ABSTRACT

Literally as well as metaphorically, the man accustomed to inverting lenses has undergone a revolutionary transformation of vision.

Thomas Kuhn (1970)

The student voice as a reflection of internationalization efforts on our campuses around the globe is the focal point of this chapter. While internationalization begins with the institutional vision and mission, it combines curricular reform, faculty development, international student recruitment, study abroad and of course student and faculty exchanges in support of learning abroad, with systematic assessment as an integral part of all of these efforts. The product of this considerable institutional investment must be a globally engaged student on the road to develop into a global citizen, empowered by high-impact learning. It is encouraging that the long overdue support from the academy, as well as the testimony of leading executives is finally assisting the efforts on our campuses to involve our students and faculty in global and intercultural learning. In addition, data from sources like NSSE (National Survey on Student Engagement, 2007) support what international educators have of course known anecdotally, namely that it is the experiential aspects of the college years which impact students more than any other tertiary pedagogical experience, with one of these critical high-impact learning experiences being study abroad.