Internationalisation of the curriculum

This study analyses Internationalisation at Home (IaH) courses across a wide range of bachelor's degrees, from humanities to hard sciences, in public universities in Catalonia, as an in-depth analysis of a South European context. IaH courses selected for analysis included courses (i) on international topics, (ii) taught in English and focusing on content (English-medium Instruction, EMI) and (iii) focusing on language, i.e. English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Results point to a high presence of international content courses, especially in humanities and social sciences, followed by EMI courses, although quantitatively scarce and mainly found in engineering. ESP courses are the least present despite their potential to prepare students for EMI. Reasons that may account for this IaH picture are presented. All in all, it seems that current policies leave language and intercultural competence in the hands of content lecturers, who may not have explicit language and intercultural learning outcomes in mind while it appears that the potential role of ESP as an internationalisation driver may be neglected. This paper thus argues for giving visibility to ESP courses and lecturers in their role for the promotion of curricular internationalisation. Sažetak U ovom radu analiziramo niz kurseva "internacionalizacije kod kuće" na dodiplomskim studijama, od humanističkih do prirodnih nauka, na državnim univerzitetima u Kataloniji, pružajući dubinsku analizu situacije u južnoj Evropi. Kursevi "internacionalizacije kod kuće" odabrani za analizu uključuju one (i) koji se bave međunarodnim temama, (ii) predaju se na engleskom jeziku i usredsređeni su na sadržaj (nastava na engleskom jeziku), i (iii) usredsređuju se na jezik, tj. engleski jezik nauke i struke. Rezultati ukazuju na visok nivo zastupljenosti kurseva sa međunarodnim sadržajem, naročito u humanističkim i društvenim naukama, iza kojih slede kursevi sa nastavom na engleskom jeziku, mada brojčano retki i uglavnom na tehničkim fakultetima. Kursevi engleskog jezika nauke i struke su najmanje zastupljeni uprkos njihovom potencijalu da pripreme studente za nastavu na engleskom jeziku. Sve u svemu, čini se da trenutna praksa prepušta jezik i međukulturnu kompetenciju predavačima nastavnog sadržaja, koji na umu možda nemaju eksplicitne ishode učenja jezika i međukulturne kompetencije. Istovremeno se čini da se zanemaruje potencijalna uloga engleskog jezika nauke i struke kao pokretača internacionalizacije. U radu se zalažemo za veću vidljivost kurseva engleskog jezika nauke i struke i njihovih predavača u unapređenju internacionalizacije nastavnih programa. Ključne reči "internacionalizacija kod kuće", evropsko visoko obrazovanje, međukulturna i međunarodna kompetencija, engleski jezik nauke i struke, nastava na engleskom jeziku.

Internationalisation and employability development are important themes for UK higher education (HE) and the Higher Education Academy (HEA). One aspect of many UK HE institutions’ internationalisation strategies has been to increase the number and range of UK programmes delivered ‘offshore’ as transnational education (TNE) – through overseas partner institutions, international branch campuses or distance learning. There has been increasing attention within the UK HE sector to enhancing the employability of students, either as development embedded in the curriculum or in other ways, and assessing its effectiveness, most prominently in the form of measuring its impact on the employment outcomes of graduates.

There is a quality assurance requirement for institutions providing TNE programmes that they offer the learning and development, academically and through other experiences, that is comparable to those within their UK programmes. This means that any enhancement of employability within a UK programme should also be provided in the equivalent TNE programme. This research was commissioned to discover the extent to which this is the case. It was investigated through an international literature review, a call for evidence from UK higher education institutions (HEIs) of examples of such activity, and participant perspectives through TNE alumni (who had studied first degree and taught postgraduate programmes).

Previous reviews indicate that there is little evidence of the incorporation of generic employability skills as graduate outcomes, in international HE or TNE. Our review reveals a paucity of literature relating to:
• graduate outcomes from international education and TNE in particular;
• support for enhanced employability, and specifically the incorporation of employability development in the curriculum, in TNE programmes.

This confirms the distinct research gap as far as outcomes of TNE are concerned and, more specifically, the need to assess the development of generic, transferable employability skills in TNE programmes. We also contend that the distinction between employment skills and employability skills is as important in TNE as it is for other forms of provision, perhaps even more so in some country contexts where TNE is designed to address key skills gaps. Employment skills relate to qualifications and credentials for specific jobs or professions, while employability indicates transferable skills which are not job-specific but support employment generally.

The existing literature and our primary research indicate complex variations in how the value of TNE programmes is perceived and how this relates to the motivations of those studying TNE programmes. Generally, it is clear that overseas study tends to be seen as the ‘gold standard’ by employers, and to some extent societally, and TNE study is commonly seen as a ‘second best’ option. On the other hand, there are strong variations, geographically, in perceptions of its value relative to types of local provision, and some variations in relation to the value of different countries’ TNE provision, meaning that each country context may need to be considered separately. A further implication of this is that despite current perceptions that may suggest otherwise, it cannot simply be assumed that an overseas TNE qualification carries any inherent ‘employability’ beyond what it provides in practice.

