The Power of Immersive Learning for Future-Readiness
2024 EF Virtual Global Education Symposium
A series of virtual sessions offered over four days
October 22–23 and October 29–30
Learn from thought leaders in global education & earn professional learning hours
This October, join secondary educators from the U.S. and Canada to engage (virtually!) with experts in the fields of immersive education and global competence. Hear from thought leaders and partner organizations as you explore the impact global-based learning can have on student outcomes. Throughout the Symposium, you’ll have the chance to deepen your understanding of how educational travel can help students develop the essential skills they need to become engaged global citizens poised to make a difference in the world.
Four unique virtual sessions will be offered over the course of four days in the late afternoon/evening. After you’re pre-registered using the form on this page, you’ll be redirected to a second website to select the individual sessions you’d like to attend and download the calendar invites.
Title/position
Have you ever been a Group Leader on an international EF student tour?
If so, when? Please indicate your travel year(s). (Optional)
Have you ever been a Group Leader on an EF student tour within North America?
If so, when? Please indicate your travel year(s). (Optional)
Why are you interested in participating in the EF Virtual Global Education Symposium, and what do you hope to gain from it?
Experience the EF Virtual Global Education Symposium
And earn professional learning hours while doing it
Engage with thought leaders
Hear from experts in the fields of global competence and participate in interactive discussions.
Network across secondary education
Expand your professional network as you exchange ideas and collaborate with globally minded educators.
Create an action plan
Determine next steps for bringing your experience back to your learning community.
Meet our keynote speaker
Dr. Olson works as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver and as a Curriculum Director for the Educators’ Institute for Human Rights in Washington, D.C. She taught in Denver Public Schools (DPS) for 33 years in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. Dr. Olson received a B.A. in Elementary Education and Spanish; an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Language, Literacy, and Culture; and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Her dissertation, “The Meaning of Educational Travel in the Lives of Urban Middle School Students in a Low-Income Neighborhood: A Transformative, Sequential Mixed Methods Study,” elevates the voices of former travelers and offers advice for educators building educational travel programs in their school communities today.
Dr. Olson has also been an elected school board director on the DPS Board of Education since 2017, serving as Board President from 2019 to 2021 and 2023 to 2025. She was also elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Association of School Boards (2019 to 2025).
Hear from Dr. Olson
Program details
After submitting the above registration, you’ll receive a confirmation message that includes links to register for the individual sessions below.
Tuesday, October 22
(Offered twice: 4:30–5:30pm and 7:00–8:00pm EST)
Keynote: Dr. Carrie A. Olson and Vany Miramontes Marquez, Denver Public Schools, Denver, CO
Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Student Success through Transformative Educational Travel
Travel-based learning has the transformative potential to be a catalyst for student success and community engagement. In alignment with diverse “Portraits of a Graduate,” this type of experiential learning instills lifelong learning habits and fosters critical skills that prepare students to navigate a complex world with confidence. Join us as we explore research around the impact of educational travel and challenge traditional narratives about who benefits from it and the roles that families and communities play in shaping a student’s learning opportunities.
Wednesday October 23
(Offered twice: 4:30–5:30pm and 7:00–8:00pm EST)
A Higher Education Perspective on the Power of Early Global Experiences: Building Durable Skills for the AI-Driven World
Durable skills, formerly referred to as soft skills, are anything but soft. Skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and empathy are more crucial than ever, especially when we recognize the inability to replicate them in the world of AI.
This session will explore how early global experiences at the college level build on K-12 global engagement to continue fostering these essential skills. Learn how colleges and universities are expanding their focus into first year study abroad and leveraging travel to enhance student maturity, a sense of belonging, and accelerated student success. Leave with new language and perspective on K-12 and higher ed’s shared global education goals to better fuel your advocacy for programs within your schools and districts.
Speakers: Dr. David Wick, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey; Laura Caloudas, University of Texas at Austin; Christian Meyer, EF Study Abroad
Tuesday, October 29
(Offered twice: 4:30–5:30pm and 7:00–8:00pm EST)
Teaching Advocacy for a Better World
At the crossroads of civic engagement and preparing youth for the future are vast educational opportunities for educators. Join the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) to discover new resources and frameworks to make learning innovative and meaningful for youth. They’ll introduce you to the UN Sustainable Development Goals along with an advocacy-based model that facilitates the necessary skill sets, mindsets, and acumen to shape the world—not as it is, but as it should be for everyone. Leave this workshop with actionable insights and practical tools to use in a variety of settings.
Speaker: Troy Wolfe, United Nations Association of the USA
Wednesday October 30
(Offered twice: 4:30–5:30pm and 7:00–8:00pm EST)
Education in Finland: Essential Skill Development through Phenomenon-Based Learning
In this interactive workshop, discover some of the factors that have enabled the Finnish education system to lead the way worldwide in holistic and competency based education. We will explore phenomenon-based learning and the impact this approach has on students’ critical skill development. Walk away with a broader understanding of how Finland has led the way in educational innovation and what elements of this pedagogical approach might be possible to implement in your schools.
Speaker: Petteri Elo, Pedanow
EF enhances what you teach with relevant learning experiences outside the classroom
Our proven travel-based learning method takes students out of their comfort zones, safely. This firsthand approach to understanding the world leads to an internal journey of self-discovery. As students learn more about themselves, they build essential skills—like communication and collaboration—and return home empowered to take action and make a positive impact in the world.
We’re accredited by five prestigious educational associations
What are you waiting for?
Join us virtually and discover how you can transform students into global citizens.