1. The International Classroom policy, principles and practices
Community of Practice
Internationalisation
@ Stenden
IC University of Groningen
Kevin Haines:
& Franka van den Hende & Catherine Meissner

2. Internationalisation at the University of Groningen
25,000 students (5,000 non-Dutch)
25% study abroad
More than 120 nationalities
35% ‘international’ academic staff
107 Master’s, 21 Bachelor’s, 11 Joint programs in English

3. International Classroom project: Policy: Why?
More international students and international staff (diversity) Produce higher quality and more innovative education European quality label CeQuint (Aerden 2014); evidence of the added value of internationalisation Create greater inclusion of all students and staff Achieve higher employability for all students

4. The International Classroom Project at Groningen
Generic principles Internationalizing the Curriculum (Carroll 2015; Leask 2015) ↓ Piloting, observation and evaluation Detailed case studies Medicine and Spatial Sciences Maths & Natural Sciences Adjusted principles with expert advice conceptual framework for programme & course levels (projects to support and enable the process) Faculty teams & proposals and (further) implementation from 1st May 2016

5. Generic principles
Tools for Teaching in an Educationally Mobile World Carroll 2015: Internationalizing the Curriculum Leask 2015:96-103

6. How? Generic Principles Internationalising the Curriculum
1: Focus on students as learners [transition]
2: Respect and adjust for diversity
3: Provide context-specific information and support [manage expectations]
4: Enable meaningful intercultural dialogue and engagement [designed interaction]
5: Be adaptable, flexible and responsive to evidence [meaningful evaluations]
6: Prepare students for life in a globalised world
[graduate attributes & employability]

7. Piloting, observation and evaluation
Detailed case studies with stakeholders at faculties Medical Sciences Spatial Sciences Maths & Natural Sciences

8. International Classroom project Practice: Why?
Vision on internationalisation at faculty and programme level can be enhanced
High impact of Dutch culture (local, disciplinary, academic)
Diversity can be used more as a resource
Learning outcomes based on international frameworks but not explicitly global and intercultural
Support required (tailor-made and integrated)
e.g. for language and intercultural competences
Important role for students (study associations)

9. How? Conceptual framework Programme level: teaching & learning
Raise and develop intercultural sensitivity, skills and an international attitude in both teachers and students. Where appropriate, assess these aspects and align with international learning outcomes.

10. International Classroom: The lecturer perspective
“The Chinese learner has been very much considered a ‘passive learner’ who does not contribute during lessons. But now, I know that silence is also very important for learning in some cultures. It is learning for me actually …
now, I learn to be silent sometimes.”
University Teacher (Welikala 2012: 52)
We find that this diversity has an impact on teachers too. And the impact is not only linguistic but also cultural.

11. How? Conceptual framework Classroom level: teaching & learning
Encourage students to participate in discussions, develop critical thinking, and encourage and create chances for students to use their background and experiences as examples.

12. International Classroom: the student perspective
“I really liked the whole integration of culture along with the really real medical issue. It’s the end of life, how are you supposed to treat people, etcetera. Especially with the discussion later in the coach group meeting with all the different opinions, you really do realize, it’s true I am in a really international group right now.”
Maja, 2nd Year Swedish Medical Bachelor’s student
Haines 2015

13. Using diversity as a resource
“Interaction is planned into courses, projects and assessment as a normal learning tool – and seen as one requiring support.”
Carroll (2015: 116)

14. International Classroom: Programme manager perspective
“These people come together in one group from totally different educational systems, and you have to pay attention to that fact. They come from different backgrounds, with different philosophies about how you learn.”
Alida: Programme Manager Medical Faculty
(Haines et al 2015: 164)

15. Elon Statement on Writing Transfer
“Writers consistently draw on prior knowledge in order to navigate within the various contexts for writing and learning.” Elon University 2013: 4

16. “I don’t teach language”
“I don’t think I take responsibility for training them in English. I don’t correct their work in English”.
Physics lecturer, Airey 2012: 75

17. International Classroom: Student perspectives
“Since I had done the International Baccalaureate, I knew how to write an essay and I knew how to put my ideas down nicely.
And I thought there was quite some discrepancy in the quality of the essays.”
Vincent, Lithuanian Medical Bachelor’s graduate
We start with some recognisable examples or ‘snapshots’. In the International Classroom there is a wide diversity of student needs…

18. International Classroom: Student perspectives
“They expect you to be able to do academic writing, but you have never done it before.
There’s also a lot of diversity in what has been done before.”
Vera, 2nd Year Dutch Medical Bachelor’s student
We know that the CEFR can help us to understand these differing needs, for example the difference in academic English between a B2 and a C1 student (2001: 62)

19. Feedback to Vincent (research training report)

20. Feedback to Vincent (research training report)

21. Feedback to Vincent (research training report)

22. Purposeful feedback
“To be effective, feedback needs to be clear, purposeful, meaningful, and compatible with students’ prior knowledge and to provide logical connections”.
Hattie & Timperley 2007: 104
The word ‘purposeful’ keeps coming back in articles that are fundamental in discussing what we do in Higher Education.

23. International Classroom at University of Groningen: How
International Classroom at University of Groningen: How? Integrated Design Project (2014)

24. Making the familiar strange
I find it difficult to make the familiar strange, for the power of the familiar is overwhelming.
Wisniewski 2000: 19
We find that this diversity has an impact on teachers too. And the impact is not only linguistic but also cultural.

25. Principles & the International Classroom Project at Groningen
Generic principles ↓ Piloting, observation and evaluation Detailed case studies Adjusted local principles with expert advice conceptual framework Faculty teams & proposals and (further) implementation from 1st May 2016 Evaluating progress February-April 2017

26. Understanding diversity
Case study at University College with project supervisors
“I realized that extrovert behaviour is highly valued in our projects.”
“I felt that gender has something to do with the dis-functioning of the group.”
“Our aim is to look through a diverse lens to consider problems in all their complexity – you have to be open to all possibilities.”

27. Cultures in the international university Westerholm & Räsänen (2015), adapted from Flowerdew & Miller 1995

28. Complexity: A state of becoming
”Intercultural competence is a
state of becoming, rather than a destination. Hence it is particularly important to explore pedagogies that will assist students to enter this state of becoming interculturally competent.”
Leask 2015: 63
We find that this diversity has an impact on teachers too. And the impact is not only linguistic but also cultural.

29. Enabling projects
1. Learning Communities: inclusion
2. Flipped Classrooms: active learning
3. Language & Culture policy promotes:
development of English, Dutch and any other relevant language among all staff and students
development of intercultural awareness and sensitivity

30. 4. The project
Educational Quality at Universities for inclusive international Programmes (EQUiiP) project Modules for the use of educational developers and teacher trainers working with university teaching staff in internationalized programmes.

32. Mutual engagement
It is more important to know how to give and receive help than to try to know everything yourself. Wenger 1998: 76

33. Useful references
Carroll, Jude Tools for Teaching in an Educationally Mobile World. Abingdon: Routledge. Haines, Kevin Imagining oneself: Narrative evaluations of the professional identities of learners in a transnational higher-educational setting. Learning & Teaching 8(1). 30–49. Leask, Betty Internationalizing the Curriculum. Abingdon: Routledge. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press.