Biography
Allison Witt is the Director of International Programs in the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she teaches Global Studies in Education and is the Program Leader for the International Education Administration and Leadership program. Allison is a former Assistant Director of Academic Affairs at the Illinois Board of Higher Education where she contributed to state higher education policy in Illinois. She is the author of Shifting Tides in Global Higher Education (2011) published by Peter Lang. Allison earned a PhD in Education Policy Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has worked in international education for over 20 years, now with particular interest in internationalizing teacher education.
Research Interests
Witt's research includes state and national education policy related to higher education and teacher preparation. Current research tracks the impact of interventions in teacher preparation designed to prepare globally competent teachers.
Courses Taught
Courses taught include Globalization and Higher Education, Researching Education in a Global Context, and other courses in the Global Studies in Education graduate program. In addition, Witt has developed and teaches the Education Abroad course that supports students on study abroad.
Additional Campus Affiliations
Director of International Programs, College of Education
Teaching Associate Professor, Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Teaching Associate Professor, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Affiliate, Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies
Affiliate, Center for Global Studies
Recent Publications
Witt, A., Xu, L., Rakisheva, A., & Mazid, S. (2024). Creating Boundary Spaces Through Virtual Global Engagement: Training Preservice Teachers in Virtual Collaboration. In A. Slapac, & C. A. Huertas-Abril (Eds.), Encouraging Transnational Learning Through Virtual Exchange in Global Teacher Education (pp. 303-318). (Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7813-4.ch014
Rakisheva, A., & Witt, A. (2023). Digital competence frameworks in teacher education-A literature review. Issues and Trends in Learning Technologies, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.2458/itlt.5205
Witt, A. (2023). Postpandemic futures of Global Citizenship Education for preservice teachers: Challenges and possibilities. Prospects, 53(3-4), 299-312. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-022-09599-5
Witt, A., & Liu, W. (2021). Transforming Teacher Preparation for Global Readiness. In L. Baecher (Ed.), Study Abroad for Pre- and In-Service Teachers: Transformative Learning on a Global Scale (pp. 31-43). (Routledge Research in Teacher Education). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003004387-3
Witt, A., Davies, R., & Hackler, C. (2019). Understanding Cultural Differences in classroom practices. Student teachers’ experiences abroad. In J. C. Torre Puente (Ed.), Tendencias y retos en la formación inicial de los docentes (pp. 259-270). (Reflexiones Comillas. Educación; Vol. 3). Universidad Pontificia Comillas.