Process

It is essential from the beginning to confirm what is being talked about when referring to internationalisation. First meetings should focus on clarifying goals, purpose and scope as well as providing a space to discuss what internationalisation and internationalisation of the curriculum means.

The steps generally followed in this stage of the process involves:

Step 1. Identifying the team

• Identifying key stakeholders, supporters, advocates, and institutional leaders and considering how you will engage and communicate with them
• Being inclusive and inviting consultation from outside of one’s discipline
• Including students as co-designers or as partners in the process

Step 2.  Clarifying, evaluating and problematising.

The goal is to understand the context (blockers and enablers) in order to move forward.

First, achieve conceptual precision (according to community needs and institutional strategic planning) and a stable rationale (why).

The core question in the review and reflect stage is:

• To what extent is our curriculum internationalised?

Applying the design thinking approach in the review and reflect stage involves teams in the processes of Empathizing [external link to https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/empathize] and Defining [eternal link to https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/stage-2-in-the-design-thinking-process-define-the-problem-and-interpret-the-results]. In Empathizing, the goal is to understand the user to define the problem and design a solution. Empathizing, means you approach your user as a naïve and curious outsider. This can lead to the identification of rich insights (Gottieb, et al., 2017) and help define what needs to be changed in order to move forward creatively. The core question in Empathizing is:

• Who is my user and what are their needs?

In the design thinking approach, after Empathizing is Defining. The goal Defining is to reflect on objectives and desired outcomes. The core question in this stage is

• How might we…?

A useful tool in this step is the internationalisation of the curriculum (QIC) [hyperlink to internal page]

Step 3. Discussing responses

Step 4. Deciding what to do next

Activities associated with this stage might also include:

• Establishing/reviewing/reflecting on the rationale for internationalisation of the curriculum in the program
• Reviewing content, teaching and learning arrangements and assessment in individual courses and across the program in relation to internationalisation of the curriculum
• Reviewing student evaluation and feedback in relation to international and intercultural elements of the curriculum
• Comparing and contrasting feedback on different elements of the program from international students and local/domestic students
• Comparing and contrasting feedback on different elements of the program from international students and local/domestic students
• Reviewing feedback from other stakeholders such as community, employers, professional associations, industry and government stakeholders (Local, Regional, and or National)
• Reviewing institutional goals related to internationalisation and/or internationalisation of the curriculum and the alignment of the program with these
• Reflecting on achievements and identifying possible areas for improvement
• Negotiating meaning.

Key resource 

A stimulus for reflection and discussion, the questionnaire on internationalisation of the curriculum (QIC) [hyperlink to internal page] assists staff to identify what is already happening and, where appropriate, what action might be taken to further internationalise the program.

It prompts staff to think beyond their unit to consider the broader context of what is happening in other units as well as the institutional context in which the program is taught. They are prompted to discuss individual elements of the curriculum such as content, assessment and teaching and learning arrangements across the entire program.