Bridging Borders: The Impact of an Internationalized Curriculum

Enhancing Global Perspectives

TPMA’s evaluation revealed several outcomes, including:

Global Awareness: Students from both institutions reported increased cultural awareness, interactions with diverse people, and understanding of globalization’s impact on their lives.

Personal Growth: Students reported a greater understanding of their own cultural beliefs and personal responsibility in a global context.

Global Interest: Both Ivy Tech and IUI students expressed new enthusiasm for world events and cultures, although this increase was less pronounced for following global news.

Additionally, we found that nearly half of IUI students actively pursued global opportunities—such as enrolling in additional international courses—after completing the initial internationalized course. Ivy Tech students were somewhat less inclined to engage in global activities, which may have been influenced by external challenges like work commitments or family responsibilities. Despite a strong interest in study abroad and global careers for students at both institutions, financial barriers and academic plan structures likely limited many students’ ability to choose additional global engagement.

The program demonstrated a particularly significant impact on Black, Hispanic/Latine, and multiracial students, outpacing engagement levels among White and Asian participants. Liberal Arts students emerged as the most engaged, leveraging the flexibility of their programs to explore global activities, while students in more structured fields, such as kinesiology, faced greater choice constraints. Female students consistently reported higher participation than their male counterparts, although the gap narrowed within global course cohorts.