Curricular Infusion encourages educators to move beyond simply transmitting knowledge and content, inviting them to engage with broader dimensions of teaching and learning that support meaningful global engagement. This approach positions curriculum and pedagogy within a decolonizing framework—one that challenges dominant narratives and actively centers diversity and equity in course rationales, structures, and strategies. The goal is to cultivate a holistic, inclusive, and critically engaged global learning experience that prepares students to contribute equitably to both local and global communities.
This approach is grounded in a holistic framework designed to support the creation of learning outcomes that reflect the multidimensional nature of global engagement. The framework features six interconnected dimensions that guide the development of learning goals and experiences through authentic global learning, emphasizing the real-world implications of student learning.
To help educators navigate the process of curricular infusion, the structured steps below provide guidance for designing globally engaged curriculum—beginning with the clear articulation of learning outcomes.
Step 1: Explore the Holistic Framework for Practice
Dive deeper into each dimension of the holistic framework. As you explore, consider which dimension(s) align most closely with your course goals and objectives and how they can support the meaningful, authentic integration of global engagement into your curriculum.
Step 2: Decide on the Dimension(s) to Focus on
Select the dimension(s) you would like to focus on as you develop your learning outcomes. Use the guiding questions and suggested action verbs to support your process, and refer to the example learning outcomes for additional inspiration.
Foundational Knowledge
- What content (e.g., formulae, theories, concepts, principles, etc.) is important for students to understand and build upon?
- What ideas and/or knowledge should students construct?
- What are the opportunities in this course for students to challenge:
- what constitutes knowledge?
- whose knowledges are privileged?
- What are the opportunities for students to unlearn their biases and/or what they consider normative or universal in the subject, discipline and in process of learning?
associate, compare, contrast, describe, define, discuss, explain, express, identify, illustrate, indicate, list, match, name, outline, paraphrase, recite, recognize, recall, state
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- describe the three primary objectives of the UN and their associated institutional bodies.
- develop a critical understanding of two major tensions associated with the socio-political and economic structures of the UN: statism versus globalism and power versus representation. 
- explain key theoretical approaches and concepts in the field of Black Environmentalism and Ecologies.
- describe the components of the four blocks of information systems (digital technologies, processes, data, and people).
Caring
- What new values, interests, and perspectives would you hope students to gain in this course through the lens of Indigenization, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Anti-Racism, and Accessibility (I-EDIAA)?
- What changes would you like to see in students’ attitudes, beliefs, and/or worldviews?
- How would you help students:
- develop mutual respect, reciprocity, and trust?
- value diversity (i.e., in individuals and their cultures)?
- What are the opportunities for students to explore and reflect on their social role, responsibility, and ethics in the subject/discipline/profession?
assess, change, choose, compare, critique, develop, discover, explore, evaluate, identify, interpret, justify, modify, recognize, reflect, renew, revise
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- reflect and compare their personal beliefs and values in ethical responsibilities as mining engineers before and after learning principles of project planning.
- reflect upon changes in their understanding of global politics and your responsibility for a sustainable world as a result of learning and simulated experiences.
- reflect on how the histories and lived experiences of black communities in the global south have been shaped by the processes of racism, colonialism, and uneven global development.
- compare how culture informs one's values and beliefs on issues of environmental injustice and anti-black racism prior to and after this course.
Human Dimension
- What should students learn about themselves in terms of:
- positionality in learning?
- personal bias and privilege?
- What should students learn about others (i.e., instructor, TAs, peers, the university, local & global communities)?
- What should students learn about effectively collaborating with others?
- What new values, interests, and perspectives would you hope students gain?
assess, identify, share, collaborate, compare, discover, examine, explain, explore, evaluate, initiate, interact, lead, model, negotiate, reflect
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- reflect on their own attitudes and practices around death and dying and compare them with attitudes and practices of a peer from a different cultural/ethnic background.
- reflect upon their own positionality in relationship to various competing responses to the core tensions at the UN.
- identify their own relationships to power, and privilege within their personal and professional interactions to commit to equity-related principles, e.g., anti-black racism.
