Shouldn’t all faculties be international? The International Faculty at Leeds Metropolitan University

Abstract

Embracing internationalisation as a powerful force for change can enrich the learning experience for home and international students, enhance employability skills and provide opportunities to develop global citizenship. This paper offers one model for achieving the institutional change which may be required. Leeds Metropolitan University has implemented a comprehensive internationalisation strategy in line with its vision and values and aligned with policies on diversity and multiculturalism. The paper outlines how the International Faculty has played a key role in leading and supporting change, but argues ultimately for its demise as all faculties become more international in focus.

Keywords:

• internationalisation strategy
• global perspectives
• cultural change
• curriculum internationalisation
• diversity
• employability
• international volunteering

Introduction

The emerging literature on internationalisation suggests that growing numbers of universities are viewing the issues from multiple angles. It seems to be generally accepted that internationalisation is a process and a journey, as evidenced by the frequent citing of Jane Knight’s (2004) definition ¹ in the writing of internationalisation strategies and publishing in the field, or indeed the Knight and de Wit (1995) definition ² which preceded it. In many institutions, the pendulum is beginning to swing from international student recruitment for financial gain through an emphasis on pedagogy and support for these students (for example Carroll and Ryan 2005, Dunn and Wallace 2008) to a position where now, increasingly, the presence in universities of international students and scholars is recognised as being beneficial to campus diversity and a potential source of support for cross-cultural perspectives on learning, experience and knowledge for all students (Brown and Jones, 2007). No doubt a contributing factor to this change in focus is the recognition that good experiences reported by international students may result in word-of-mouth recommendations and thus further income. However, Luker asserts that seeking to enhance the international student experience merely to protect income streams will only work as an ‘integral part of a broader strategy for internationalisation that is not motivated by profit’ (Luker, 2008: 12).

The North American higher education (HE) sector talks of ‘comprehensive internationalisation’ and this is often conceived of as a combination of ‘study abroad’ and ‘campus internationalisation’. However, the former has a broad definition in comparison with its meaning in the UK and elsewhere, which tends to limit the term to academic placements. Service learning, international volunteering, faculty-led study tours and internships are encompassed in the USA and Canada within the notion of ‘study abroad’ or ‘education abroad’ and are increasingly viewed as helping to develop ‘intercultural competence’ (see, for example, Savicki, 2008). The kind of holistic approach implied by the term ’comprehensive internationalisation’ began to be implemented at Leeds Metropolitan University (Leeds Met) in 2003, with the development of its first internationalisation strategy. This paper reports on progress to date and how the International Faculty has contributed to these developments and to the cultural change necessary to support the delivery of strategic goals.

Context

Until 2003, along with most UK institutions, income-driven student recruitment was the international focus, while a number of ‘active internationalists’ were seeking to influence senior colleagues in taking a broader view. Leeds Met has around 4,000 international students from 120 source countries and, while it is undeniable that there are financial benefits from international student recruitment, the real impact of international students is of a different order and relates to essential aspects of the educational process (Brown and Jones, 2007). Ultimately, in 2003, the drafting of an internationalisation strategy enabled the university community to deliberate on a better reflection of institutional values through an expanded approach to internationalisation. This was and is part of a broader debate in the university around ethics, sustainability and global responsibility, all of which link well with a more holistic interpretation of the term. The 2004–2008 internationalisation strategy ³ reframed the recruitment of international students within this ethical context.

Aligned with a developing statement of vision and character, internationalisation was to be embraced as a powerful force for change (Taylor, 2004). Through it we sought to enrich the learning experience for home and international students, enhance employability skills and provide opportunities to develop global citizenship through this values-based approach. ‘World-Wide Horizons’ was the concept which reflected these values as Leeds Met declared it was striving to be ‘a world-class regional university with world-wide horizons using all our talents to the full’ (Leeds Met, 2006). All six elements of the strategy, only one of which related to international recruitment, were to receive equal emphasis in order to develop a shared understanding that the aim was not simply to seek ever higher numbers of international students.

