Metro State, Minneapolis College and the International Institute of MN partnered in an innovative project intended to honor the previous learning and level of critical thinking that our Twin Cities immigrant and refugee populations bring to the classroom before even beginning college.
It is exciting to recognize and support adult immigrants whose vast cultural, linguistic, historical, and political experiences and knowledge have usually been overlooked or seen as deficient rather than rich and powerful. This partnership between IIMN and Metropolitan State University acknowledges the richness of the immigrant and refugee trajectories and builds upon their experiences to foster academic college-learning from global and human-diversity approaches
— Gemma Punti
Assistant Professor of Individualized and Interdisciplinary Studies
Students at the International Institute of Minnesota are New Americans hoping to achieve self-sufficiency and full membership in American life. The institute provides services and resources from language learning and job training to immigration assistance, citizenship classes, refugee resettlement, and case management. Students in the rigorous College Readiness Academy and English for Work Grammar D programs are high-level ESL learners preparing for college. Furthermore, many are entering the program with previous college and work experience, degrees, and fluency in multiple languages and cultures. During this process, faculty from Metro State and Minneapolis College met intensely with teachers from the Institute to learn about the assessments and course material already being offered through the Institute ABE courses. The partners then reimagined the courses to meet not only the course objectives for college skills development, but also the college-level critical thinking required of students in order to engage with the course’s content material.
Faculty from Individualized Studies and Ethnic and Religious Studies, as well as Minneapolis College faculty, guided and reviewed the reformulation of each course. In addition, the GELS Committee assessed the alignment with Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Goals. The joint review found that “Colonialism” aligned with all four learning outcomes for Goal 8, Global Perspectives, and that the learning is comparable to three lower-division university credits. The committee also found that “The Influence of Global Cultures and Identities” aligned with all four learning outcomes for Goal 7, Human Diversity, and that the learning is comparable to three lower-division university credits.
Students who complete the courses receive a certificate from IIMN. They send it along with a brief visiting student application to Metro’s Admissions Office. The Registrar’s Office then articulates the credit and the completion of Goal 7 or 8. These adult learners are then able to enter their college program with a head start and a boost of confidence that they are capable of college-level critical thinking work.
More information about the partnership can be found at https://www.metrostate.edu/apply/international-institute-minnesota.