Project funded by Department of Foreign Affairs of Australia in partnership with Curtin University and La Trobe University
The Center of Internationalization of Education Brazil-Australia, an initiative involving PUCRS and the Embassy of Australia in Brazil, was awarded funding from the Council on Australia Latin America Relations (COALAR) and will now lead the project Internationalization of Higher Education in Latin America, in partnership with Curtin University, and La Trobe University, from Australia. The initiative seeks to establish a network of professionals interested in the internationalization of the Curriculum (IoC), involving researchers from Latin America and Australia.
Given the impacts of the pandemic and the understanding of internationalization being much more than academic mobility, the project seeks to establish more inclusive perspectives using the concepts of internationalization of the curriculum and internationalization at home adopted in different countries. The project relies on the expertise of internationally-recognized references on the topic, such as Australian professor Dr. Betty Leask, leader of the global project in the area, and Australian researcher Craig Whitsed.
The project will make PUCRS the branch office of IoC Global, a global initiative spearheaded by Betty Leask. The initiative will focus on the provision of support to the development of the internationalization of the curriculum, as well as of increasing resources and professional development opportunities to support universities and staff to prepare all graduates to live and work in a global society.
For that purpose, the working group is now preparing for different stages, including an analysis of current practices in the internationalization of the curriculum in Latin America, review, contextualization and translation of materials on the topic into Portuguese and Spanish, development of a series of webinars for professional development and creation of a network of dedicated researchers and specialists. For Carla Cassol, executive coordinator of Office for International Cooperation, the project will enable a significant progress in the internationalization of higher education in Latin America, and may become a milestone in the area. “By channeling internationalization efforts onto teaching and learning, we are fulfilling the university’s mission in terms of internationalization as we prepare all graduates to live and work in a globalized world. It is internationalization as a means to get to the end and build a socially just, ecologically correct and economically viable society”, she comments.
For Matthew Johnston, Counsellor for Education and Science at the Australian Embassy in Brazil, the provision of international experiences during the academic training are important in creating global citizens with the skills, knowledge and experience the world will need. “Australia is one of the top destinations for international education in the world and has benefited greatly from this internationalization, especially in terms of high quality higher education and positive student experience,” he says.
For the representative of the Australian government, the IoC LATAM initiative will build closer international relations in education between Australia and Latin America, as a number of strategies to internationalize the curriculum will be shared and adapted, and a number of opportunities for international collaboration for the mutual benefit of all parties, particularly students, will be provided.
On Jun 22, at 7 PM, the branch office will be launched on an online conference via Zoom. Three sessions will be delivered:
The event will be in English. Simultaneous interpreting will be provided in Portuguese and Spanish. The event is open to everyone. Here is the ID: on this link (ID936 2323 9960 Password: 281037).
