Mission-driven: Preparing a Diverse Community of Learners

Cultural communication is the key for world languages and cultures professor, Fátima Serra. Teaching Spanish language, literature, and culture, Serra’s courses embody Salem State’s mission: to “prepare students…to contribute to a global society…” Helping students gain the skills to be open, curious, accepting learners; able to engage and learn across diverse cultures and perspectives inspires her. Such experiences often spark the desire to travel among her students, but even if they don’t study abroad, Serra believes that cultural confidence skills serve students well everywhere.

Serra’s classes feature lots of class participation, as in language and culture courses interpersonal communication, and real-life situations are essential to reinforce learning. She is excited to see how Salem State is embracing its emerging significance as a Hispanic and Minority-Serving Institution. She welcomes her literature seminars in Spanish with experienced Spanish speakers. “We have a genuine interest in who they are and get them excited about learning.” Feminism, the politics of contemporary care and the intersection of race, class and gender are part of her teaching and scholarship.

Making the World Smaller

As a student who was herself transformed through study abroad, Serra is an ardent advocate for international learning and travel. Serra pioneered/coordinated language immersion programs in Oviedo, Spain and Heredia, Costa Rica, and for two decades, she accompanied SSU students to their overseas adventures. She also oversaw the Study Abroad program for the Center for International Education for over a decade. Seeing hundreds of students grasp the opportunity, returning wide-eyed and wiser has been thrilling for her to support. Now she continues to be a strong advocate of Spanish and all Abroad Programs.

When COVID-19 struck and students went into lockdown across the globe, study abroad stopped. Providing transformative international experiences had to evolve and adapt. A Faculty learning community provided the springboard to launch COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning), initiated by Dr. Julie Whitlow, Vice Provost for Faculty and Global Engagement who oversees the Center for International Education. Dr. Serra was a pioneer in COIL at SSU, partnering with a university in Spain as a member of the first COIL FLC.

Serra is now working on her fifth COIL project this year and coordinating the COIL FLC for the second year in a row. To date, over 50 Salem State faculty have launched COIL projects with over a thousand students from SSU and universities around the world sharing in these international virtual exchanges. Serra enjoys that this approach to teaching is another method to promote intercultural learning and study abroad. As one student reflected on their COIL experience:

“I have always had very strong opinions on certain topics, and I have found it very interesting to see how my opinions change as we talked about them in our groups. One of the most important takeaways from the collaborative unit was the concept of how Globalization has shaped how we view others who are different from us. The different and deep-rooted preconceived notions we carry about others and how detrimental it is on our union as humans in general. I want to explore the possibility of studying abroad. Before the COIL project, I did not have much interest in visiting another country while in school. This project has shown me the benefits of going to a different country and exploring different perspectives and lifestyles”.

SSU faculty collaborating with faculty abroad created high-impact, cross-cultural learning across English, Education, Occupational Therapy, Healthcare Studies, Social Work, Marketing, Theatre, Criminal Justice, Computer Sciences, and WLC courses, among other disciplines. The Center for International Education has been awarded several awards and grants that recognize and support COIL, including AASCU’s Excellence and Innovation Award, an IDEAS grant from the US State Department and UISFL grant from the US Department of Education.

Contributing to the growth of international education at Salem State in all of its many different shapes and capacities is one of Serra’s proudest accomplishments. In addition to her courses, scholarship, study abroad, HSI status, and COIL, near to her heart are the one-on-one connections she’s made, advising and helping students who sometimes doubted their abilities, but discovered in themselves the strength to succeed. The World Languages and Cultures Department is a welcoming home and a door to the rest of the world.