Establishing the International Faculty

Having an agreed strategy was only the starting point. Its implementation required radical reconsideration of all aspects of the university’s life and work if it were to achieve the ‘ongoing, future oriented, multi-dimensional, interdisciplinary, leadership-driven vision that involves many stakeholders working to change the internal dynamics of an institution to respond and adapt appropriately to an increasingly diverse, globally-focused, ever-changing external environment’ (Ellingboe, 1998: 199). The International Faculty and an international dean were created, with the faculty responsible for fostering and leading internationalisation across the university and the dean reporting direct to the vice-chancellor. A group of cognate subjects with broadly international themes, such as tourism, languages, hospitality and events, were brought together and new subject areas were developed, as a School of Applied Global Ethics, located in the faculty, was created to offer courses such as Development Studies, Peace and Conflict Resolution, and International Relations. A further focus of the faculty’s work was to promote international understanding and develop global perspectives across the curriculum for all students, both home and international. It would also lead on developing the worldwide horizons of staff to facilitate the internationalisation process.

Initially there was some concern that the faculty’s title would imply that all international activity and all international students would be based there. ’Shouldn’t all faculties be international?’ was a common question in the early days, and the prevailing view that internationalisation was about international students took some time to be challenged comprehensively. However, it rapidly became clear that the faculty was offering information and support across the whole university to staff and students, not only those who worked in or whose programmes were based in the International Faculty. The faculty would lead on initiatives such as curriculum internationalisation and staff development but the intention was to contextualise international activity within all faculties and administrative areas and to assist them in becoming more international.

The notion of internationalisation being fundamental to the experience of home students has gained increasing acceptance, and what some saw initially as a random grouping of disparate subjects brought together under a faculty title has proved its value in facilitating the relatively rapid progress which has been made. Yes, of course, all faculties should be international, but in 2003 they patently were not. Some of the subjects which protested most loudly that they did not need assistance, since their discipline was by its very nature international, were actually the least internationalised of all. After some initial scepticism, there has been widespread support for the faculty’s lead role in internationalisation.

The faculty’s university-wide remit was reinforced by the location of key administrative and support functions within it. The international office is based in the International Faculty, enabling market intelligence to be tested from an academic perspective with a view to developing new programmes, partnerships or alternative forms of delivery overseas. Where programmes are based in one of the other five faculties, it has been easier for academics from the International Faculty to persuade academics in those faculties of the merits of an opportunity, as they themselves have already considered the implications for delivery. By contrast, proposals made from the international office when it was a separate central function were not always responded to so positively. In return, academic considerations became more widely understood by the international marketing team through closer contact with academic colleagues.

International student applications, admissions and support are also located in the International Faculty, along with English language preparation and support programmes. This offers a one-stop shop for international students and a source of information throughout their studies delivered by people who understand their specific needs. This has been particularly helpful for those on courses with few international students and where staff may have limited experience. Organising the welcome and social programmes for international students and cross-university English language support helps staff to get to know all students, including those whose academic courses are not based in the International Faculty.

The development has meant that expertise remains centralised rather than distributed across the university. For example, fraudulent applications, which have increased in sophistication, are more easily recognised when all applications are processed in a single location. Responses to initiatives such as changes to visa requirements can be co-ordinated effectively. This pan-university role is also helpful for the exchanges and international volunteering offices which are located in the International Faculty. Again, expertise, support and promotion come from a single source but within an academic context that facilitates understanding and evaluation of the benefits of such programmes to students and indeed staff. This is enabling an increase in the number of courses that incorporate volunteering modules and study abroad as accredited elements, thus enhancing internationalisation of the curriculum.

The International Faculty has been responsible for leading on delivery of the internationalisation strategy, with the associated cultural change required in moving from an income-generation model to a values-driven approach. The next section will offer examples, one of which is mainly academic in focus and one which has a broad, democratic base.

The International Faculty and internationalisation of the curriculum

Simply having international students on campus or encouraging certain home students to study overseas is necessary but not sufficient to develop the global perspectives of the wider student body. Zimitat’s (2008) work shows the relative failure of home students to gain the most from student population diversity either in class or on campus, and he bemoans an ‘overemphasis on isolated, bolt-on initiatives (ie staff and student exchanges, study tours, multicultural days) that are not scalable, integrated with other strategies, or likely to sufficiently infuse a curriculum to achieve an educational impact on all graduates’ (Zimitat, 2008: 136). As part of its values-driven approach, Leeds Met sought to develop a flexible, integrated and discipline-focused internationalised curriculum to make curriculum access easier for international students while also developing the cross-cultural capability and global perspectives of all students and staff. This initiative was led by the International Faculty but delivered at faculty and programme level across the university.

