Degree Name

MA in International Education

First Advisor

Linda Drake Gobbo

Abstract

While the concept of delivering global education has become a popular trend among American universities and colleges, American secondary schools, particularly independent schools, are also making global educational opportunities available to their students. Vermont Academy, a 141-year-old independent, coeducational, college preparatory and boarding high school in Saxtons River, Vermont, does not have a formal, comprehensive and well-articulated internationalization plan even though various international components have been existing on campus for years. The International Student Program, trimester abroad programs and several global partnerships are some examples of the current internationalization initiatives at Vermont Academy.

The American Council on Education’s CIGE Center for Internationalization and Global Engagement (CIGE) Model for Comprehensive Internationalization serves as a guideline to both secondary and higher educations in the U.S. The model has six components, including articulated institutional commitment; administrative leadership, structure, and staffing; curriculum, cocurriculum, and planning outcomes; faculty policies and practices; student mobility; and collaboration and partnerships (American Council on Education, 2016). This Capstone’s goal is to use the CIGE Model for Comprehensive Internationalization as a main guideline to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of VA’s current state of internationalization. The Capstone recognizes the existence of several internationalization components such as student mobility, international student support and established global partnerships at VA. Meanwhile, it recommends that Vermont Academy should include more global commitment into its mission statement; create a global academic curriculum; continue to support and refine its existing trimester-abroad programs; support faculty-student collaboration on short-term global travel; promote more diversity among the faculty and students; and develop alternative funding sources to support future internationalization efforts. These recommendations would help further internationalizes VA in order to educate students with global competency that suits the needs and challenges presented in the 21st Century.

Disciplines

Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods

Download

Share

 
COinS