Meet Elizabeth Morrison, Assistant Director of Curriculum and Development

As the assistant director of curriculum and development for International and Access Programs at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education, Elizabeth Morrison serves as the content expert, developing new educational programs and curricula, and optimizing existing programs for non-matriculated global and domestic learners. Prior to this role, she coordinated the academic aspects of the Academic Preparation and Pathway Programs. With a degree in international relations from UC Davis and years of experience as an English language instructor, Elizabeth brings extensive knowledge and expertise to her new role.  

What personal experience do you bring with you to this role?

I have taught English for many years in a variety of contexts, both in the United States and abroad, including at universities, a language school, adult education programs and a refugee program. As a teacher, I have developed new courses and materials, instructed at all levels of the curriculum and taught a wide variety of courses. Because of my background, I have a good working relationship with our instructors, and I have had the pleasure to bring on board many new instructors to teach in our programs. Having an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) and firsthand experience as an ESL teacher and mentor, I am able to support our instructors with appropriate materials, suggestions and feedback.   

For three years, I also served as the director of international programs at a private day/boarding school, where I oversaw a new boarding program for 8th graders, developed and taught the academic support class for our international students, and created and delivered training workshops for teachers at the high school to make our instruction more accessible to our international students. This previous experience working with youth will help me as I take on the development of the academic curriculum for our international youth programs here at UC Davis.       

How can you help international students excel at UC Davis?

I have experienced studying and working abroad and I have studied many languages, both formally and informally. Thus, I have a good understanding of the challenges of negotiating an unfamiliar culture, language and way of doing things. I know it takes courage to take on this challenge of studying at UC Davis.  Our international students must step out of their comfort zone and leave their families and friends, trusting that our program will help them to improve their English and achieve their dreams.  I want to make sure that their student experience with us is the best it can be.  

What do you value most about working in international education?

I see our work in international education to be an opportunity for an exchange of ideas and a widening of perspectives that contributes to understanding and better global relations. As a teacher, I have watched as students listened with wide eyes to the very different ideas and cultural attitudes of their classmates, ultimately prizing their opportunity to hear and consider other values and beliefs. I could see their minds opening in their discussions and assignments. I believe that international education helps to develop global citizens who understand how interconnected we all are and drives a willingness to care about others, so we can all work together to tackle the many pressing global issues. It has always been a joy to work with international students, and I look forward to my new role where I can continue to support them and their goals.  

What do you see on the horizon for international education and the curriculum here at UC Davis International Programs?

I see a continued shift toward an integrative pedagogy that focuses on content curriculum to provide students with opportunities to produce meaningful discourse. Content-based courses allow students to be less intimidated to participate in the classroom because they are more focused on the content than the grammar, an approach that is known to promote language proficiency. At the same time, students learn valuable content for their lives and future careers. I also see us continuing to integrate with the UC Davis community, connecting our students to the many resources and opportunities on campus. Finally, advances in technology are opening up the possibility for more collaborative and sustainable global partnerships that bring together new global partners in content areas to serve the needs of international students.