Abstract:

Open Society University Network (OSUN) is a global partnership of institutions united by the mission to provide access to affordable global learning experiences in the social sciences, arts and humanities to students from different geographies and academic backgrounds. Students range from undergraduate to graduate students, refugee learners and students displaced by war or living in conflict zones. The network leverages resources to support institutions in need and also provides teaching opportunities to scholars in exile.

Central to the network’s core activities are the OSUN courses. These courses expose students to diverse perspectives through a wide range of cross-network readings, assignments, activities, and events. Network courses advance students’ understanding of discipline-specific and global issues within a local and international context. Students can register for two types of OSUN Courses. An OSUN Online Course is a single course offered at one institution that is taught fully online in a synchronous format and enrolls students from multiple OSUN campuses. Network Collaborative Courses are co-designed and taught simultaneously across partner institutions. The courses are project-based and many integrate civic engagement in the course activities.

This presentation will introduce the audience to the OSUN Network and its curriculum. The speakers will:
1. highlight the key factors that inform the development of OSUN’s curriculum and the course curation process,
2. illustrate the core principles of the networked course design and ways in which diversity and equity is ensured in the global classroom, and
3. provide insight into the systems of support in place designed to strengthen the curriculum and foster the development of the courses.

Session learning objectives:
Participants (administrators and faculty) will be able to apply the shared information to their own work and be able to:
Describe the Open Society University Network’s work in global education.
Describe the OSUN course model of online and networked global learning experience.
Describe OSUN’s criteria and processes of course and curriculum development
Describe OSUN’s core program activities designed to strengthen the curriculum and the courses

Keywords:

Global learning, curriculum development, course development, networked learning, networked courses, core curriculum, course design, pedagogy, enhanced learning.