Internationalisation, Diversity and Inclusion Emerita Professor of the

Internationalisation, Diversity and Inclusion

Emerita Professor of the

Internationalisation of Higher Education

@elspethjones
Elspeth Jones
www.elspethjones.com

University of Sheffield Learning and Teaching Conference 2013. Programme introduction

• ‘students who have experienced different life paths come with different expectations, different needs, different learning styles, and different ambitions.’
• ‘a crucial dimension of our discussions today is concerned with embracing diversity, and turning the diversity of our students and staff into a resource to enrich the university as a whole and everyone who has a role within it.’

Professor Paul White, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Learning and Teaching

What is ‘internationalisation?’
International student recruitment
League table positioning
International partnerships and networks
Internationalisation of research
Study abroad and exchange
Curriculum internationalisation for all
Internationalisation which is ‘transformational’ rather than merely ‘symbolic’? (Turner and Robson 2008)
Domesticnon-mobile students
Domestic students who have ‘studied’ abroad
Students from other countries who have come to the UK to study
Diversity Wheel, Loden 1996
Domestic students who have ‘studied’ abroad
Domesticnon-mobile students
Students from other countries who have come to the UK to study

Curriculum internationalisation is for all students

Even if domestic graduates never leave their own country, on graduation they will be forced to compete in international, or multinational, work and discovery environments.
Zimitat (2008)

• Intercultural competence
• Global perspectives

What do we mean
by ‘intercultural
competence?
‘cross-cultural capability’, ‘intercultural sensitivity’ and ‘cultural fluency’
increasing body of literature linking internationalisation with multiculturalism, equity and diversity (Killick, 2006; Clifford and Montgomery 2011; Fitch and Desai 2012)
Intercultural competence - not knowledge of a single culture but operating effectively across cultures
Exposure to ‘otherness’
Making the familiar seem strange
Means challenging our own identity, values, assumptions and stereotypes and those of our students
Learning about cultural ‘others’ and seeing the world from their perspective
Intercultural competence required to operate effectively in global contexts is equally important for increasingly diverse and multicultural local communities
Multicultural classrooms - resource to be used purposefully to help develop intercultural skills for all students
Requires an inclusive approach to curriculum and pedagogy and to recognise and value cultural insights which our students (and staff) can offer