1. INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME: WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE AND ARE WE EXPECTING TOO MUCH?
Innovations in Internationalisation at Home
University of Kent
5 April 2019 Canterbury
Charlene Earl
International Pathways Manager
University of Kent
Centre for English and World Languages (CEWL) / Kent International Pathways (KIP) –

2. Overview Brief overview: Background context
What does the research say?
What are we trying to achieve?
Activities:
Examples of internationalisation at home activities
What are the key foundations and objectives for successful internationalisation programmes and events?
What are the key learning outcomes and do we measure them?
Are we expecting too much?

3. Background context Late 1990s, Nilson (2003), Malmö University, Sweden
Internationally-focused on-campus activities
Aim:
to extend beyond mobility
aimed at the whole student body
to encourage interaction: domestic and international students
to gain deeper cross-cultural awareness
Internationalisation at home / Internationalisation of the curriculum
Beyond mobility: Open to all students who were not able to study abroad
The original definition of internationalisation at home (dating from 2001) was not very helpful: “Any internationally related activity with the exception of outbound student and staff mobility.”
Internationalisation of the curriculum refers to dimensions of the curriculum regardless of where it is delivered. In this sense it may include mobility for the students that choose that option,
or it can refer to curriculum for transnational or other forms of cross-border education.
Confusion centres around the overlap between internationalisation at home and internationalisation of the curriculum as it has developed as a concept, particularly in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Definition: Leask (2009 p.209) acknowledges that ‘Internationalisation of the curriculum is the incorporation of international, and /or global dimensions into the content of the curriculum as well as the learning outcomes, assessment tasks, teaching methods and support services of a program of study.’
Internationalisation at home (extra-curricular activities) / Internationalisation of the curriculum (co-curricular activities)

4. Background context
“Internationalisation at Home is the purposeful integration of international and intercultural dimensions into the formal and informal curriculum for all students, within domestic learning environments” (Beelen and Jones, 2017)
Definition coined by Beelen and Jones, 2017 and proposed in a 2015 publication, The European Higher Education Area
The definition stresses:
- inclusion of international and intercultural aspects into curricula in a purposeful way.
- This implies that adding or infusing random internationalised elements or electives would be insufficient to internationalise a programme. - It also emphasises the role of internationalisation for all students in all programmes and does not simply rely on mobility to offer international and intercultural perspectives. “domestic learning environments”, the definition makes it clear that these may extend beyond the home campus
and the formal learning context to include other intercultural and/or international learning opportunities within the local community. These may include working with local cultural, ethnic or religious groups;
using a tandem learning system or other means to engage domestic with international students;
or exploiting diversity within the classroom. It also includes technology-enabled or virtual mobility, such as through Collaborative Online International Learning.
It must be highlighted that these contexts may be seen as ‘learning environments’, but it is the articulation and assessment of internationalised learning outcomes within the specific context of a discipline that will allow such environments to be used as a means of achieving meaningful international and intercultural learning.

5. Background context
Internationalisation at home (since 2013) included in the European Commission’s education policy – European higher education in the world
Netherlands 76%, Europe 56% according to European Association for International Education (or EAIE Barometer )
It is not simply about policymaking…
Most European universities undertaking ‘activities’ to implement internationalisation at home - 64% of European HE institutions - European University Association
(Beelen and Jones, 2017)
European higher education in the world – it may be said that it has gained momentum and moved to the centre of the debate on the internationalisation of higher education.
Netherlands, 76% of universities have already included internationalisation at home curricula in their policies. For Europe, the percentage is somewhat lower at 56% (recently published European Association for International Education, or EAIE Barometer).
4. According to Trends 2015, the recently published survey of the European University Association, 64% of European higher education institutions are doing so.

