George Richardson smiles a lot when he talks about the pilot course on global citizenship he started this summer with Faculty of Education alumnus Kwasi Ansu-Kyereme.

The course was designed to get undergraduate Faculty of Education students thinking about ways they can bring a global perspective into the classroom once they become teachers.

"Ten days in, they gave me their journals and most of the writing they were doing dealt with the experiences they were having and the adjustments they had to make to new situations," he said. "Two weeks later, their entries showed a richer understanding of where they were and how they'd use this experience."

As a teacher, that was the moment Richardson saw the effectiveness of the course.

"This was much deeper thinking. It was a wonderful evolution to see. Those entries were the markers or touchstones of the course - the students were quite candid and seeing that growth, at that point, you say to yourself, 'this is working.'"

Some of the U of A students found themselves doing improvised teaching at the schools they visited. The U of A students also provided training to teachers at school in a Liberian refugee camp, and visited Ansu-Kyereme's village.

Ansu-Kyereme, who earned his master's degree at the U of A, is also chief of Apemanim, a village of about 300 in the Ashanti region of Ghana. His role in the course was vital, says Richardson.

"Kwasi was able to introduce our students to a world that is totally different," said Richardson, who is associate dean of international initiatives for the Faculty of Education.

Richardson was clearly pleased with the effect the pilot course had on the U of A students.

"It will have a profound impact on who they are as teachers," he said.