A Glimpse of Global Learning: Assessing Student Experiences and Institutional Commitments

Colleges and universities must ensure that graduates are equipped to succeed in the global workforce. What do we know about the extent to which institutions are designing international activities, providing students with direct experience of different cultures and courses on global topics, and ensuring that graduates acquire global learning outcomes? In this article, the authors discuss preliminary findings from a study of combined results from the 2016 administration of the American Council on Education (ACE) Mapping survey and the Center for Postsecondary Research's National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Global Learning Module. The ACE Mapping Internationalization on US Campuses survey assesses the state of internationalization at colleges and universities, analyzes progress and trends over time, and identifies future priorities. It includes questions about institutional commitment and reasons for internationalizing, curricular and cocurricular international offerings, and global learning outcomes. The NSSE Global Learning Module was developed in partnership with ACE to complement the Mapping Internationalization survey and is used to assess student experiences and coursework that emphasize global affairs, world cultures, nationalities, religions, and other international topics. Taken together, these surveys provide a unique opportunity to examine student and institutional perspectives based on responses to similar questions about global learning. Their findings suggest that colleges and universities still have some way to go in terms of internationalizing the curriculum and ensuring students become global learners.