Internationalising the Curriculum Internationalising the Curriculum If we want to attract the best students, provide the best experience of living and learning, and give our students the best chance of competing in a global economy, we must continue to retain our international outlook. This starts with the curriculum. It is not enough to provide opportunities that only the most engaged and motivated students take advantage of – our international heritage should impact on the experience of all Essex students.” “This toolkit is a perfect starting point for discussions about how we can continue to embed internationally-relevant opportunities into both the formal curriculum and into extra-curricular activities. There should be something here that is interesting and achievable for any academic department and individual member of staff. Professor Anthony Forster, Vice-Chancellor, 2012 – present Internationalisation is important because it introduces our students to a plurality of ways of doing things. It challenges the idea that there’s only one right way to approach a problem. It’s about making visible the specificity of the places from which we start our inquiries. I think that’s a really crucial experience when you learn, so when you go out into the world you are sensitive to and values different ways of doing things. Once that mental shift is made, one has a completely different perspective and orientation towards life and towards the multiplicity of perspectives and possibilities of the globalised world in which we live. Professor Aletta Norval, Pro-Vice-Chancellor – Education The Toolkit is great. I think it should be compulsory reading. It balances both perspectives. Students can see where staff are coming from, and staff can see where students are coming from. It’s this middle ground that’s so important. Jovanna Yiouselli, Students’ Union Vice-President International Toolkit About this student-led research project This toolkit is one of the main outputs from a one-year student-led research project on internationalising the curriculum. Funded by the University’s frontrunners placement scheme and supervised by Learning and Development, the project aimed to explore perspectives on internationalisation and its relevance to the curriculum. A large-scale survey of staff and students was undertaken, followed by a series of interviews with senior managers and staff with relevant expertise. The remit for the two students involved was straightforward: research the subject of internationalisation – firstly in the broadest sense, then in relation to the curriculum – and produce something that (a) contributes in a positive way to the University’s understanding of internationalisation, and (b) has practical value to staff. This toolkit was a natural outcome. The project itself is one of a number of present and planned student-led research projects which address a range of intersecting institutional priorities, including research-led education, employability, retention, and engagement, in this instance using internationalisation as the vehicle. At the time of the project, Marit Boeker was a second-year PhD student in the Department of Government. She became interested in the project on internationalising the curriculum through her own experience of studying abroad, and was eager to learn more about how the University works ‘behind the scenes’. “I am immensely grateful for having had the chance to do research on this interesting topic in such a great team. Hopefully the outcome of this inspiring time – the toolkit – will be useful to both staff and students alike.” Her fellow researcher, Charlotte Schillinger, was a final-year undergraduate student in the Department of Government studying Politics at the time of the project. Through this project Charlotte wanted to make a positive impact on the University environment and try to help improve the learning and teaching experience for both staff and students. Charlotte also wanted to gain experience as to how a curriculum is compiled and what the key considerations are in this process. “I hope through this toolkit both students and staff are able to gain a better understanding of the important role of internationalisation in the curriculum and its unique role at Essex. I further hope those who read this toolkit are motivated to make changes in order to drive internationalisation forward at our University.” The best students see themselves as novice researchers and this is something we should encourage more broadly. As envisaged by the University’s founding Vice-Chancellor, Sir Albert Sloman, an Essex education should include a curriculum based on research-led teaching where students are taught by great researchers and have hands-on experience of undertaking research themselves. They should be a part of our research community from the outset and have opportunities to undertake their own research throughout their programme of study. It needs to run throughout their degrees, both inside and outside of the classroom.” “This project shows the scope for broadening the opportunities for students to get involved and to