Global Challenges - For Faculty
What constitutes a Global Challenges course in the Crossings curriculum?
Faculty who are interested in learning more about adapting or designing a course to fulfill the Global Challenges student learning outcome area should review the following.
Step 1. Learn.
It covers the topics of: 1.) transitioning a course, 2.) what is a challenge?, 3.) opportunities for engaged learning, 4.) course sequencing and interdisciplinarity, 5.) assignments, and 6.) course design wrap-up and next steps.
The faculty development page is a necessary first step to any adaptation/redesign or to preparing to submit a course for review via Curriculog.
Step 2. Reflect & Provide Feedback.
Provide us with what you are thinking after you worked through the faculty development page. The feedback form is at the end of the page, and it allows you to indicate confidence level and areas where additional professional/teaching development are needed.
The form goes to a faculty development team from OTEI and the Division of Undergraduate Studies. (It's okay to skip this step, but sharing where you are helps us to get back in touch with you to address needs and concens!)
Step 3. Gather, Workshop, and Design.
Gather your syllabus and assignment instructions for students in the course you have identified to transition for the Global Challenges learning outcome area. Are you working on a new course? That’s okay too! Gather whatever ideas or materials you may have.
Please prepare an updated syllabus, where the Global Challenges learning outcomes are clearly integrated into the course, the signature assignment is apparent, and where there is a topical or by-week outline of what the course will cover. Please read the Course Review page on the Crossings curriculum website and the Guidance for Global Challenges course pdf that tells you exactly what should be included.
Email OTEI (otei@clemson.edu) if you would like a consultation or review of ideas.
Step 4. Submit.
Submit the course for Global Challenges review using the “Gen Ed Course Review” form in Curriculog. As always, be sure to use the Curriculog Guidelines document for instructions.
Other Resources.
As Global Challenges courses are approved, example materials will be shared. Click here for the Box folder: Global Challenges Courses Open Resources Folder. (Clemson credentials required.)
How will courses fulfill the new Global Challenges requirement?
We have created a “catalog-level” (i.e. – course-level) attribute of GLCH in Banner. This attribute will be attached to all courses that can be used to fulfill Global Challenges curricular requirements.
Process:
- Approval goes from General Education Committee to Undergraduate Curriculum Committee using the "Gen Ed Course Review" form in Curriculog. (See Course Review page.)
- The catalog editor will be able to attach a GLCH Banner attribute to courses that are approved to meet the requirement.
- General education curricular changes are program changes (not course changes), so need to meet December catalog deadlines for the next academic year.
Faculty submitting courses for review should work through the resources and steps available on the text above.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How many hours should Global Challenges courses be?
This is flexible! The General Education Committee and Undergraduate Curriculum Committee have approved the language that the general education/Crossings curriculum must have students completing a minimum of 6 credit hours in Global Challenges courses, selected from two different fields (unless interdisciplinary) and at least three hours are at the 3000-level or above.
We do not expect that all students take two 3-hour courses in Global Challenges. A range of course hours could be appropriate, including a number of 1-hour engaged learning courses (such as Creative Inquiry).
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Do Global Challenges courses have to be open to everyone?
No. Pre-requisites are allowed. However, please consider scope and whether restrictions are necessary as part of the course design/redesign process. We want our students to have as much flexibility and possibility to engage as we can afford them through careful curricular design.
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What is the scope of a global challenge?
Your colleagues asissting with design, curriculum development, and approval do not want to limit faculty innovation or student intellectual engagement through any specific limitations on the scope or topic of Global Challenges courses. Some Global Challenges courses may address broad issues ("how do humans interact with technology?") and some may address more narrow issues ("how can we improve the American election system with technological advancements?"). The What Is a "Global Challenges" Course in the Clemson General Education Curriculum linked above as Step 1 will be helpful to you.
It is very important that a course proposer/instructor articulates the scope, context, topic, and/or lens of a global challenge in completing the Curriculog Gen Ed Course Review Form and in creating a syllabus. The textboxes in the form help to explain a course to one's peer colleagues, and the syllabus and signature assignment attachments help to explain a course to one's students. Both are necessary. As we have Global Challenges courses reviewed and approved, we will share promising ideas and practices as examples. (See also Global Challenges Courses Open Resources Folder.)
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How will Global Challenges courses be identified?
The full course list will be in the General Education section of the undergraduate catalog, published each year (catalog.clemson.edu). We also have a "GLCH" degree program attribute in Banner that tags each Global Challenges course.
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What is meant by different fields for Global Challenges courses?
The Global Challenges section in the catalog states: "Global Challenges credit hours must be selected from two different fields unless identified below as interdisciplinary. At least three credit hours must be selected from a course(s) at the 3000-level or higher." To discriminate between the two different fields, we use Clemson's course codes. Courses are considered interdisciplinary if they have an interdisciplinary CIP (classification of instructional programs) code according to the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics), which Clemson uses for every course code.
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How much of a course's content should cover a global challenge or use a global challenge lens?
The guidance document for Global Chalenges indicates that at least 25% of the course content should be connected to the global challenge(s), clear in the topical or by-weekly outline.
Assessment
Information on assessment for the Crossings curriculum
Course Review
Information on course review for the Crossings curriculum
