Globally networked learning (GNL) refers to an approach to research, learning, and teaching that enables students, faculty, and non-academic researchers from different locations around the world to participate in, and collaborate on, knowledge-making processes and concrete research projects. With the aid of various forms of technology - including but not limited to, learning management systems, video conferencing software and hardware, cloud computing and social media - they are brought together in a consortium to collaborate on projects that bring together the diverse perspectives of participants to produce a richer, more nuanced, understanding of the issue(s) at hand. A GNL project might entail or produce cross-cultural discussion on a particular course concept, a joint lecture over multiple time zones, a shared assignment, or a collaborative research project, among other possibilities. The promise of GNL lies in its facilitation, and institutionalization, of these new and creative forms of knowledge-making across cultures. The GNL Project at York was conceptualized by Robin Roth, professor in geography and is funded by the Academic Innovation Fund (AIF). Speaking of the vision of GNL, Dominique Scheffel-Dunand, the current GNL Project Lead, she says, “The GNL project at York is currently an autonomous zone bringing Faculty and students together to imagine and experiment with the idea of “global thinking” as a critical skill to acquire to work in globally networked working environments. GNL can create rich cultural connections by designing a learning environment that engages students locally and internationally in conversations with the goal of advancing collaboratively the latest thinking on global issues.”
For more information, please visit: http://gnl.info.yorku.ca/
