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Globally Networked Learning

Globally Networked Learning (GNL) refers to an approach to research, learning, and teaching that enables students, faculty, and non-academic researchers from different locations around the world using digital technology to collaborate on projects that bring together the diverse perspectives of participants to produce a richer, more nuanced, understanding of the issue(s) at hand. A GNL project might entail or produce cross-cultural discussion on a particular course concept, a joint lecture over multiple time zones, a shared assignment, or a collaborative research project, among other possibilities.

Faculty can develop their own GNL activities using existing contacts and networks, or they can reach out to York International’s program and GNL consultants for matching with one of 300+ global partners.  Resources and support are also provided through the Teaching Commons.

Faculty of Health Globally Networked Learning (GNL) Courses

Dr. Roya Haghiri-Vijeh, PhD, MN
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing 

Professor Roya Haghiri-Vijeh brought an innovative twist to her Nursing Community Health course by incorporating Global Networked Learning (GNL) in partnership with Hong Kong Baptist University. This dynamic course enables students to develop knowledge and skills while partnering with communities to address health inequities. It integrates knowledge of population health, primary health care, community development, critical health promotion, social determinants of health and CHNC standards of practice.

Professor Haghiri-Vijeh integrated GNL by having students from York University and Hong Kong Baptist University work together and reflect on their learning experiences after engaging in an open-access virtual simulation, where they learn how to provide responsive and affirming healthcare for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities through a social justice and equity lens.

Professor Haghiri-Vijeh shares that reading her students’ reflections “was just phenomenal.” They addressed their assumptions and reflected on “how we need to be mindful of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities when we partner with them to provide affirming health care,” and recognized that “while this content is taught at Universities, there is still cisnormativity and heteronormativity upheld within the community and society at large.”

Professor Haghiri-Vijeh shares that while embedding GNL is challenging, she encourages all faculty to try it out. She says that “there is so much we can say about being a global citizen but being engaged in this type of work is what makes the difference.”

Faith Root, MA, RN
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing 

Professor Faith Root has creatively incorporated Globally Networked Learning (GNL) in her teaching as a component of a broader partnership with Mansa Memorial Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana.

As part of this broader exchange, Professor Root offered a course titled “Health of Families and Social Groups” for interested nurses and midwives at Mansa. This comprehensive course focused on maternal and perinatal health, and local co-instructors at Mansa provided on-site teaching, ensuring relevance to the Ghanaian healthcare context. Professor Root considers this collaboration a “community of practice” more than a course offering: “this course became a platform for exchanging knowledge across borders, highlighting both universal and unique aspects of healthcare practices.”

Professor Root emphasizes the importance of being able to “think globally and act locally” within the Nursing profession, especially considering the importance of social determinants of health. As part of the partnership, Professor Root will bring undergraduate Nursing students from York University to Mansa for a three-week clinical practicum, furthering learning exchange between these institutions. This collaboration exemplifies the potential of global education to enhance professional skills and promote interdisciplinary teamwork.

Dr. Iris Epstein, PhD, RN 
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing  

Professor Iris Epstein is collaborating with Professors Maria Gabriella Albertins and Marcelo Maia, who teach health policy at Olinda School of Medicine in Brazil, to deliver an innovative Globally Networked Learning (GNL) experience as part of her course, Ethics and Health Equity in Inter-professional Practice. This exciting initiative will connect third-year Nursing students from York University with first-year medical students at Olinda School of Medicine.

At the heart of this experience is co-design methodology, an approach where students and instructors from diverse backgrounds work together to create solutions to shared challenges. Co-design encourages active participation from all stakeholders—students, faculty, and community members—allowing them to co-create and refine ideas collaboratively. This approach empowers students to develop a policy action brief addressing common ethical issues encountered by health professional students. For example, students might explore the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, discussing issues such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the role of AI in clinical decision-making. By bringing together learners from two countries, multiple disciplines, and healthcare systems—Canada and Brazil—students will engage in meaningful dialogue about ethical dilemmas and propose creative solutions that foster cross-cultural understanding and problem-solving.

According to Dr. Epstein, this course provides a transformative learning opportunity by using co-design to not only share challenges but also develop global perspectives and collaborative skills essential for future healthcare professionals. The GNL experience is equally enriching for instructors, offering a platform for mutual learning and pedagogical innovation. Dr. Epstein emphasizes that co-design with community members—spanning three days of intensive, two-hour sessions—creates a dynamic space where the challenges and successes of future healthcare training and education can emerge, building the foundation for impactful change in both healthcare practice and education.

Mathieu J.P. Poirier, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, School of Global Health

In partnership with Kenyatta University (Kenya) and Fulda University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Professor Mathieu Poirier from the School of Global Health incorporated Global Networked Learning (GNL) into his course Global Health Policy: Power and Politics.  This course allows students to explore health policy at a global level, as well as the complex ways in which power structures intersect with health policy.     

Dr. Poirier and his international partners incorporated a virtual lecture series that allowed students to learn about the Canadian, German, and Kenyan public health systems directly from course directors based in each country. Despite being on three different continents, students collaborated on an international group project, doing a deep dive into the World Health Organization’s essential public health functions and a comparative analysis between their respective public health contexts. Learning directly from their counterparts in Kenya and Germany, students created reports for improving their country's public health system, aimed at a fictional minister of health.  

According to Dr. Poirier, GNL is a true benefit to a Global Health program, as it allows for a collaborative learning environment and transnational dialogues between students. He also points out that while some students can go abroad through their academic programs, many will not, and GNL offers an equitable way to provide real international working experience, even if a student is not able to travel abroad physically.     

While not without its logistical challenges, Dr. Poirier hopes that this kind of model can be taken up by more instructors, as these intercultural and globally networked opportunities exemplify York University’s commitment to fostering transformative learning experiences that advance sustainable development goals and global cooperation.  

Get involved in Globally Networked Learning

Have ideas for a GNL Page? Visit the YorkU International GNL Page.

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