Following the success of last year’s Science & Internationalization Symposium, the Office of the Associate Vice-President International is offering the York community another opportunity to showcase its internationalization initiatives and engage in dialogue on one of the many multidisciplinary perspectives on internationalization.
On Nov. 4 & 5, York faculty and staff from all faculties and disciplines are invited to attend the Experiential Education & Internationalization Symposium which will take place in the Seymour Schulich Building, room W152.
Right: Keynote speaker Josef Mestenhauser, University of Minnesota
Experiential Education is a pedagogy that engages students in a deliberate learning process – in the words of American educational theorist and thinker John Dewey, “All genuine education comes about through experience.” Student learning experiences such as those produced through experiential education are key to the ‘internationalization’ of academic institutions – that is, the integration of international content, perspectives and activities into all aspects of university life.
This symposium will stimulate dialogue on the interconnectedness between the theory and practice of international education and experiential education, the principles of good practice in international experiential education, and the useful tools of international and experiential learning and practice. It will identify some of the opportunities for and challenges to integrating international experiential education approaches into academic disciplines and curricula.
Speakers include York faculty and staff as well as guests from other renowned international experiential education programs, such as the University of Victoria’s International Cooperative Program that recently won a Scotiabank-AUCC Award for Excellence in Internationalization (as did York’s Glendon College), and Renaissance College’s Interdisciplinary Leadership Program at the University of New Brunswick, the only undergraduate degree program of its kind. As well, distinguished international educator Josef A. Mestenhauser, from the University of Minnesota, will give the keynote address.
Student perspectives will be an important element of the symposium with York’s first group of international internship students making formal presentations. Registration begins at 9:30am, the opening session starts at 9:45am. Sheila Embleton,York vice-president academic, will formally welcome the guest speakers on Thursday, Nov. 4 during the 1:30pm session.
There is no cost to attend the conference, but prior registration is required. Full program details and the registration form are available online at the Experiential Education & Internationalization Symposium Web site or e-mail roopat@yorku.ca.