Promise & Peril in the 21st Century Educator Resources

INSTRUCTOR RESOURCES

A complete Instructor Guide is available here including a sample syllabus. A screen-by-screen manual that includes everything students see in the digital platform, including links to OERs and other assigned content, is available for instructors who adopt Global Challenges.  

WHY GLOBAL CHALLENGES?

The world is changing, and this course is designed to help students better understand those changes so that they can participate and help solve complex-problems as a “globally competent citizen”. The study of global issues is more critical than ever now. The decisions that we make in the next few years will determine the collective future of our world. Together we are confronted by complex global challenges that demand interdisciplinary approaches, critical thinking, and innovative solutions. For example, the recent Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the role of networks of scientific experts and the need for effective governance; climate change and other environmental challenges continue to threaten our world; rapid urbanization is changing how people live as they increasingly move to cities; global resources appear to be dwindling; the rise of populism and autocracy threatens democracy around the world; rising income inequality is changing the role of powerful and wealthy corporations and people in society; and human rights continue to be denied in many places. Yet we are living at a time with unprecedented technological advances that have given us powerful tools like CRISPR, and we are learning more from social psychology about how people really behave (hint: it’s not rationally).  These trends certainly present problems or perils; on the other hand, they also provide opportunities or promises for us to bring about changes that will significantly increase the ongoing quality of life around the world.

SUITABLE COURSES

  • First-Year (Disciplinary or Interdisciplinary)

  • General Studies or General Core

  • Honors (with the addition of other activities/research project)

  • Preparation for Study Abroad (e.g., assign students the location where they are going for their project)

  • Senior Capstone (with the addition of other activities/research project)

AN ADAPTIVE LEARNING DESIGN

We leveraged the 10-15 years of work of AASCU Institutions and its Global Engagement Initiative to translate one-on-one conversations with real students by various instructors into the digital platform and student experience. The adaptive lessons are designed to:

  • Elicit normative responses from students to give them an opportunity to reflect on their background knowledge and learning in the course

  • Address common misperceptions that students hold about these global challenges, and specific issues or trends, by providing specific content and interactive screens around them

  • Answer common questions that we have received over the last decade+ of teaching students about global challenges

  • Incorporate different normative views & background experiences, providing students the opportunity to see how global challenges are experienced and viewed differently by people around the world, especially incorporating non-Western views in the curriculum

RELIANCE ON OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER)

Like a traditional textbook, each lesson includes original content alongside Open educational resources (OER) including videos, interactive charts/figures, databases, and more from a variety of non-partisan think tanks, academic databases, international organizations, summaries or peer-reviewed work from different disciplines, and more. A common reading is the National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends report. There are a few subscription-based articles that can be accessed through library or other subscriptions; these include The New York Times, Washington Post, The Economist, and a few more. 

A CRITICAL THINKING FRAMEWORK 

We use the critical thinking framework from the Tennessee Tech Critical-thinking Assessment Test (CAT) Apps (CAT Apps), for which both primary authors received training. Each chapter includes originally designed “CAT Apps” where students are brought through a series of screens that simultaneously teach and assess different dimensions of critical thinking. In addition, there is a standalone lesson at the beginning of the course just on critical thinking, drawing from content from social psychologists such as Daniel Kahneman, philosophers, and more. 

AN EMPHASIS ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Reflecting the mission and goal of AASCU’S American Democracy Project, students are provided a path towards civic and political engagement in this class to apply what they’ve learned about global challenges to actions they might take in their local communities. Relying on an inventory of engagement published by CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, at Tufts University, students assess their own civic engagement and are presented with clear options to make improvements in the future that aligns their personal values, perspectives, and knowledge.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will:

  • Develop critical thinking skills to understand key global challenges, drawing from various disciplines;
  • Analyze the political, economic, social, and/or environmental impacts of key global challenges in different parts of the world;
  • Effectively communicate complex ideas and craft effective arguments in writing for a general audience;
  • Evaluate and begin to create approaches and/or solutions to key global challenges;
  • Build and practice information literacy skills;
  • Develop quantitative literacy skills by drawing on and comparing various public data sources;
  • Develop a sense of global empathy; and
  • Increase their commitment to civic and political engagement.

