ABOUT THE GUIDE

This online faculty development resource takes a reflective and strengths-based approach to pedagogy for today’s globally diverse classrooms. It encourages GW faculty to reorient their practice and their thinking, promoting faculty empowerment in an increasingly diversifying higher educational context and working to offset deficit discourses. It emerged out of the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program, housed in the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences at the George Washington University, drawing on the unique interdisciplinary and pedagogical expertise of its faculty and the program’s commitment to supporting and valuing international students in our campus community.

Most of the information in this resource targets international students who speak English as a second or additional language, sometimes referred to as second language (L2) students, multilingual students, or culturally and linguistically diverse students. Though it’s common to refer to them as “international students,” it is important to note this is not a monolithic group. International students at GW come from a variety of linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds—even if they hail from the same country. Keeping this diversity in mind helps us guard against making sweeping generalizations or assuming that we ”know” our students simply by knowing which country they come from or which language they speak.

You can take a deep dive into specific aspects of this resource or grab what you need at critical moments. We hope you will use this guide to:

• better understand GW international students and empower them for success
• address specific areas of concern in teaching international students
• experiment with new teaching techniques and innovate your curriculum
• engage in faculty professional development
• learn about GW support resources

This faculty resource is a work in progress, and we'd love your input. Feel free to share resources, ideas, questions, or concerns with EAP at eapgwu@gwu.edu.