Study Abroad Week Webinar Highlights Office of International Programs Initiative

As part of Study Abroad Week 2021, the Office of Education Abroad was pleased to host two representatives from Customized Educational Programs Abroad (CEPA) for a faculty webinar. CEPA is a third-party provider that designs programming in Europe and other locations around the world. OEA has worked with CEPA in the past for faculty-led programs and physical student mobility, but the focus of this workshop was a new initiative sponsored by the Office of International Programs and administered through the Office of Global Education and Engagement: Globally Networked Learning, also known as GNL.

GNL is a collaborative approach to research and teaching that enables students, instructors, and researchers from different locations around the world to participate in learning and knowledge creation together. This can include activities such as cross-cultural discussion through a collaborative task, research projects, student conferences, internships, cultural activities, and more. Although the main focus of the GNL initiative at UNC Charlotte is the class to class model, a sustained collaboration between a UNC Charlotte faculty member and an overseas partner, faculty are also able to incorporate individual virtual events or activities into their courses, either in lieu of or as a complement to physical study abroad.

As a program provider, CEPA can play an important role in helping connect faculty with overseas programming opportunities to enhance their on-campus courses, regardless of whether or not those courses are connected with a study abroad program.

Watch the webinar and learn more about GNL, CEPA, and how they can connect to physical study abroad!

Want to learn more about Globally Networked Learning?

Faculty interested in learning about GNL are invited to join Joseph Hoff, Ph.D., director of the Office of Global Education and Engagement, at a GNL Information Session on March 19, 2021 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM. Follow these steps to sign up and propose your own GNL course for fall 2021:

1. Submit the Expression of Interest Form by 5:00 PM on Thursday, March 18

2. Attend the GNL Information Session

3. Complete the asynchronous GNL Canvas training course between March 22 and 26

4. Submit your proposal by 5:00 PM on Friday, April 2, 2021

Successful faculty proposals will receive a stipend of up to $2,000 in addition to program development support from the Office of Global Education and Engagement and the Center for Teaching and Learning.