produce legitimate work that is valuable to our institution. Professor Anthony Forster, Vice-Chancellor Please note: this toolkit was updated to include insights from Professor Aletta Norval and amend dates where necessary. All other aspects of it remain consistent with the original toolkit at the time when it was created by Marit Boeker and Charlotte Schillinger. Internationalising the Curriculum About Tower Publishing Tower publishing is the University’s student-only publishing house. It publishes a range of student work, most notably through its flagship venture, ESTRO (Essex Student Research Online), the University’s academic journal for students, authored by students and run by students; funded by frontrunners and Learning and Development. Links ESTRO – www.essex.ac.uk/journals/estro Frontrunners – www.essex.ac.uk/frontrunners Learning and Development – www.essex.ac.uk/ldev Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank all of the interviewees and respondents to the survey, with particular thanks to Martin Henson, Ivan Hutchins, Jovanna Yiouselli, and Jude Carroll. Toolkit Contents Section One: Concept and Context 1. Overview 1.1 Definition 7 1.2 Context 7 1.3 Action 8 1.4 Rationale 8 1.5 Method 9 1.6 How to use this toolkit 10 1.7 Using the self-assessment tool 11 2. Internationalising the curriculum at Essex 2.1 The specific context at Essex 12 2.2 The curriculum in 2012 13 2.3 The Strategic Agenda 14 2.4 What the survey revealed 15 Section Two: Tools 3. Practical ways forward: guidelines, ideas, approaches 3.1 Guidelines 17 3.2 Self-assessment tool 19 3.3 Ideas and approaches 21 3.4 Ideas for key staff 39 3.5 Key contacts 41 4. Annotated bibliography 4.1 Books 42 4.2 Academic papers 42 4.3 Other publications 43 Internationalising the Curriculum – Concept and Context Section One: Concept and Context Toolkit 1. Overview 1.1 Definition The ‘curriculum’ is a rather elusive term, meaning different things to different people. At the heart of this is typically a question of scope: how narrowly or broadly does one view the curriculum? In this sense, the literature differentiates between the formal and the informal curriculum. The formal curriculum consists of the syllabi, the teaching content, and the courses offered at a given institution. This is relatively straightforward; it is usually clear what material is covered in a particular degree scheme. However the concept of the ‘informal curriculum’ goes beyond this view to acknowledge that the ‘learning’ of students is not limited to the official content of their course, but should include the whole connected experience at university. In the context of this project, ‘internationalising the curriculum’ was therefore conceptualised in its broadest sense. The curriculum is a fluid concept. Take our MBA programme, which is relatively small at the moment: there are only 10-11 full-time students and some modular students. There are some UK students in there – about 4 or 5 – but the others are all international. They bring their experience from where they come from into the classroom. So I wouldn’t define the ‘curriculum’ as being just what’s on the pieces of paper which students get… what’s on the course finder, or whatever it is… but defining it as the whole learning experience. So the international students on the MBA will by definition be developing, working on, and thinking about international aspects, because they will be comparing what goes on in one country to another, they will be sharing their experiences. Ideally, what you want is to have more of that engagement between the students in the class about their international experiences. Professor Michael Sherer, Director of Essex Business School 1.2 Context In recent years, internationalisation of the curriculum has risen high on the agenda of higher education institutions in the UK and elsewhere. This is both a response to new realities in terms of the diversity of the student body that teaching staff now encounter and an embodiment of a new understanding of the role of higher education in a globalised world, informed by both UK and EU policy. In other words, internationalisation of the curriculum seeks on the one hand to adapt course syllabi as well as teaching and assessment methods to the needs of students who come together from all over the world, bringing with them a plethora of views, cultures, and experiences with learning and teaching; on the other hand, the globalised job market and global political and cultural interactions demand a new style of higher education, if the latter is to effectively prepare students for their future roles in society – there is a compelling argument therefore that internationalisation is crucial to both maximising the experience (and retention and success) of students during their degree and maximising the value of their experience after graduation. The internationalisation agenda is integral to the national employability agenda; indeed the University’s own Employability Strategy places global awareness and global citizenship at the heart of its understanding of what an ‘Essex Graduate’ should be.