Internationalisation: understanding student needs in Higher Education

Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Ewan Woodley

Outline

• Internationalisation of the curriculum: feasible frameworks or false hope?

• Flexible Combined Honours: developments in degree design

• Recognising diverse requirements: geographies of choice architecture

• New landscapes in UK Higher Education

Defining internationalisation in Higher Education

‘A comprehensive strategy that integrates some combination of international experiences, cross-border provision of education, and multicultural perspectives into institutions’ broader research, teaching and engagement missions’

National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, 2004, in Biles and Lindley (2009)

‘The ideal international curriculum provides equably for the learning ambitions of all students, irrespective of their national, ethnic, cultural, social class/caste or gender identities’.

Haigh (2002). Journal of Geography in Higher Education

Rethinking the internationalisation agenda

De Vita and Case (2003)

Marketisation discourse and curriculum commodification

• Reductionist and cognitive ‘western’ learning

• Knowledge dissemination rather than multiple learning modes

• The source of knowledge and its construction

vInternationalisation of the curriculum

Haigh (2002)

• Hybrid institutions – universal aspiration versus local actualities

• The term encompasses a diversity of prior experiences, skills and expectations

• The assumption of prior knowledge about teaching and learning practices

‘Universities may have to temper their desire for international student dollars with a realistic appraisal of the degree of diversity that their own programmes can handle’.

Flexible Combined Honours

• Combining subjects (two or more disciplines)

• Vary proportion of subjects between years of study

• Degree title recognition of diversity

• Adapt interests and career ambitions

• Create a themed pathway

Increasing appeal of a bespoke degree

Flexible Combined Honours

Two strategic opportunities

1. To promote this type of degree to a wide range of prospective international students with specific requirements that may not be satisfied through single honours programmes

2. To provide UK students with the opportunity for increased freedom in subject choice and to satisfy the increasing demand for study and work placements abroad

vGeographies of choice architecture

The presentation of choice

• How decisions may be influenced by the choices that are presented

Johnson et al. 2008 – tools of choice architecture

• How many alternatives?

• the role of technology and decision aids

• Default choices

• Choice over time – uncertainty

• Structure and the search process

Tuning degree choices to target audiences

Understanding and addressing diversity in market demands

• The North American market – strong tradition of liberal arts

• The Chinese market – emphasis on links with business

• The Indian market – a significant interest in engineering/computing based subjects

Tuning degree choices to target audiences

Understanding the needs of UK students

• A desire to study a foreign language

• An increasing range of institutions offering study abroad placements

• Work placements abroad

• Specific FCH modules

New landscapes in UK Higher Education

Innovative internationalisation frameworks

• The future of single honours programmes

• The infrastructure to accompany a changing landscape

• Understanding student needs – change is within the system

• What do employers require/desire?

• Co-producing knowledges – redesigning degree options