- reflect on how learning digital tools and diverse business processes throughout the course has helped one develop confidence for future careers.
Integration
- What connections should students make between ideas and knowledge:
- within the course?
- in this course and those in other courses in/out of the discipline?
- in the course and the student's personal, social, professional, and other realms of life?
- What different knowledges and ways of knowing should students be engaged in?
attach, associate, blend, collect, combine, compare, connect, contrast, coordinate, describe, differentiate, establish, explain, integrate, intermix, link, paraphrase, relate, select, summarize
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- connect personal learning and experience with that of their peers through collaborative group work and peer assessment.
- describe the relationship between race, colonialism, capitalism, and how it leads to the inequitable distributions of environmental harms and/or externalities on communities of colour.
- explain how these four components (digital technologies, processes, data, and people) are integrated into the digital strategy in organizations.
- compare different business processes and technological capabilities by exploring digital strategies in both local and global organizations.
Competence (Learning How to Learn)
- What should students learn about how to:
- successfully navigate this course (i.e., understanding the specific academic context, clarifying assignment requirements, including regulations of academic integrity)?
- effectively engage in (learning) the subject (i.e., developing a learning agenda, practicing self-assessment)?
- What essential skills, competence, and/or ways of thinking do students need to develop and practise in this course, subject field, and discipline?
- critical thinking: analyze and evaluate
- creative thinking: imagine and create
- practical thinking: make decisions and solve problems
- other ways of thinking
- How to effectively involve students in:
- research-focused and/or practice-oriented learning (i.e., learning through inquiry)?
- diverse teaching and learning approaches (i.e., understanding the value of active learning)?
create a learning plan, develop a timeline, develop skills in, document, formulate, identify needs, identify resources, inquire, frame questions, plan, practise, research, self-assess, set a goal, schedule
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- document personal learning experienced through the course to enhance depth and breadth of understanding of concepts in human health and infectious disease.
- develop skills in critical thinking, research and communication, public speaking, and collaboration in relation to global governance and policy negotiation.
- practise effective time management techniques to improve concentration and productivity.
- develop skills in time management and self-assessment to enhance learning experience.
Application
- What essential skills, competencies, and/or ways of thinking (critical, creative, practical thinking, etc.) do students need to demonstrate to manage projects as future professionals in the discipline?
- What real-world situations or scenarios can students address or tackle using what they gained in this course (i.e., knowledge, perspectives, and skills)?
apply, analyze, assess, calculate, complete, construct, create, communicate, demonstrate, design, develop, employ, estimate, generate, implement, interpret, manage, produce, resolve, solve
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- demonstrate critical thinking, research, and public speaking skills through a simulated negotiation of a current global issue.
- communicate a key concept from the course (i.e., environmental racism) in plain language format to a non-academic audience.
- analyze how technology influences a specific organization’s digital strategy to produce business value.
- evaluate business processes and data in organizations using industry recognized tools such as BPMN, Excel, and ERP.
Step 3: Develop Learning Outcomes and Ensure Alignment with Assessment
After exploring the holistic framework and familiarizing yourself with its dimensions, you can begin crafting your own learning outcomes. The Developing Globally Engaged Learning Outcomes (Word, 78KB) worksheet is created to guide you through the process.
Please keep in mind the principle of constructive alignment, ensuring that your learning outcomes, teaching strategies, and assessments are intentionally aligned. This alignment is essential for creating a coherent and impactful learning experience. The Learning Outcomes and Assessment Alignment (Word, 81KB) worksheet is designed to help guide you through this process.
As you work through these resources, consider reviewing exemplar courses from a variety of disciplines. These examples offer both inspiration and practical insights into how global engagement has been successfully integrated across different curricular contexts.
Each exemplar course showcases innovative approaches to global engagement in teaching and learning. For every course, you can:
- Review or download the syllabus
- Read the instructor’s reflections on reorienting their course for global engagement
- Explore visual graphics that highlight key elements such as learning outcomes, assessment alignment, curriculum mapping, and connections to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Developing Global Engaged Curriculum. Centre for Teaching and Learning, Queen’s University