A Practical Framework for Internationalizing the Curriculum

Terry Fuller, Learning and Teaching Centre

Qin Liu, Institutional Planning and Analysis Office

CBIE Conference Toronto November, 2009

About BCIT

• One of the largest post secondary institution in BC specializing in technology and trades training

• Grants certificates, diplomas, and bachelors degrees

• Career oriented and job focused

• 5 major campus locations

Institutional Context

• Business

• Computing and Academic Studies

• Construction and the Environment

• Health Sciences

• Manufacturing, Electronics and Industrial Processes

• Transportation

Institutional Context

6 Academic Schools

Faculty

• Faculty recruited from business and industry

• Faculty development opportunities (ISWs e.g.)

Internationalization of the Curriculum

A curriculum which provides international and intercultural knowledge, skills, and abilities, aimed at preparing students (both domestic and international) for performing (professionally, socially, emotionally) in an international and multicultural context. (Nilsson, 2000)

A Working Definition

Research Questions• What is the understanding of faculty on

internationalizing the curriculum?

(Teaching Beliefs)

• What have faculty done to incorporate an international or intercultural dimension to their teaching? (Teaching Practices)

• What challenges do faculty face in incorporating an international or intercultural dimension into their teaching? (Challenges)

• What can be done to support internationalization of the curriculum efforts of faculty?

(Institutional Support)

• To what extent have students achieved learning outcomes with an international dimension?

(Learning Outcomes)

Conceptual Framework

• Strategies, approaches, learning outcomes

• Knight’s (2003) framework of internationalization

Internationalization at the institutional level:

- internationalization abroad

- internationalization at home

Methodology

Quantitative

• Faculty survey

– Sample size: 313; response rate: 17.7%

• Student survey

– Sample size: 328; response rate: 14.9%

Qualitative

• Individual interviews: 50 faculty members and 10 students

• Tangible impact of student diversity on internationalization

• Greater challenges in internationalizing course content

• Teaching practices vs. beliefs

Add-on approach vs. transformative approach

• Institutional support

Role of the Learning and Teaching Centre

• International and intercultural competencies are to some extent already being achieved

• Good news and challenges faced by non-university institutions

Summary of the Major Findings

• Engage the business community

• Support mobility programs for both faculty and students

• Support faculty development initiatives

• Interdisciplinarity across the curriculum which facilitates those disciplines like physics and math to internationalize

• Cross disciplinary team teaching

• Internationally Hip Series

Recommendations – All Levels

Recommendations – Program Level

Link curriculum reviews to internationalizing the curriculum – more transformational than an add-on or informal approach

Curriculum Reviews

Systematic method for acquiring internal and external feedback on the relevancy and organization of the program

Curriculum Reviews – Benefits• Improved communication among faculty and between faculty and

industry • Improved vision of the short-term and long-term purpose of a

program • Improved understanding of the program and of the importance of

each course within it • Increased opportunities and motivations to work together on related

teaching responsibilities • Improved understanding of institutional support for integrating new

content, professional development opportunities, and opportunity to try other teaching and learning strategies

• Opportunity to internationalize the curriculum at the program levelby linking the discipline to international issues or events

• Opportunity to internationalize by incorporating intercultural competencies in to the learning and teaching practices

• Learning outcomes

• Assessment

• Content

• Learning strategies/activities

• Resources

Curriculum Reviews

Encourage instructors to include those learning outcomes in revised courses which reflect an internationalized curriculum, such as:

Curriculum Reviews

Curriculum Reviews

Students will learn to:• Work effectively in a cross cultural team environment

• Resolve conflict in a team environment with multiple perspectives

• Complete projects/assignments in which all perspectives are considered and consensus reached for inclusion

• Adapt to varying intercultural learning, working and communication styles (Deardorff, 2008)

Intercultural Outcomes

Curriculum Reviews

Students will learn to:

• Analyze the impact of a global event on the BC tourism

• Analyze the impact of a national issue or event in China to the biotechnology industry in BC

• Explore critical global environmental issues

• Explore how patterns of cultural dominance have influenced the development of knowledge and practice with a discipline (Leask, 2008)

International Outcomes

Recommendations – Course Level

• Use technology (Catt Traks II)

• Promote multicultural and cross cultural awareness through learning experiences such as team work, interviewing students, sharing personal histories

• Link international issues to the discipline through case studies, interviews with experts, guest speakers.

Activity at the Program Level - 20 minutes*

Internationally hip series

An expert comes in to speak on:

• Internet crime and its impact on local business.

Or

• Immigration policy and its impact on human resources, and hiring practices of local businesses.

Or

• Your city winning the bid for the Olympics (or the Pan American games)

Link the issue to a particular discipline, and generate ideas for assignments, projects, case studies. Can you think of an exercise/assignment that would be interdisciplinary?

*This is an initiative that would cross disciplines.

Activity at the Course Level

Problem : Students are having problems getting their assignment done.

• Student assignment: team is assigned to do a comparative analysis of waste and recycling programs at post secondary institutions.

• Team has four members: one Russian woman, one Japanese woman, one woman from mainland China, and one Filipino man – all recent immigrants to Canada, all within their 20s.

CBIE participants break into teams

• Source of conflict within the team.

— Russian woman is a bit “egoistic” , assertive, more experienced, more outgoing and able to obtain face to face interviews by telephone contacts. She is “abrupt”, openly critical and shows impatience with the other team members. She doesn’t feel she should help the others because it isn't fair that she would end up doing all the work.

— The Japanese woman is very shy, inexperienced and when people don't return phone calls or emails, she doesn't know what to do.

— Chinese woman's English is not good and speaks with a heavy accent. She is young, inexperienced, quiet and does not understand what she is supposed to do. She wants everybody to get along.

— The Filipino man is not particularly assertive, speaks fluent English, and sympathizes with the Japanese and Chinese women: they think the Russian woman is “rude, abrupt, and contemptuous”.

— The dynamics are the three against the Russian woman.

What strategies would you recommend to the instructor to manage this?

Activity at the Course Level

Thank you!

www.bcitltc.com www.bcit.ca/files/about/pdf/stratplan.pdf

Thank you!

• Terry Fuller– Instructional Development Consultant

– Learning and Teaching CentreTerry Fuller

– 604-432-8204

– Terry_Fuller@bcit.ca

• Qin Liu– Research Analyst

– Institutional Planning and Analysis

– 604-451-1159

– Qin_Liu@bcit.ca