EDGE Provost Endorsement program empowers faculty with development, recognition

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tiffany MacQuarrie, associate director for global academic engagement, is spearheading the Foundations of Experiential Digital Global Engagement (EDGE) Provost Endorsement, a new avenue for Penn State faculty to gain recognition for their innovative teaching and professional development efforts. While the Foundations of EDGE Provost Endorsement is being offered for the first time, it is part of the broader Provost Endorsement initiative, which is currently in its second year of a three-year pilot led by Penn State’s Office of Faculty Affairs. 

EDGE is a project-based international virtual exchange program adapted from the State University of New York’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program. The endorsement program is administered through the Office of Academic Affairs and is designed to help faculty document and showcase their engagement with EDGE projects. According to MacQuarrie, the program was developed in response to the need for a way to recognize faculty for their work in international virtual exchange and global learning. 

“Unless you have a [promotion and tenure] committee comprised of faculty that are familiar with EDGE, they wouldn't have a complete understanding of what it is. It [faculty work in EDGE] may not receive the attention or the credibility … because it may be explained as just a class project.” MacQuarrie said, “So, I love the fact that there's this way to elevate professional development and provide recognition … moving forward for promotion and tenure.” 

The Foundations of EDGE Provost Endorsement is open to all Penn State faculty interested in developing or strengthening EDGE collaborative projects, regardless of their previous experience with global learning. After being announced, the initiative quickly gained traction, with the first cohort of 10 participants filling all available spots in less than 24 hours.  

The program guides faculty through adapting their existing syllabi to incorporate EDGE learning objectives, tasks, and assignments. This eventually culminates in the creation of an EDGE action plan. The program leverages the EDGE Journey Resource Map, an open-access tool co-developed with Monash University in Australia and Penn State’s Teaching and Learning with Technology team. The map offers six flexible “trails” that faculty can explore at their own pace, covering everything from project design and technology use to assessment and research dissemination. 

During the program, faculty attend two required synchronous sessions and a workshop led by Laura Cruz, research professor from the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, explaining the EDGE Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved research toolkit. These Foundations of EDGE Provost Endorsement sessions are designed to enable peer interaction and provide hands-on support. To complete the Provost Endorsement, faculty must attend all sessions, complete their EDGE action plan and finally, submit a program evaluation. 

Participants in the pilot cohort represented the various fields studied and taught at Penn State, including mechanical engineering, information sciences and technology, business and other fields. “I get really enthusiastic when I am able to get faculty in a space together where everyone's learning from one another. Folks that have had experience in certain areas that sharing of ideas and that community is so rich for me,” MacQuarrie said.  

Brian Fronk, associate professor of mechanical engineering at University Park, shared, “The information from Laura Cruz and the IRB was the newest and perhaps most useful information for me. I had been struggling with how to publish and share this work, and now I have some concrete plans!” 

Betsy Campbell, associate teaching professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at University Park, echoed this value of community. “There is a very lively and thoughtful community at Penn State with shared interest in global learning. Prior to getting involved, I had thought I was the only one,” Campbell said. 

Vincent Perez, lecturer in business at Brandywine, added, “It was great to learn even teaching faculty can engage with the community by sharing their experiences, lessons learned, and possibly publish research.” 

MacQuarrie highlighted that the program equips faculty with practical tools and resources and provides a standardized way for their global teaching efforts to be recognized in faculty activity reports — a crucial step for promotion and tenure.  

“We're here to support you. That's what the training [and] the Provost Endorsement is. We're here to support you and we're here to help provide recognition,” MacQuarrie said.  

EDGE will offer the Foundations of EDGE Provost Endorsement in both Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. To receive updates on future Provost Endorsement offerings, as well as grant and partnership opportunities, please complete the  PSU EDGE Form to join the EDGE email list. 

EDGE provides opportunities for global and intercultural engagement without the expensive costs of traveling. Virtual exchange can provide a new element to nearly any academic course. For more information on how to start an EDGE collaboration, visit www.globalEDGEucation.psu.edu or email Tracy Coleman, EDGE program associate, at Tracy.Coleman@psu.edu.