When it comes to the motivations of TNE students, the relatively limited literature suggests that these are largely career-focused or employment-focused, either ‘positional’ (more directly workrelated or job-related) or more ‘transformative’ (more developmental personally). Interviews with the alumni confirmed this range, although relatively few had studied in order to acquire specific short-term employment outcomes. Rather, they viewed studying via TNE as part of a wider approach to progressing their career, either in their current role or in another sector or profession. Few understood the difference between employability and employment, and many believed there was no need to develop greater employability than would be afforded to them by achieving the qualification. On the basis of these alumni (who mostly graduated 3-5 years ago), this suggests that TNE students at that time had a much less nuanced view of employability than comparable UK students.

Esta comunicação visa apresentar as principais tendências que caracterizam o campo dos estudos curriculares na Guiné-Bissau partindo da revisão de estudos publicados no período de 1974 a 2013. Foi realizada pesquisa documental em Portugal e na Guiné-Bissau em locais de reconhecida importância para o país e tema em análise. Para além desta pesquisa in loco, recorreu-se, também, a várias bases bibliográficas on-line e a sítios da internet institucionais na medida em que estes últimos contêm estudos relevantes que não aparecem nos meios de pesquisa académicos, tal como referido por Mallett, Hagen-Zanker, Slater, & Duvendack (2012). Esta análise parte do pressuposto de que as principais tendências que caracterizam o campo no continente africano são: conhecimento exógeno Vs. endógeno, inovação, diversificação, políticas linguísticas, resultados escolares e sistemas de exames (Le Grange, 2010). Tendo como referência esta tendência, os estudos no período de 1974 a 2013 na Guiné-Bissau centram-se na inovação, na política linguística, nos resultados escolares, na gestão e organização curricular numa perspetiva histórica e no conhecimento exógeno Vs. endógeno. Não foi realizada uma meta-análise, apesar de alguns estudos parecerem ter inconsistências metodológicas e baixa qualidade. Por se tratar de um país subinvestigado, foram incluídos na análise vários relatórios de investigação fruto de consultorias e não apenas os estudos publicados em revistas com revisão pelos pares, dissertações ou teses.

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In taking a strategic approach to Internationalisation at Home (IaH) and implementing it in a comprehensive way, Arcada University of Applied Sciences could turn the challenges we face in a global reality into opportunities, and further into competitive advantages. This requires knowledge, structure , ownership, engagement and resources. In this article we will introduce the concept of IaH, explain why it is strategically important for Arcada and what the value could be for our students, staff and partners. We will also discuss how IaH lets us contribute to a sustainable and inclusive society.

Internationalization continues to be a priority within many Canadian universities. While it is imperative to attend to the ethical dilemmas that accompany the intensification of internationalization, different ethical frameworks operate according to different orientating assumptions. In this paper, we seek to pluralize and deepen conversations about the ethics of internationalization by illustrating how three global ethics approaches address questions of international student mobility, study and service abroad, and internationalizing the curriculum. We conclude by emphasizing the need for both scholars and practitioners to engage in multi-voiced, critically-informed analyses, and dissensual conversations about complex ethical dilemmas related to internationalization.

Internationalization of the curriculum attracts considerable interest, yet often remains in the hands of enthusiasts or is relegated to the periphery of personal skills modules. While academics may be “happy to ‘tinker around the edges’ of their course content and classroom pedagogy” they still frequently ask, “What does it really mean for me and my classroom?” This article outlines the experience of one U.K. university, which has been seeking to internationalize the curriculum through two phases. The overarching development framework of the first phase (Jones & Killick, 2007) is now being embedded through the university’s adoption of a global outlook as a graduate attribute. This attribute interlinks inclusivity and global relevance and connects equality and diversity with internationalization to form a cohesive construct for graduate development. The authors describe the process of working with academics across the institution to design and implement learning outcomes at modular and program levels within disciplines, to support student achievement of this attribute through the process of constructive alignment.

This paper examines the how the challenges of the pandemic were overcome within Japan’s first ever joint undergraduate degree: The American University - Ritsumeikan University Bachelor of Arts in Global International Relations. The joint degree (a single degree awarded jointly by both institutions using a single integrated curriculum and involving two years of study at both institutions) is the only one of its kind in Japan and the background to its creation, operation and evolution are thus unique experiences within the Japanese higher education sector. This paper, presented by Ritsumeikan’s outgoing and incoming heads of the program, will detail the history, operations and curriculum of the degree and the challenges which have been faced and overcome by it in its first five years of existence. These included the establishment and management of the degree, the complexities of its curriculum, the integration of practices from institutions with differing organisational structures and cultures, through to maintaining it and looking after students after the arrival of the pandemic. The impact of travel bans, student movement and course delivery will be highlighted, as will the broader applicability of the joint degree’s experience, structures and development to the post-pandemic recovery of the higher education sector in Japan.