Student Engagement with Internationalisation of the Curriculum Siobhan Devlin, University of Sunderland siobhan.devlin@

1. Student Engagement with Internationalisation of the Curriculum Siobhan Devlin, University of Sunderland siobhan.devlin@sunderland.ac.uk In seeking to examine why student engagement with internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC) is often problematic or disappointingly low, this poster presents the point of view that there is good practice ‘on the ground’ – in classrooms, among students, among academics and student support facilities, but that this ‘bottom-up’ enthusiasm fails to become embedded in all we do because it fails to meet with ‘top-down’ commitments which can be vague, too high level, or simply aimed at increasing international student numbers. For institutional strategy and actual practice to match up, there needs to be a common understanding of what internationalisation means, who it’s for and who are international students. The poster provides some discussion of the activities that may constitute IoC, posits reasons why student engagement in these areas might be lacking, and offers ideas as to how they might be remedied. A few years ago I asked my students: “Should the focus of PDP be specific to your culture/nationality?” A UK student replied: “That would be useful for the overseas students”. Either this is a viewpoint that culture = something that other people have, or it is an awareness by students that current PDP is ethnocentric. The message needs to be loud and clear from our executives to our whole student body that they are all international students! We need high level, strategic commitment to internationalisation which Knight (2003) defines as introducing international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of postsecondary education including: • Supporting language and cultural exchange in and out of the curriculum • Challenging cultural attitudes and behaviours of staff and students • Reviewing employability strategies. Internationalising activities Student Engagement Study Abroad Classroom activities/curriculum design Placements/ enhancing employability “International” students do this by coming to UK! Poor curriculum design/pressure to teach more students in less contact time? Pressure to ensure ‘subject-based knowledge’ learning outcomes achieved leaves little room for inclusion of these important ‘other’ skills? Other/transferable skills sidelined to extracurricular activity. International students and staff not considered as valuable resource. Tutors’ attitudes? No change in methodology to match changes in student body – no managed interaction of diverse student groups. Students’ attitudes? domestic students positive about presence of IS but may lack interest or will to develop/initiate contact, believing it is foreigners’ responsibility to integrate into host community (Sanchez, 2004; Ward 2006). Fear of communicating across culture – need curricular and co-curricular initiatives designed to improve language fluency and cross-cultural competence ( as for example in Skidmore et al, in process). How to get home students to do this – when they have home/family commitments? Demonstrate it can enhance final grades/improve degree attainment. Small steps – short overseas visits, travel grants, shorter mobility periods. Virtual mobility – using online methods to link with overseas centres, foreign or partner institutions. Exploit offshore campuses to facilitate study abroad. Need for structured opportunities to develop the ability to work confidently in multi-national teams; knowledge of different business methods, legislation and ways of working; understanding and appreciating different cultures; confidence when working in and with different cultures (i.e. the skills in the 2004 DfESreport). Make use of multinational companies to stress importance of global skills to local students. initiatives designed to gain international student work experience. Where accreditation is not viable engage students through peer relationships and evidence of ‘value for time’. Study Abroad ‘at home’ Mechanisms to create sense of belonging for students in off shore campuses/partner colleges.