1. Internationalisation, Diversity and Inclusion
Elspeth Jones
Emerita Professor of the Internationalisation of Higher Education
@elspethjones

2. University of Sheffield Learning and Teaching Conference 2013
University of Sheffield Learning and Teaching Conference 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

3. What is ‘internationalisation?’

4. 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)

5. Domestic students who have ‘studied’ abroad
Students from other countries who have come to the UK to study
Domestic students who have ‘studied’ abroad
Domesticnon-mobile students

6. Domestic students who have ‘studied’ abroad
Students from other countries who have come to the UK to study
Domesticnon-mobile students
Diversity Wheel, Loden 1996

7. 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

8. What do we mean by ‘intercultural competence?
increasing body of literature linking internationalisation with multiculturalism, equity and diversity (Killick, 2006; Clifford and Montgomery 2011; Fitch and Desai 2012)
‘cross-cultural capability’, ‘intercultural sensitivity’ and ‘cultural fluency’

9. Exposure to ‘otherness’
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

10. 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

11. Global perspectives, culture and inclusive curriculum
Influence of cultural background on values and actions
Understanding of professional, cultural and national contexts
Questions of cultural dominance and the implications for the subject
Issues of sustainability and global impact
Cultural considerations in professional practice

12. Internationalisation and employability
Employers are looking for graduates with first-hand experience of living and working among other cultures.
Fielden et al (2007)
79% of chief executives and board level directors of businesses in the UK think that in recruiting new employees, knowledge and awareness of the wider world is more important than achieving a high degree classification
British Council/Think Global, 2011

13. What skills do employers want
What skills do employers want? Prospects: the UK’s official graduate careers website
Self-reliance skills
Self-awareness
Proactivity
Willingness to learn
Self-promotion
Networking
Planning action
People skills
Team working
Interpersonal skills
Oral communication
Leadership
Customer orientation
Foreign language
General employment skills
Problem-solving
Flexibility
Business acumen
IT/computer literacy
Numeracy
Commitment
Specialist skills
Specific occupational skills
Technical skills

14. These are precisely the skills developed through international experience
Jones 2013, forthcoming

15. Intercultural competence
Example of outcomes from ‘study abroad’ (Jones 2010 and 2012)
Intercultural competence

16. Example of outcomes (Jones 2010 and 2012) Employability skills

17. If we view internationalisation as one dimension of diversity, it is clear that domestic environments could play an equivalent role in offering opportunities for experiential learning in an inter-cultural context, taking people beyond their comfort zones, and creating ‘disorienting dilemmas’ (Mezirow) by engaging with cultural otherness.

18. Offering intercultural experiences for non-mobile students
How do we encourage domestic/international student interaction within and beyond the curriculum? Engagement with local multicultural society – do we ask our students and make the most of their contacts? Are we using what students returning from overseas have learned and can offer others?

19. Resources
Higher Education Academy – International pages (especially on working with international students)
Internationalisation of the curriculum (Betty Leask OLT fellowship)
Jan Goddard

20. Thank you
@elspethjones