KINGSTON, R.I. – Nov. 5, 2026 – The University of Rhode Island’s Feinstein College of Education is hosting its second annual Virtual Global Education Symposium on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This is URI’s second annual Virtual Global Education Symposium, planned in coordination with partner university, Technical University of Braunschweig (TUB) in Germany, and sponsored by the College of Education’s Office of Global and English Language Programs.

The 2026 symposium aims to promote global education within the education field, highlight the successful 30-year partnership between the University and TU Braunschweig, showcase URI’s global education work and research, and foster dialogue on global competencies and partnerships. The symposium is free and open to community members from across URI and beyond.

“The purpose of this year’s symposium is to inspire educators to think expansively about the world while equipping them with the tools to enact meaningful change in their own classrooms, institutions, and communities,” said Nicole King, assistant professor of TESOL and bilingual education in URI’s College of Education. “This symposium is open to anyone; it’s meant for people around the world who are interested in taking up a ‘glocal’ stance and action; this is a term that means considering global perspectives within a localized context.”

The symposium invites a range of perspectives annually. Last year, Keegan Scott in URI’s Fellowships office delivered a program on building bridges to accessible education abroad while Ph.D. candidate Yueru Wang led a session on cultures meeting in the classroom and turning challenges into opportunities.

Laura Plackties, a research associate at TU’s Institute for English and American Studies, said the symposium’s welcoming and accessible character makes it a good option for interested attendees, particularly students: “It offers a very low-threshold opportunity not only to attend as an audience member, but also to actively participate and present one’s own work or experiences,” she said. “Students can get to know another side of university life and research beyond their usual academic environment.” She’s looking forward to attending this year’s symposium. “I think it will be a really cool and unique experience for everyone and definitely encourage anyone considering attending to take the opportunity.”

This year’s growing attendee last has expanded beyond URI and TU, with attendees registering from The Ohio State University, St. George University, Southern Connecticut University, the universities of Tennessee and Rochester, as well as Simon Fraser University (Canada), Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo (Mexico), the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, and attendees from Ukraine.

This year’s program will be held during International Education Week at URI; speakers will include Sara Sweetman, Lilly Padia, Adam Moore, and Nicole King from URI, with colleagues from several other participating institutions.

King says that this year’s symposium will take place on WorkAdventure, an innovative and immersive virtual collaboration site that allows participants to select avatars and move around buildings and locations at URI and TU Braunschweig. (Register now to give yourself time to receive guidance on entering and navigating the platform.)

While educators are a focus, anyone with an interest in URI’s global and education programs is welcome to join the symposium. URI can provide a certificate of attendance for teachers attending for professional development.

Learn more and register at the symposium webpage. For additional questions, contact Colleen Rossignol, symposium planning committee chair, at crossignol@uri.edu or Nicole King, lead faculty committee member, at nicole.king@uri.edu.