Killick defines cross-cultural capability as the ability ‘to communicate effectively across cultures, to see one’s discipline and subsequent professional practice in cultural perspective, and to recognise the legitimacy of other cultural practices in both personal and professional life’ (Killick, 2009). Leeds Met’s strategic approach (Jones and Killick, 2007) saw the development of a pan-university framework document to identify and promote cross-cultural capability and global perspectives across the curriculum, in course content, methodology and extra-curricular opportunities (Leeds Met, 2003). With the support of experienced staff from the International Faculty, course teams were asked to use the framework to review their own subjects with the help of a series of enabling questions, as we were aware that, for many staff, their experience of curriculum internationalisation would be limited. The document offers examples to assist interpretation and to support further staff development. At the end of the document, members of the panuniversity teacher fellows network give suggestions on implementing the ideas in specific classroom environments or subject fields. A five-year programme was aligned with the standard processes of course approval and review to make it as straightforward as possible for course teams to integrate it with existing activity. This contextualised approach within a strategic framework has proved to be a helpful means of initiating and supporting curriculum internationalisation across the university. While inevitably some fields were more predisposed to internationalisation — subjects in social sciences have been particularly successful in integrating this approach ⁴ — sufficient progress has been made to form a strong basis for taking this to the next stage. We regard this merely as the first attempt and will continue an iterative process of review.

Webb (2005) identifies four phases of curriculum internationalisation:

1. International students studying alongside home students

2. Systematic curriculum development for internationalisation

3. Transnational operations and internationalisation of curriculum

4. Normalising internationalisation of curriculum: ‘turning the ad hoc and uneven efforts of a few enthusiasts into the normal expectations and requirements of the organisation’.

(Webb 2005)

To ‘normalise’ internationalisation, he makes the important point that while ’the development of organisation-wide systems is necessary for this to happen… such ‘culture change’ cannot be effected by university edict alone, but only through the creative utilisation of the imagination and agency of those who comprise the university’ (Webb, 2005: 117). Leeds Met’s strategic framework has facilitated such ‘normalisation’ by enabling subject specialists to determine how their own courses should interpret the guidelines, which were themselves developed by International Faculty experts in curriculum internationalisation. Leask (2008) argues that ‘an internationalised curriculum will develop and assess specific international perspectives (knowledge, skills and attributes) through the inclusion of international content and intercultural perspectives on knowledge’. At Leeds Met, the view was taken that those with specialist knowledge of each field would be best placed to incorporate such content with the support of the overarching framework document. Recognising the progress made to date, the framework document is to be reviewed in order to take us to the next stage.

The International Faculty and cultural change

‘If internationalisation is to have a chance of becoming embedded it must have the strong support of the Vice-Chancellor, but this is no guarantee that the academic community will either know about it or be willing to invest their time in making it happen. The university needs to communicate what internationalisation means in practical terms and it may not be enough to rely on high-level visionary statements in the corporate strategy. ’

(Fielden, 2008: 4.24)

Leeds Met recognised that corporate intent and support at senior levels was crucial but would not be sufficient to achieve the kind of culture change required by the strategy. In the days before blogs became ubiquitous, the international dean initiated a relatively simple idea which has both supported and reflected cultural change for internationalisation and helped to move the organisation from one which merely recruited international students to one which now embraces worldwide horizons.

A daily online International reflections ⁵ of exactly 200 words has appeared each weekday since September 2003, amounting to well over 1,000 testimonies from students, staff and friends of the university. The original intention was to raise awareness of internationalisation and to offer real examples that the term meant more than the recruitment of international students. In the early days it was not always easy to secure five contributions each week. Yet these daily postings have become much more than a source of information and have helped to bring about change in the institutional culture, while at the same time reflecting change within that culture through their growing sophistication (Jones, 2007). Several contributors note that engaging in the reflective process, and doing so in a public forum, is fundamental to the broader culture of academia, and it may be for this reason that the blog has been so enthusiastically embraced. It has been noted that, ’change strategies seem to be successful if they are culturally coherent or aligned with the culture’ (Kezar and Eckel, 2002), and this may be one reason for its success. Far from struggling to obtain a sufficient number of reflections each week, within a year 40 per cent more contributions were received than could be accommodated in the daily format. This further enhanced the quality of what was produced and the online archive reflects this progress.

