Global Teaching and Learning Grant to enhance aviation study abroad opportunities
The Ohio State University Office of International Affairs and the Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures announced seven recipients of the inaugural Global Teaching and Learning Grant for virtual education and cultural exchanges at Ohio State. Awardees included Matt Dreher, program manager of the Center for Aviation Studies.
The grant strives to develop global competency and provide opportunities for international learning experiences in an online setting, allowing participants to understand and collaborate with diverse cultures at Ohio State and around the world. Grant application is open to faculty and staff across the university.
Dreher’s proposed project is Collaborative Aviation Learning through Internationally Integrated Classwork.
“In partnership with Mae Fah Luang University (Thailand) and Seneca College (Canada), the initiative aims to provide students with the opportunity to interact with their peers from culturally and geographically disparate regions of the world while collaborating on a project connected to their area of study,” said Dreher.
Furthermore, he described that virtual programs decrease barriers to receiving a global education, accommodating students without financial means and flexible course schedules necessary for traditional education abroad programs.
Dreher proposed his program with the hopes of expanding the aviation studies’ international cultural courses, in order to expose students to other cultures and backgrounds to improve their abilities to collaborate and solve complex problems.
“Regardless of what a student’s financial background or situation is, we want to make sure that when they leave Ohio State and they go in to the working world, into the industry, that they’re prepared to interact in a conscientious and self-aware manner with people from around the world,” he shared.
The course will first be offered in autumn 2022. It builds on the existing Aviation Study Abroad course, “International Perspectives on Aviation,” which allows students to visit locations abroad relevant to the field of aviation. Due to the pandemic, the program, which launched in January 2021, was virtual this year.
Students interested in learning more about either of the aviation study abroad opportunities should email aviation@osu.edu.
Original story appeared on the Office of International Affairs website.
