Internationalising the Content of Higher Education – the need for a curriculum perspective
(2010) In Higher Education 60(6). p.595-613- Abstract
- Internationalisation of higher education is a strategic theme in current research on higher education and policy debate. Both at national and institutional levels, in many countries, internationalisation is stated to be an educational goal. However, the dominant discourse on internationalisation of higher education in research and research-based discussions tends to be framed by political, economic and organisational perspectives, rather than informed by educational considerations. There is also a tendency to place internationalisation in higher education within the conceptual frame of economic globalisation and the increasing trade in educational services worldwide. While such discussions may shed light on various organisational,... (More)
- Internationalisation of higher education is a strategic theme in current research on higher education and policy debate. Both at national and institutional levels, in many countries, internationalisation is stated to be an educational goal. However, the dominant discourse on internationalisation of higher education in research and research-based discussions tends to be framed by political, economic and organisational perspectives, rather than informed by educational considerations. There is also a tendency to place internationalisation in higher education within the conceptual frame of economic globalisation and the increasing trade in educational services worldwide. While such discussions may shed light on various organisational, political or economic issues, this research does not give a pedagogical basis for the internationalisation of higher education in terms of teaching and learning. In particular, questions relating to the internationalisation of content and learning outcomes need to be addressed. A series of studies conducted in Sweden 1999-2007 by the authors indicates that the didactical realisation of internationalisation as an educational goal can be very elusive. In our findings, the concrete content considered by teachers and students to represent internationalisation did not follow any clear pattern or goal. Internationalisation was assumed to be represented by some form of ‘general knowledge’ and general human qualities, without considering cultural differences. Institutionalised curriculum thinking as a basis for developing internationalisation was lacking. Concrete thinking was very much restricted to organisational and administrative aspects, and thoughts concerning content and learning outcomes tended to be expressed in idealised and general terms, rather than developed into clarifying and useful specifications underpinned by curriculum theory. Certain consequences ensuing from this situation are discussed, and a curriculum approach to internationalisation of higher education is suggested. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1552079
- author
- Svensson, Lennart LU and Wihlborg, Monne LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2010
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- SoTL, Internationalisation, Pedagogical dimension, Higher education
- categories
- Higher Education
- in
- Higher Education
- volume
- 60
- issue
- 6
- pages
- 595 - 613
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000282973100003
- scopus:77958058647
- ISSN
- 1573-174X
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10734-010-9318-6
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Education (012013003), Division of Nursing (Closed 2012) (013065000)
- id
- a83a618e-cdac-46ae-815f-94ecb0f5c4a5 (old id 1552079)
- alternative location
- http://www.springerlink.com/content/13170v8121106565/
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 11:07:13
- date last changed
- 2022-03-12 19:59:00
@article{a83a618e-cdac-46ae-815f-94ecb0f5c4a5,
abstract = {{Internationalisation of higher education is a strategic theme in current research on higher education and policy debate. Both at national and institutional levels, in many countries, internationalisation is stated to be an educational goal. However, the dominant discourse on internationalisation of higher education in research and research-based discussions tends to be framed by political, economic and organisational perspectives, rather than informed by educational considerations. There is also a tendency to place internationalisation in higher education within the conceptual frame of economic globalisation and the increasing trade in educational services worldwide. While such discussions may shed light on various organisational, political or economic issues, this research does not give a pedagogical basis for the internationalisation of higher education in terms of teaching and learning. In particular, questions relating to the internationalisation of content and learning outcomes need to be addressed. A series of studies conducted in Sweden 1999-2007 by the authors indicates that the didactical realisation of internationalisation as an educational goal can be very elusive. In our findings, the concrete content considered by teachers and students to represent internationalisation did not follow any clear pattern or goal. Internationalisation was assumed to be represented by some form of ‘general knowledge’ and general human qualities, without considering cultural differences. Institutionalised curriculum thinking as a basis for developing internationalisation was lacking. Concrete thinking was very much restricted to organisational and administrative aspects, and thoughts concerning content and learning outcomes tended to be expressed in idealised and general terms, rather than developed into clarifying and useful specifications underpinned by curriculum theory. Certain consequences ensuing from this situation are discussed, and a curriculum approach to internationalisation of higher education is suggested.}},
author = {{Svensson, Lennart and Wihlborg, Monne}},
issn = {{1573-174X}},
keywords = {{SoTL; Internationalisation; Pedagogical dimension; Higher education}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{6}},
pages = {{595--613}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Higher Education}},
title = {{Internationalising the Content of Higher Education – the need for a curriculum perspective}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9318-6}},
doi = {{10.1007/s10734-010-9318-6}},
volume = {{60}},
year = {{2010}},
}