UNIQUE SCORING SYSTEM 

The automated grading system is tied to Bloom’s Taxonomy and the level of difficulty on each screen. Assessments vary from multiple choice, matching, ranking, calculations, short written responses, and concept maps. Normative values-based questions are scored based on completion (students get the same score regardless of their answer), while objective questions are scored based on how a student responded. This is indicated to students on each screen with a Bloom’s wheel, and by the question itself with normative questions asking students “what they think”. Note: Magazine articles must be manually graded using embedded rubrics that are viewable to students in the platform and used by instructors to send detailed feedback via email.

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE COURSE

The following is a complete list of the lessons that students complete including the point total for each lesson (subject to change with course updates). An updated list is available in the Instructor Resources link posted at the top of the page as well. 

CHAPTER 1 FOUNDATION

Lesson 01 Foundation - Introduction (50 points for completion)*

  • Overview & Reporter Profile
  • Global Citizenship Adaptive Path
  • Global Literacy Test (CFR & National Geographic)
  • A Single Story & Stories From Around the World
  • Media Bias
  • Scholarly versus Popular Sources
  • Study Strategies

Lesson 02 Foundation - Futures Perspectives (50 points for completion)*

  • Future Worries Adaptive Path
  • Futurists
  • Introduction to the National Intelligence Council (NIC) Global Trends Report

Lesson 03 Foundation - Critical Thinking (50 points for completion)*

  • Normative & Empirical Concepts
  • Critical Thinking Self-Evaluation of 12 Skills
  • Fast & Slow Thinking
  • Scientific Method 

Lesson 04 Editor’s Note

Lesson 05 Foundation Article (120 points)

Lesson 06 Editor’s Note 

*Students earn 50 points for completing these lessons to “warm up” to the system and learn the scoring system.

CHAPTER 2 POPULATION

Lesson 01 Editor’s Note

Lesson 02 Population - Introduction (51 points)

  • Demographic and Socioeconomic Information, Data, & Trends in the U.S.
  • Introduction to Global Health
  • NIC Global Trends Paradox of Progress: “People” 

Lesson 03 Population - Growth (25 points)

  • Empirical Data
  • Consequences
  • Solutions 

Lesson 04 Population - Health (70 points)

  • Demographic Transitions & Implications
  • Public Health
  • Spotlight Case: Covid-19
  • Policy Solutions

Lesson 05 Population - Migration (70 points)

  • Normative Views
  • Migration Trends
  • Refugees
  • Spotlight Case: Syrian Refugee Crisis

Lesson 06 Population - Urbanization (68 points)

  • Growth of Cities
  • Promises & Perils
  • Urban Planning
  • Spotlight Case: New Orleans

Lesson 07 Population Article (120 points)

Lesson 08 Editor’s Note & Instructions for a Peer Comment (20 points) 

CHAPTER 3 RESOURCES

Lesson 01 Editor’s Note

Lesson 02 Resources - Introduction (66 points)

  • Connections Between Population & Resources
  • Collective Action Problems:Tragedy of the Commons, Policy Solutions, Freeriding, and Lowest Common Denominator
  • Empirical Data and Normative Dimensions of Future Perspectives for Resources
  • NIC Global Trends

Lesson 03 Resources - Food (46 points)

  • Empirical Data
  • Collective Action
  • Normative Issues

Lesson 04 Resources - Water (61 points)

  • Empirical Data
  • Daily Usage
  • Water Sanitation
  • Spotlight Case: Flint, Michigan

Lesson 05 Resources - Energy (36 points)

  • Access to Modern Energy
  • Global Energy Production
  • Sustainable Energy
  • Spotlight Case: Fracking in the U.S.

Lesson 06 Resources - Climate Change (48 points)

  • Empirical data on a Warming Planet
  • Impacts of Climate Change
  • Solutions & Normative Views

Lesson 07 Resources Article (120 points)

Lesson 08 Editor’s Note & Instructions for a Peer Comment (20 points)

Chapter 4 TECHNOLOGY

Lesson 01 Editor’s Note

Lesson 02 Technology - Introduction (76 points)

  • Promises & Limits of Technology to Solve Big Problems
  • Funding, Public Private Partnerships, Innovation, and Research and Development
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • Humanities and Diversity in Technology Today
  • NIC Global Trends

Lesson 03 Technology - Biotechnology (53 points)

  • Genetics
  • Epigenetics
  • Bioengineering
  • Spotlight Case: CRISPR

Lesson 04 Technology - Computation (71 points)

