Developing a

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Developing a Global Perspective taking it
forward at Bournemouth University

• Chris Shiel
• September 2005

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Presentation outline

• How did we get into Global Perspectives and why?
• What do we mean by sustainable development and
  global perspectives?
• Partnership work at the curriculum level
• Overcoming barriers to change
• Curriculum audit and development
• Moving the agenda forward
• Reflections and concerns

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Global Perspectives, the beginning partnership
work at institutional level

• Partnership with Development Education in Dorset
  (DEED)
• Enlisting support and establishing a network to
  develop a Global Vision for BU
• Endorsed by Senate
• Formalising a Global Perspectives Group -
  chaired by the Pro Vice Chancellor and reporting
  to the Learning and Teaching Development
  Committee.

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Why?

• Belief of volunteers that education should
  address broader concerns
• Moral argument - short changing students
• Educational principles developing more critical
  students, pursuit of knowledge and truth
• Business case
• Reflective practice (sense making) in the light
  of corporate scandals and world disasters
• Are the theories we propagate defensible?
• Are our classes pulpits for the ideological
  celebration of the invisible hand of the market
  (Adler 2002)
• Role of education in a democratic society and in
  the context of globalisation
• Challenging inequity speaking out
• Universities contribute to the globalisation of
  values
• Preparing graduates for the future

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How do we interpret a global perspective?

• Sustainable Development
• Development which meets the needs of the
  present without compromising the ability of
  future generations to meet their needs
  (Brundtland)
• Global Perspective
• Enables people to understand the links between
  their own lives and those of people throughout
  the world
• Increases understanding of economic, social and
  political forces which shape life
• Develops skills, attitudes and values to enable
  people working together to bring about change for
  common good and to take control of their own
  lives
• Works towards a more just and sustainable world
  where power and resources are more equitably
  shared

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Second cycle developing a language to
support partnership work facilitate change
at School level

• Development of global citizens endorsed as an
  approach
• DEA national project to develop GP within HE
  curriculum audit within Business School and
  development of a Level H unit.
• Overcoming barriers and addressing indifference
• Rationale at School level relevance to business
  education
• More critical students
• Appropriate to Subject Benchmark (educational
  sense)
• Link to international
• Link to employability
• Role of education in a democratic society

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Overcoming barriers reinforcing rationale

• Aligns with development of critical beings
  (Barnett,1997), able to cope with
  super-complexity (Barnett 2000)
• Through GP students will develop skills required
  by employers
• Compatible with Cognate skills of critical
  thinking, ability to detect false logic and
  to identify implicit values (B M Subject
  Benchmark)

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A Global Perspective
A global perspective is a broader perspective of
the subject and facilitates the development of
students who are Self Reliant (global awareness
heightens self-awareness/confidence) Connected
(global citizens work as part of a team,
appreciate diversity/equity) Well rounded (self
awareness and self-efficacy) Critical reflectors
(challenging knowledge, appreciating
risk) Specialist (subject knowledge plus
approach)
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Overcoming barriers link to employability
and national agendas

• A set of achievements, skills, understandings
  and personal attributes that make graduates more
  likely to gain employment and be successful in
  their chosen occupations, which benefits
  themselves, the workforce, the community and the
  economy (ESECT)
• Business educators can do more to prepare the
  business leaders of the future to meet the
  challenge of sustainable development (Blunkett
  1999)
• BAA, B Q, Sainsbury, London Transport(HE 21
  Project) high priority business needs
  these skills
• Demonstrating that cannot escape global in
  local
• Showing growth in demand from SMEs (supply chain
  pressure/need expertise)
• Increasing awareness of Cutting costs by going
  green (Environment Centres)

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Curriculum audit and development

• In Business programmes
• International Awareness (Level C)
• International Competence (Level I)
• Business ethics (Level I)
• Social Responsibility (M level)
• Changes resulting from audit
• Development of a Level H unit Global
  Responsibility and Sustainable Business practice
• Preferred Futures at Induction
• Enhance community action local citizenship
• Published outcome Global Perspectives in HE, The
  Improving Practice Series, DEA

