPS) Alliance, and the Minnesota English Language Program (MELP).