  • Computing speed
  • Big Data
  • Machine Learning
  • AI & Transhumanism

Lesson 05 Technology Article (120 points)

Lesson 06 Editor’s Note & Instructions for a Peer Comment (20 points)

**CHAPTER 5 INFORMATION**

Lesson 01 Editor’s Note

Lesson 02 Information - Introduction (37 points)

  • CARS Checklist
  • Digital Literacy: “Four Habits and a Move” Video Series
  • Fast & Slow Thinking
  • Privacy & Ownership
  • NIC Global Trends Paradox of Progress: “Converging Trends Will Transform Power and Politics” and “Competing Silos of Information”

Lesson 03 Information - Media and Social Networking (78 points)

  • News, Information Bubbles, & Fake News
  • Spotlight Case: Social Media & Democracy
  • Other Social Media Applications

Lesson 04 Information - Access and Education (43 points)

  • Digital Divide
  • Education
  • Censorship

Lesson 05 Information Article (120 points)

Lesson 06 Editor’s Note & Instructions for a Peer Comment (20 points)

Chapter 6 ECONOMIES

Lesson 01 Editor’s Note

Lesson 02 Economies - Introduction (50 points)

  • Check-in & Reminders: Study Strategies and Accessing Links in the Course
  • Globalization: Definition, Costs and Benefits, Supply Chain
  • Creativity, Innovation, Automation, and Technology
  • NIC Global Trends

Lesson 03 Economies - Key Players (73 points)

  • Governments
  • Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
  • People
  • Spotlight Case: Fast Fashion

Lesson 04 Economies - Crises (36 points)

  • Causes
  • Aftermath

Lesson 05 Economies - Poverty & Inequality (53 points)

  • Measuring Poverty & Inequality
  • Impact of Being Poor
  • Solutions & Cautionary Tales

Lesson 06 Economies Article (120 points)

Lesson 07 Editor’s Note & Instructions for a Peer Comment (20 points)

Chapter 7 CONFLICT

Lesson 01 Editor’s Note

Lesson 02 Conflict - Introduction (39 points)

  • Defining Conflict: Nonviolent and Violent
  • Measuring Armed Conflict Over Time: Frequency and Intensity
  • Changing Nature of Conflict
  • NIC Global Trends

Lesson 03 Conflict - Why We Fight (91 points)

  • Deciding to Fight
  • Causes of Conflict
  • Cases: Syria, Israel & Palestine, South Sudan, Rise of ISIS/ISIL, China Sea

Lesson 04 Conflict - How We Fight (72 points)

  • Violence Against Civilians
  • WMDs
  • Cyberwarfare & AI
  • After War

Lesson 05 Conflict Article (120 points)

Lesson 06 Editor’s Note & Instructions for a Peer Comment (20 points)

Chapter 8 GOVERNANCE

Lesson 01 Editor’s Note

Lesson 02 Governance - Introduction (47 points)

  • Government in Your Life: Politics, Trust, and Street Level Bureaucrats 
  • Governance and Global Challenges 
  • Principles of Governance: Decision Making in Government, Stakeholders, & Expertise
  • NIC Global Trends

Lesson 03 Governance - Countries and Citizens (49 points)

  • Democracy in Crisis
  • Human Rights
  • Women in Power

Lesson 04 Governance - Global Governance (60 points)

  • Multilateralism
  • Global Public Goods
  • Civil Society
  • Spotlight Case: Paris Agreement

Lesson 05 Governance Article (120 points)

Lesson 06 Editor’s Note & Instructions for a Peer Comment (20 points)

Chapter 9 CITIZENSHIP & SUMMARY

Lesson 01 Editor’s Note

Lesson 02 Citizenship - Introduction (61 points)

  • Factfulness
  • Critical Thinking & Global Literacy Check
  • What You Care about: Issues
  • Shaping the Future: Goals, Targets, Outcomes
  • What You Care about: Values

  • NIC Global Trends

Lesson 03 Citizenship - Enacting Change (45 points)

  • Overview of Change
  • Civic and Political Engagement (Tufts CIRCLE Engagement Survey)
  • Activism, Protests, and Slacktivism
  • Spotlight Case: Protests in the U.S.
  • Community Involvement

Lesson 04 Citizenship Article (120 points)

Lesson 05 Editor’s Note & Instructions for a Peer Comment (20 points)

Course Description