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Example from Services Management

• Level C
• Industry Context and the Experience Economy
• Global ethical issues, global shaping influences
• Environmental Studies
• Appreciation of the global impact of human
  activities on natural ecosystems, interdependence
  of tourism industry with natural environment
• Tourism Context
• Introduction to the concept of sustainable
  tourism, the environmental/social/economic
  impacts of tourism development.
• Personal Professional Development
• Cultural perspectives, national identities,
  cultural norms and differences, personal values.

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Third cycle extending institutional development

• Enhancing the global perspective and the
  multicultural
• experience of education and through this, the
  employability of
• graduates.
• Develop integrated BU strategy
• To ensure that by 2010 all graduates of BU are
  aware of and
• confident in dealing with issues relating to
  sustainable
• development and global perspectives

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Activities

• Staff development programmes to show that all
  subjects have a global dimension
• Enhancing the student experience - and
  understanding it
• Ensure university as a business demonstrates SD
• Work with employers/community
• Improving opportunities for cross-cultural
  learning and developing resources for
  staff/students

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Approach to change strategy formulation is
not a sequential process

• Creating Awareness and commitment incrementally
  (Quinn 1980)
• Amplifying awareness and understanding
• Legitimising new view points
• Broadening support
• Solidifying Progress incrementally
• Creating pockets of commitment
• Focusing the organisation
• Integration of processes and interests
• Evolving formulation of strategic direction
• By the time strategies began to crystallize,
  pieces of them were already being implemented
  (Quinn)

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Global Cinema popular and art house films from
around the world
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So far

• Stakeholder analysis (meetings , presentations
  and more meetings) seeking inhibitors and
  enablers but testing the concepts and educating
  at the same time
• Staff survey
• Student focus groups and student survey
• Developing Fair Trade Policy
• Aligning with other aspects of the L T agenda
  e.g. Employability agenda requirement to audit
  in ARPM
• Working with International Office
• Raising staff and student awareness
• Workshops
• BUGLE
• Global Cinema (planned for September)
• Working with SU (drive for Fair Trade and
  volunteering)
• Freshers Fair
• Diversity Week

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Developing a document

• Presenting the policy context and rationale
• Audit Results
• Feedback from across the university
• Staff Experience and Knowledge (questionnaire,
  meetings)
• Student views (focus group, questionnaire).
• Recommendations
• Curricula
• Extra curricula
• Corporate e.g. values, marketing and
  communication
• Environmental management
• Research
• Action Plan

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Factors that have contributed to successand
reflection

• Working in partnership with development education
  (DEED and DEA) facilitated policy change and
  action based curriculum
• Aims of development education are compatible with
  higher education
• Partnership work expands networks, access to
  sub-networks, resources and opportunities for
  learning
• Critical to development at BU
• developing strong internal external network
• champions to work across boundaries
• institutional support
• linking to Learning and Teaching Strategy
• vision that education can make a difference
• reciprocity in partnership activities

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The policy context supports change but personal
concerns

• The multifaceted nature of the concepts and the
  challenge of definition
• Contradictions and complexity
• Routinisation of L T Instrumental students
  uncomfortable/unfamiliar techniques less
  popular
• The challenge of working across disciplines
• The context of HE complexity and too many
  demands
• Engaging a wider staff base and students
  (particularly UK)
• The business case is important but equally
  important is raising the question about the role
  of HE in society
• The enormity of the agenda
• Looking from the outside in need greater
  collaboration with institutions in the South

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BUTEducation is the most powerful tool we have
to change the world (Nelson Mandela)We need to
persuade others that subjects can be broadened to
include a global dimension, to continue to
explore what it means to adopt a global
perspective and to continue learning to ensure a
sustainable future. No one academic group owns
this agenda collaboratively we can inspire
change! Thank you