Reflections may offer thoughts on other cultural perspectives, or of different viewpoints on life as an international student in the UK. Many postings talk of personal transformation as a result of an international experience or encounter. Support staff offer fascinating insights, including a university driver who surprised his colleagues by describing a Chinese wedding on Valentine’s Day 2008, which turned out to be his own. ⁶ We ask colleagues from international partner institutions and other visitors to make contributions. International alumni, students on exchange overseas and incoming exchange students offer their thoughts.

Reflections has created a focal point which draws staff, students, partners and competitors to the website each day. The ensuing discussion has, in turn, led to an increase in the quality of reflection and illustrates changed mindsets towards internationalisation, as shown by this example:

‘I believe that international Reflections have made the world a smaller place for me, made me understand diversity and given me the impetus and courage to go beyond boundaries by visiting Mexico last year and later this year Brazil. I could pick ten books on various countries in the world but I am more likely to remember ten 200 word Reflections. Thanks to everyone who has contributed.’ ⁷

Embedding internationalisation into the corporate mindset requires vision and leadership at the highest levels in the organisation, along with ‘buy in’ throughout the organisation. In the case of Leeds Met, daily ‘International reflections’ have helped to raise awareness across the institution of a changed approach to internationalisation, to support that buy in and to assist in changing the culture of the organisation. Not only do staff and students give positive feedback by writing their own reflections but others come from more distant sources:

‘I was at an Internationalisation of the Curriculum workshop … in Brisbane and … was sparked up [by] reflections … developed at Leeds Met. So I went looking. What a great idea. It empowers the students, empowers the staff and can be used as a teaching exercise for students as well.’ ⁸

Soon to reach its sixth anniversary, International reflections continues to be relevant as our international journey moves forward.

The International Faculty and internationalisation for all

In addition to internationalising the formal curriculum, students are engaged through regular informal curriculum opportunities throughout the year. These events and activities go beyond the structured programme of study but contribute to the overall student experience and help to make Leeds Met’s commitment to internationalisation visible, to some extent reflecting the North American notion of campus internationalisation. For the first few years these were organised largely by the International Faculty but, as the university’s worldwide horizons increased, other faculties, and indeed students themselves, have organised internationally themed events and activities.

These include academic and cultural events, seminars and exhibitions, festivals and national day celebrations. Language and culture fiestas and international film seasons have also been held. University restaurants serve a range of international foods daily and put on themed menus to celebrate national days and other occasions. In 2008, the inaugural ‘World-Wide Horizons’ festival was timed to coincide with International Education Week. Led by the International Faculty, other faculties made their own contributions resulting in a week-long celebration of internationalisation with lectures, videoconferencing opportunities to learn from international partners and students based overseas, parties, food, music and sporting events, all with an international theme. The aim of the week was to promote opportunities to study, work or volunteer overseas and to raise the profile of the international dimensions of university life. This was followed by student-led celebrations for Thanksgiving Day to promote the USA as a study abroad destination and for Australia Day to promote opportunities at partner universities in Australia and New Zealand.

Part of Leeds Met’s success in changing the culture around internationalisation has been to align it with other policy agendas and initiatives. Not only is internationalisation aligned with strategies such as assessment, learning and teaching, research and human resources policies, it has been considered as one aspect of multiculturalism, equality, diversity and inclusion. As a result, an important yet unexpected additional benefit has arisen from the celebration of diverse countries and cultures in the name of internationalisation. During the International Indian Film Academy awards weekend in Yorkshire, staff and home students from south Asian backgrounds expressed delight in the value the university placed on this culture:

‘On Saturday, along with members of my family, I attended the honorary doctorate awards presented to my childhood Indian film heroes including the famous Mr Amitabh Bachchan. [This] was a truly proud moment, giving fellow Indian staff, students and alumni … a sense of belonging, demonstrating Leeds Met’s commitment to becoming an international university crossing all boundaries.’ ⁹

