1. page 1
Slide title (Time
Internationalisation of the curriculum
What does it mean for us?
The GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES Project at
Glasgow Caledonian University
Sabine McKinnon
Lecturer in Academic Development
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES Project Manager
GCU LEAD
UWS Learning and Teaching Conference
20 June 2013
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2. Overview
1. The strategic context at GCU
2. The GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES Project in GCU LEAD
3. Where are we at GCU?
Initial results from GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES research
4. The way forward: sharing responsibility
5. The process of internationalising the curriculum
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3. The strategic context at GCU
(GCU Global: Internationalisation Strategy 2012-2015)
“We now wish to make a step change in our focus and our activity towards
greater internationalisation.” (p.4)
“ (GCU has) ... a long-term aspiration that internationalisation is embedded
across all relevant University activities.” (ibid)
“ The implications of internationalisation are at the heart of our approaches to
learning and teaching.” (p.19)
Internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC) is a core component of the strategy
(p.4)

4. The GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES Project in GCU LEAD
(2012-15)
 What does ‘internationalisation of the curriculum’ mean in practice and
how is it currently being implemented at GCU?
 How do students and academic staff experience the impact of GCU’s
internationalisation strategy on learning and teaching?
 What are their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of developing an
internationalised curriculum?
 What are the best mechanisms for embedding IoC in all schools?
 What support is required to enable academic staff to deliver an
internationalised curriculum?
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5. GLOBAL as shorthand for the process
• Growing awareness of international issues
• Learning from other cultures
• Observing and reflecting on cultural differences
• Being prepared to challenge oneself
• Avoiding cultural stereotypes
• Listening to culturally different points of view
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6. The Project Phases
Phase 1
 Research: opportunities for and barriers to implementing IoC
Phase 2
 Create a community of interested staff and students
 Pilot and evaluate innovative solutions
 Disseminate best practice to all subject disciplines
Phase 3
 Develop guidelines and support mechanisms for implementation
university-wide
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7. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES pilots in 2013-14
Subject Title
Law Internet Law: Law without frontiers
requires learning without borders
Marketing Cross cultural education and fashion
industry knowledge exchange
Physiotherapy Internationalisation of curricula:
a departmental perspective
Engineering International Audio Engineering
Society Recording Competition
Engineering Collaboration with the Institute of
Engineering and Technology (IET) on
the internationalisation of the
curriculum
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8. What does IoC mean?
(Leask, 2009)
• “Internationalisation of the curriculum is the incorporation of an
international and intercultural dimension into the content of the
curriculum as well as the teaching and learning processes and support
services of a program of study.”
• “An internationalised curriculum will engage students with internationally
informed research and cultural and linguistic diversity. It will purposefully
develop their international and intercultural perspectives as global
professionals and citizens.”
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9. What are we trying to achieve?
The Global People Project (Reid et al, 2010)
Global citizens ...
 make an effort to understand international issues
 actively seek to understand unfamiliar behaviour
 avoid judging people from other cultures on the basis of
stereotypes
 use diversity as a mirror to explore their own cultural identity
 are ready and prepared to deal with culturally ambiguous
situations
 know at least one language other than English
................
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10. Where are we at GCU?
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES research
• on-line survey sent to 85 programme leaders in all schools;
• 48 responses = 56%
• 17 individual interviews with 8 of 9 Heads of Department and
senior staff
• focus groups with 31 ‘Student Leaders’ from all schools
• UK: 18; International:13
• UG: 28; PG: 3
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11. What is an internationalised curriculum?
The student view
1. GCU curricula should be aligned with international practice
“I think an international curriculum should be the one that can be like ...other
curriculums from abroad. For example a student from GCU could go to
another university outside UK and being accepted there because of the
curriculum. The curriculum is similar. “ (home student)
“Yeah, well, I agree with that, especially as an international student myself, you
don’t want to come to a university where you feel as if that what is being
taught can’t be transferred to where you’re from or to another place. “
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12. 2. Curricula should improve international employability
