Abstract:

Internationalisation of higher education is not a new concept. Knight (1994) summarised the elements of internationalisation identified by previous researchers, including the work of Harari (1989, cited in Knight, 1994) who had included curricular development and the creation of an international ethos on campus, alongside integrated and strategic planning and commitment from senior leadership as key components. Knight identified the curriculum as ‘the backbone of the internationalisation process’ (p.6). Since then, the pedagogical and societal imperative of an internationalised approach to higher education, and the concept of ‘internationalisation at home’, recently more specifically framed as ‘internationalisation of the home curriculum’, has been the focus of a vast body of research.

While most, if not all, universities and higher education institutes have recognised the financial, strategic and pedagogical benefits of internationalisation and have embedded it in their mission statements, the extent to which this is evidenced by an explicitly internationalised curriculum is less clear. To date our University has been guided by a strategic plan which includes among its stated priorities sustainability, international collaborations, trans-European alliances, increased mobility, international research and language learning opportunities. Moreover, the graduate attributes conceived for our graduates include ethical, social, intercultural, environmental awareness and responsiveness.

The aim of the project described and reflected upon here was to develop a framework through which we could examine whether, how and where the attainment of the goals listed above can be expressly facilitated by the incorporation of the principles of Internationalisation of the Home Curriculum in programmes and modules across the Midlands campus of the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS).

To that end, a pilot study was undertaken comprising the following key strategic activities:
- A review of current literature relating to internationalisation of the home curriculum, including direct consultation with one or more experts in the field;
- The design of an audit template (or adaptation of an existing template) to establish the extent of internationalisation in a chosen programme and its constituent modules;
- Consultation via questionnaire and subsequent focus group discussions to establish the views of faculty members and other stakeholders regarding internationalisation of the curriculum;
- The collation of recommendations and solutions for the enhancement and expansion of internationalisation for all students within the chosen programme;
- An evaluation of the pilot, culminating in a framework for the future implementation of an internationalised home curriculum across the Midlands campus of TUS.

The feedback received from the participants in this pilot indicates that the project was welcomed as an opportunity to collaborate in a process that was perceived as being clearly defined and focussed. Examining the extent of internationalisation at programme level allowed faculty consider where within the programme the desired graduate attribute of intercultural responsiveness and empathetic global citizenship could be attained, and how internationalisation of their individual modules could contribute to that goal.

Keywords:

Internationalisation at home, graduate attributes, sustainability, curriculum design.