From Aug. 6-7, community college instructors from across the Pacific Northwest gathered for the 2024 Community College Master Teacher Institute (CCMTI). This year’s theme was “Promises and Perils of New Technologies: Global Perspectives,” reflecting the current wave of transformative technologies that are reshaping the world. Founded in 2003, CCMTI aims to provide community college instructors with the insights and tools needed to teach about pertinent global topics, such as the impact of new technologies on societies and economies across the globe. The workshop is organized by the Jackson School’s Center for Global Studies with the support of the school’s other National Resource Centers.
Among the 22 participants from across the Pacific Northwest was Renee Hernandez Greenfield, an adjunct instructor of early childhood education at Tacoma Community College. “The biggest takeaways [for me] were the importance of exploring generative AI and understanding where I may already use it,” she said. “I had not had the opportunity to think deeply about those initial points until CCMTI.”
This year’s workshop featured several speakers from across the University of Washington’s campus:
Using Data Subject Rights as Classroom Pedagogy for Emerging Technologies, Justin Petelka, Ph.D. Candidate, Information School
Generative AI Transformation: Impact on Business, Jobs and Education, Margaret Maynard-Reid, Generative AI for Business Leaders, Instructor, Foster School of Business Master of Science in Information Systems program
Misinformation and AI in the Arctic: Perspectives from the Canadian North, Jason Young, Senior Research Scientist and Affiliate Assistant Professor, Information School
‘Facebook is a Toilet’: Myanmar Ten Years after the Social Media Revolution, Mary Callahan, Associate Professor, Jackson School of International Studies
New Technologies and Teaching International Studies, Jessica Beyer, Assistant Teaching Professor and Cybersecurity Initiative Co-Lead, Jackson School of International Studies
Emerging Information Technologies, Disinformation, and Cultural Politics in South Asia, Anis Rahman, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Communication
“I always enjoy interacting with people from outside the UW, particularly my colleagues from other educational institutions around the region,” Beyer said. “I enjoy learning from them and having conversations about how to incorporate international technology topics into classes with them.”
Participants were also given the opportunity to address their peers in moderated Community of Learners sessions. These allowed them to discuss best practices and how to incorporate CCMTI’s themes into their teaching; these were led by:
- Robert Asaadi, Portland Community College
- Dr. Soraya Cardenas, Cascadia College
- Christina Sampson, Everett Community College
- Wendy Swyt, Highline College
“I wanted to share my work with my colleagues and also demonstrate that community college professors are thinking about these relevant issues,” Cardenas, a sociology professor at Cascadia College, said. Despite attending three CCMTIs in the past, Cardenas expressed particular interest in this year’s topic due to her ongoing research into artificial intelligence.
According to Greenfield, this year’s workshop not only offered a deep dive into these cutting-edge topics, but provided valuable networking opportunities for instructors to collaborate and exchange ideas.
“Staying curious and seeking information is so important to supporting our students as they attend college and prepare for life after college,” Greenfield said. “We must be prepared to offer supportive environments that partake of what the world, in its ever changing and expanding ways, has to offer — this allows us to ensure that what we teach challenges and supports forward growth for students. We must seek opportunities [like CCMTI] to continue to learn.”
The CCMTI will be offered again next summer with a new global topical focus.
“We always work to pick a theme that has contemporary resonance and interdisciplinary appeal,” Phil Shekleton, the managing director for the Center for Global Studies, said. “We always take our cue from our workshop participants as they know best what global topics are being discussed and taught on their community college campuses.”
The 2024 CCMTI is sponsored by the National Resource Centers of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies (Canadian Studies Center; Center for Global Studies; East Asia Center; South Asia Center; Center for Southeast Asia and its Diasporas) – University of Washington, Northwest International Education Association (NIEA), the Global Business Center at the Michael G. Foster School of Business – University of Washington and funded by the United States Department of Education.
