Bridging the Gap Between DEI and Global Learning Outcomes

On many U.S. campuses, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are often separate from global learning efforts—driven by unique missions and goals, centered around distinct courses and programming, and overseen by separate staff. It is rare to find collaboration between the two entities, say experts.

DEI principles are typically domestically focused and usually revolve around social constructs such as racism, sexism, personal backgrounds and biases, and other individual factors. They center on how individuals relate to and understand one another, as well as the world around them. While global learning also encompasses those perspectives, it approaches them through a framework of intercultural communication, language, and culture from the perspective of a nation’s norms.

“Fundamentally, both of those activities are about understanding the self in relationship to the other,” says David Wick, associate professor and program chair for international education management at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. “In one case, we may begin with the lens of nation and culture, or global learning. And in the other case—diversity equity, and inclusion—the lens we often look through is that of social identity and the systems around us … They are quite naturally and essentially connected. We cannot advance one effectively without also working to advance the other.”

“Fundamentally, both of those activities are about understanding the self in relationship to the other. … They are quite naturally and essentially connected. We cannot advance one effectively without also working to advance the other.” —David Wick

Practically speaking, says Wick, both DEI and