Jessica Gisclair, Bill Burress present workshop on global competency in the digital age

Joined by Elon alumna Daniela Ceron ’18, the Elon University colleagues co-led a May 30 workshop, examining teaching modules that explore global competence through the use of traditional and digital media in and out of the classroom.

Jessica Gisclair, associate professor and department chair in the School of Communications, Bill Burress, associate director of study abroad, Elon alumna Daniela Ceron ’18 and Oscar Ceballos, academic director of CIEE Seville, presented a May 30 workshop at the 2018 NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo in Philadelphia.

Jessica Gisclair and Bill Burress
The annual event was hosted by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange working to advance policies and practices that ensure a more interconnected, peaceful world today and for generations to come.

The four collaborators led an hourlong workshop, titled “Global Competence and Disruptive Narratives in the Digital Age,” examining teaching modules that explore global competence through the use of traditional and digital media in and out of the classroom.

“The workshop on disruptive narratives grew out of my experience last summer with CIEE’s International Faculty Development Seminar (IFDS) where I learned to stretch my boundaries and consider narrative skills for multiplatform media,” Gisclair said. “My colleagues and I developed the workshop to explore ways international educators and administrators could engage students with their host communities.”

Workshop attendees learned how to intentionally integrate digital technology into students’ experiences to create a sense of belonging and a personal relationship with their environment. 

Gisclair said the workshop gave her an opportunity to share what she learned through CIEE’s IFDS with other international educators and administrators to enhance the study abroad students’ involvement with their host communities. “The workshop’s goal was to encourage the transformation of the study abroad student from someone who fits in through cultural immersion to someone who critically engages with the environment through the use of digital tools,” she said. 

Elon University is a CIEE Academic Consortium member institution that strongly encourages global engagement for students and faculty members.