Work in Progress: Development and Implementation of a Web-Based Resource to Prepare International Faculty for the American Classroom

This paper presents preliminary results of an ongoing faculty study group project on developing an international faculty support system at Virginia Tech. The first stage of this long-term project consists of a Website that will serve as a repository of teaching materials and resources to help new and interested international faculty succeed in the American classroom. While it has been established that students need to be culturally competent in the era of globalization, international faculty are challenged by lack of available resources to prepare themselves for a culturally different classroom. Teachers have expressed interest in the relationship between cultural differences and teaching effectiveness [e.g. issues arise in teaching large engineering classes may be due to cultural barriers that exist between students and teachers]. Developed by the collaborations of the International Faculty Study Group and students from a Web writing course, this Website will serve as the gateway for a more comprehensive international faculty support system