“It Seems Like a Chore”: A Qualitative Analysis of Faculty and Student Perceptions of Global Learning in the Core

Abstract

Mechanisms supporting global learning and global citizenship continue to be incorporated as curricular and co-curricular components of undergraduate education in the United States. Global learning promotes critical thinking and problem-solving and intercultural competency – skills that studies find are highly prized among employers. However, few studies have investigated faculty and student perceptions of global learning where it has been implemented in core educational curricula. In this article, the authors present findings from a qualitative study of a general education global learning curricular requirement at a liberal arts university in the southeastern US. Utilizing student focus groups and faculty interviews, the authors conclude that, while attitudes of global learning are high and it is deemed an important part of education by both students and faculty, the institutional barriers and challenges to teaching and learning in this area are difficult to overcome.

Keywords

• global learning
• global citizenship education
• liberal arts