Globalization of Instruction: Developing Intellectual Capital

Introduction

With the tremendous growth of culturally diverse populations and the ability to communicate with almost anyone in the world, anytime, about any topic, educators have the opportunity to provide the training and instruction needed to thrive in a global environment. Intellectual capital in this context is the building of knowledge to sustain and grow organizations, institutions, and governments. Efforts directed towards the cultivation of human capital- increasing individuals’ knowledge and skill sets, organizational capital- keeping necessary skill sets and levels of knowledge within the organization, and social capital- relationship building and information sharing; will prepare us for the increasingly global knowledge-based environment. When intellectual capital is derived from so many unique perspectives, its growth will be accelerated and far richer in content.

In the current global knowledge-based economy, companies are finding their greatest asset to be the intellectual capital maintained by their knowledge-based workers. This points to the importance of preparing individuals in the educational environment for successful transitions into global work environments. This drives the need for educators and trainers to enable the acquisition of authentic knowledge and skills with expanded global perspectives. The merging and mixing of diverse backgrounds and experiences in education and the work environment offer opportunities to expand the knowledge base beyond current borders and in totally new directions. However, one big challenge is finding ways to bring educational systems and business training into alignment with the current realities of working and learning together effectively.