“I would say it’s more like being able to compete on a more global level so that
you could work anywhere rather than just being able to work in the UK. “
(home student)
“ I think having a good stead to get jobs in other countries and once you
qualify, not just being confined to Scotland or the UK, being given the
opportunity and the skills basis to go wherever you want. “ (home student)
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13. 3. Curricula should reflect intercultural awareness
“ I believe that when you want to make a curriculum internationalised you not
only have people come from different countries to study at your university, I
feel that you should somehow consider the background that these people
have gone through in their different countries ... I feel that a great deal of
concentration should go into ‘ok in this country how do they do stuff?”
(International student)
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14. The academic view
Perceptions of new strategy
Sceptical about new approach
“How would you characterize GCU's approach to internationalisation?
In your view, how much importance does the university attach to its
different aspects?”
89% of survey respondents: recruitment is a top priority
33% : raising UK students’ international awareness
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15. Lost in translation? The difficulties of operationalizing the
strategy
o Potential conflict with other GCU strategies and targets
“ ...there’s a large number of people who just see it (teaching international students) as
more work ...you have people whose English is not great ... and then they fail . So
why would you take people from a different culture when they’ve got a higher
chance of failing? ...you know, turkeys don’t vote for Christmas.”
o Insufficient guidance on contextualisation in subject discipline
o Just another fashion?
“ There is a big spotlight on it for a period of time and then it sort of diminishes really. It
moves on to something else and I think it’s about sustaining that kind of level of
focus...”
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16. The need to ‘break the mould’
Students and staff agreed that majority of GCU students lack international
ambition and awareness.
Academics
“ (they) have a long way to go ... (for them) global citizenship would be an
aspiration , I would say, because, to be frank, we have an agenda on
Scotland that encourages students to stay at home”
“ I feel that students are happy to take a lesser job, but it’s one that allows
them to remain within the area.”
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17. Students
“ they (home students) are not even interested in any culture...they are
friendly, but they don’t want to know anything about different countries.”
(international student)
Staff survey
37% : majority of home students are aware of international issues
42%: minority are aware
20%: not aware
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18. The way forward: sharing responsibility
The student view
 It is up to students to show initiative and interest but they
need to be encouraged and supported.
“I think it should be promoted more, but it should be down to you as well...I’d
say 60% it should be you going for it, but you do need the support and
background to guide you in the right direction.”
 Make ‘international modules’ compulsory and assess
knowledge
“I think it wouldn’t be enough if you just told people. I think it needs to be
marked. Otherwise there is no point.”
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19. The academic view
 Do not rely exclusively on the champions
“ I think ... it’s not really happening. It’s not happening in any consistent way
across the university. So that’s a big problem.”
 Adopt a “carrot and stick approach”
“there has to be some kind of structural mandate that makes them (engage)
even if they don’t in their hearts of hearts believe in it...they have to do it
...because it is expected of them.”
 Take a flexible approach to curriculum design
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20. Review
and
reflect
Imagine
Revise
and plan
Act
Evaluate
Where do we start?
The process of internationalising the curriculum
(Leask and Bridge, 2013)

21. Where is GCU on the “spectrum of acceptance”?
(Bell, 2004)
Survey results
IoC is essential and should be integrated: 51%
IoC is possible but not essential: 40%
IoC is not required: 9%

22. “Interpretations and enactments of
internationalisation of the curriculum in
context require critical reflection, imagination
and careful nurturing. “
(Leask and Bridge, 2013, p. 98)

23. References
Bell, M (2004) Internationalising the higher education curriculum – Do academics
agree?
http://uow.academia.edu/maureenbell/Papers/258073/Internationalising_the_Higher_
Education_Curriculum_Do_Academics_Agree
Glasgow Caledonian University, Internationalisation Strategy 2012-2015
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/media/gcalwebv2/international/Internationalisation_Brochure_2
013_web.pdf
Leask, B (2009) ‘Using formal and informal curricula to improve interactions between
home and international students’. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13
(2), pp 205-221
Leask, B and Bridge, C (2013) Comparing internationalisation of the curriculum in action
across disciplines: theoretical and practical perspectives, Compare, 2013, vol 43, no
1, pp 79-101
Reid, S, Stadler, S, Spencer-Oatey, H and Ewington, N (2010) Internationalisation in the
UK Higher Education Sector: A Competency based Approach, University of Warwick