6. What does the research say?
Domestic and international students often lead separate lifestyles (Bringle and Hatcher, 1999; Baldassar and Mulcock, 2012; Fechter, 2007; Gmelch, 1997; Jackson, 2010, Jackson, 2012; Laubscher, 1994).
Emphasis often placed on the objectives and outcomes (Barnick, 2010).
Specific focus of the outcomes - often missing within the content material (Amit, 2010; Baldassar and Mulcock, 2012; Donohue-Bergeler, 2011).
Outcomes achieved automatically by simply attending internationally-focused events?
More guided and structured = more likely to realise these outcomes
(Bringle and Hatcher, 1999; Soria and Troisi, 2014).
- It is perceived that in practice, domestic and international students often lead separate lifestyles,
Having limited occasions for engagement, in spite of consistent requests from international students to want to interact with domestic students.
Emphasis is often placed on the objectives and outcomes of enhancing cultural awareness and building cross-cultural competencies;
Skills which are suggested to be highly sought after in the international workforce
However, what is often deemed to be missing from programs that aim to improve cross-cultural competency and international citizenship
is the specific focus of these outcomes within the content material
- There is a tendency to believe that these outcomes will be achieved automatically by simply attending internationally-focused events.
- Programmes with activities that are more guided and structured are more likely to realise these outcomes

7. What does the research say?
HEA has developed a strategic framework – developed for the UK sector to inspire and assist in a key aspect of internationalising HE:
Framework intends to:
“prepare 21st century graduates to live in and contribute responsibly to a globally interconnected society”
“stimulate reflection and debate; to be a prompt to action”
“maximise relevance and future impact” (HEA, n.d.)
Internationalisation is of growing importance to HE within the UK and across the world,
AIM: HEA (leading national body for learning and teaching in the UK), developed a strategic framework. The framework has been developed for the UK sector, but may also have relevance for HE systems throughout the world.

8. What are we trying to achieve? …

9. Activity 1 Sharing examples of internationalisation at home activities

10. Activity 2 Group A: What are the key foundations and objectives for successful internationalisation programmes and events? Group B: What are the key learning outcomes and how do we measure them?
- Programmes with activities that are more guided and structured are more likely to realise these outcomes

11. Are we expecting too much? …
Collate post-it notes and produce an overview of responses to send to all attendees of this workshop

12. References
Amit, V. (2010). Student Mobility and Internationalisation: Rationales, Rhetoric and Institutional Isomorphism. Anthropology in Action. 17(1), pp.6-18 Baldassar, L. and Mulcock, J. (2012) Monash Prato Study Abroad Research Project: Final Report Prato, Italy: Monash University Prato Centre. [Online] Warwick University. Available from: [Accessed 18/11/18] Barnick, H. (2010). Managing Time and Making Space: Canadian Students’ Motivations for study in Australia. Anthropology in Action. 17(1), pp Beelen, J. and Jones, E (2017) Defining 'internationalisation at home‘[online] University World News, Available from: [Accessed: 29/03/19] Bringle, R. G. and Hatcher, J. A. (1999) Reflection in Service Making Meaning of Experience. Educational Horizons. 77(4), pp Donohhue-Bergeler, D. (2011). Beyond Sightseeing: The Learning Effects of Excursions within Study Abroad Context. Neues Curriculum: Journal for Best Practices in Higher Education German Studies. [Online]. Academia edu. Available from: [Accessed: 6/10/18]

13. References cont.
Fechter, M. (2007). Living in a bubble: Expatriates’ Transnational Spaces. pp In Amit, V. (eds), Going First Class? New Approaches to Privileged Travel and Movement. New York: Berghahn Books. Gmelch, G. (1997). Crossing Cultures: Student Travel and Personal Development. International Journal of Intercultural relations, 21(4), HEA (n.d.) Internationalising Higher Education Framework [Online] Available from: [Accessed 2/04//19] Jackson, J. (2010). Intercultural journeys: From Study to Residence Abroad. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillian. Jackson, J. (2012). The Routledge Handbook of Language and Intercultural Communication (ed). Oxford: Routledge. Laubscher, M. R. (1994) Encounters with Difference: Student Perceptions of the role of Out-or-class Experiences in Education Abroad. Westport, CT: Praeger. Nilsson, B. (2003). Internationalisation at Home from a Swedish Perspective: The Case of Malmö. Journal of Studies in International Education, 7(1), pp.27–40 Soria, K. M. and Troisi J. (2014). Internationalization at Home Alternatives to Study AbroaD: Implications for Students’ Development of Global, International, and Intercultural Competencies. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(3), pp

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