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Universitas 21 awarded the U21 Award 2022 to the GSL Classroom program, which offers internationalization options without leaving home.
This article was first published on CONECTA.
Global Shared Learning Classroom (GSL Classroom), the Tec de Monterrey initiative that promotes international experiences in remote format, has been recognized by Universitas 21. “Receiving the U21 Award 2022 proves that the GSL Classroom initiative is highly innovative among foreign universities. It recognizes its positive impact on the Tec students and the partner universities,” said José Manuel Páez, Vice-Rector for Internationalization, speaking from the University of Birmingham, where the award was received.
The international organization recognized Tec and the team of people responsible for developing this program in which students from Tec and international universities participate. The award noted the initiative’s high scalability. “It is part of the DNA of Tec that we work as a team, and the achievements we have are due to knowing how to combine talents,” shared Patricia Montaño, Director of Innovation and International Networks.
Universitas 21 is a network of 28 international universities that, according to its website, “share the common value of collaboration and internationalization.” Some educational institutions comprising Universitas 21 are universities such as the University of California, Davis, The University of Melbourne, the Pontifical University of Chile, and Tecnológico de Monterrey.
The U21 Award recognizes the scalability of GSL Classroom
According to its official website, the U21 Awards recognize, celebrate, and disseminate the achievements of individuals or teams working to strengthen the internationalization network.
Patricia Montaño explained that the GSL Classroom is recognized for the scalability of the initiative that offers international experience programs without traveling. The program has impacted nine thousand students enrolled in Tec de Monterrey and partner universities. The GSL Classroom initiative has also created a community of 300 teachers from 30 countries participating in the program. Professors not only teach classes but also promote research and publication together.
The Tec Vice-Rectory of Internationalization team that received the recognition includes:
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Gisselle Morales – Director of Global Shared Learning
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Gloria Alicia Chapa – International Programs Specialist
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Rosa Gabriela Méndez – International Programs Specialist
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Ricardo Lyle – International Programs Specialist
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Marlene del Toro – Specialist in Online Internationalization
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Karen Margarita Álvarez – Online Internationalization Specialist
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Arturo de León – Specialist in Online Internationalization
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Gabriela María Salazar – Specialist in Online Internationalization
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Laura Monserrat Balandrano Uresti – Online Internationalization Specialist
Tec’s Director of Innovation and International Networks shared that the nomination process is for organization members. Recognition starts from a nomination. “We applied because we recognized the work we are doing and because partner universities, such as UC Davis, suggested that we put forward our work,” Montaño said. Tec’s international partner institutions have been surprised at the university’s ability to implement GSL Classroom and replicate it and benefit thousands of students quickly.
Montaño recalled that before the COVID-19 pandemic, Tec was seeking alternatives to offer internationalization options to students who could not travel, either due to economic or personal issues. She said that the pandemic accelerated these efforts. “Beyond the international volumes, I think this achievement significantly demonstrates that you have to work as a team and know how to communicate it to develop a good idea,” Montaño reiterated.
GSL Classroom’s vision
The initiative was born in 2018 under the name of Global Classroom, headed by Tec’s Vice-Rectory of Internationalization. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its relevance as the project capable of offering international academic experiences to professional students at Tec increased.
The pillars of the GSL Classroom lie in the use of technology to enable Tec’s international partners in the classroom to offer international experiences to its students and partner universities. For 2022, there have been 198 applications from professors to provide projects within GLS Classroom, plus the School of Business and the School of Humanities and Education have nominated subjects.
GLS Classroom has a diverse offering that includes full semesters where a course is carried out with foreign professors and students, weeks with videoconferences or multicultural seminars, and even research projects conducted by professors and researchers that involve students. “Tec must work every day for a dignified international representation and keep it current and present,” said Patricia Montaño.
Translation by Daniel Wetta.
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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 
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