Enhancing Student Understanding of Self and Leadership Through Global Experiences: A Constructivist Case Study

• In Event: Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: Postsecondary Institutions’ Role in Developing Global Citizens: U.S. and International Student Skill Development

Abstract

The University of Maryland’s Department of Resident Life offered several Global Experiences with focuses in service and leadership designed for student leaders and student staff. In order to determine the effectiveness of these experiences, we conducted a constructivist multi-site case study to understand how student staff and leaders made meaning of and learned from their global learning experiences. This paper details our findings related to learning opportunities, understanding of self, and leadership from the perspective of student participants. We close by providing recommendations for other student affairs departments who are considering creating Global Experiences with focuses in service and leadership.

Authors

• Jason C. Garvey, The University of Alabama

• Laura Elizabeth Matsumoto Vega, University of Maryland

• Joann Prosser, University of Maryland