In 2009, the annual celebration of St Patrick’s Day was expanded into a full Celtic festival, with similar impact:

‘As someone with both Irish and Welsh blood, the Leeds Met Celtic festival has … given me the opportunity to reflect about the two sides of my family who came to settle in London … and enabled me to paint a clearer picture of my own identity.’ ¹⁰

Leggott and Stapleford (2007) argue that international experiences enhance the employability skills of students and that employers are seeking the kind of communication, negotiating, self-sufficiency and self-efficacy skills which are developed through such experiences. In the light of this, more international opportunities for increasing numbers of students are planned, with a fourfold increase by the end of 2012 against 2007 benchmarks. This would be a difficult challenge through established one-semester or one-year exchange programmes, and in 2007 the International Faculty initiated a major project to boost student mobility through international volunteering. Global Citizen awards were introduced to accredit international experiences outside the formal curriculum, while, as noted earlier, increasing numbers of courses recognise the value of skills developed and are incorporating accredited volunteering modules into programmes of study.

International volunteers support community and conservation projects across six continents, typically for a three-week period. Organised and administered by the International Faculty in collaboration with partners overseas, 50 per cent of the costs are provided by the university to enable many to take part who otherwise could not afford to, and we supported fundraising, offering ideas from cake stalls to abseiling challenges, and sharing good practice.

Initial projects included building sustainable tourism trails in Indonesia, providing education, training and support for former leprosy sufferers in India, supporting a community centre in New York state, helping to develop tourism in South Africa in advance of the 2010 World Cup, supporting conservation projects in Australia and raising aspirations of Brazilian children from the ’favelas’ through sport. Returning students and staff talked of their lives being transformed by their experiences and research into its impact on students will be published later this year (Jones, 2009).

Since its inception, international volunteering has exceeded all expectations. By the end of 2008–2009, 690 student and staff volunteers will have participated in 43 projects across six continents. Sustainable relationships have been built in communities where we can make a difference and on projects which have enhanced the global perspectives of participants. This is now a real alternative to full academic exchange programmes or work placements for those students who cannot take such a long time out of their studies or away from the UK.

Next steps — World-Wide Horizons 2008–2012

Internationalisation has become embedded in Leeds Met’s intention to be ‘a university with world-wide horizons where an international, multicultural ethos is pervasive throughout our scholarship, curriculum, volunteering and community engagement at home and overseas’ (Leeds Met, 2006). The use of the word ‘pervasive’ provides an evolving context in which our strategy can develop and grow, taking the benefits beyond those students and staff who might gain in more exclusive or narrowly focused approaches. The strategy places internationalisation at the heart of the university, enabling us to integrate and cross-link many different elements of our work. This embeds internationalisation further into the lifeblood of the institution, creating a virtuous circle which can continue to be developed. The most important outcomes are empowered, confident graduates, capable of making a full contribution, both locally and globally, in an increasingly interconnected world.

‘World-Wide Horizons’ now represents one distinctive element of a Leeds Met education and the second internationalisation strategy ¹¹ will take this forward. Commitment to global perspectives and sustainable development is articulated clearly and a structured approach to staff development will support the next phase. Student applicants from within the UK are reporting that they are attracted to the university because of the international opportunities on offer, which are becoming increasingly creative as internationalisation is embedded deeper within faculties. The lead role played by the International Faculty is now directed more towards subject areas and individuals with less experience as international expertise spreads across the university.

Conclusion

Leeds Met’s internationalisation strategy involves a comprehensive, university-wide approach in line with its vision and values. The focus is on all students and staff, and internationalisation is aligned with diversity and multiculturalism. Through this, we recognise the cultural insights of international students and those from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Having a clearly articulated description of the attributes we seek to develop through cross-cultural capability and global perspectives, we aim to ensure that students are better prepared to take their place as responsible global citizens.

Embracing internationalisation as a powerful force for change can enrich the learning experience for home and international students, enhance employability skills and provide opportunities to develop global citizenship. Crucial to the university’s success so far has been the capacity to engage with colleagues throughout the institution and to open up opportunities for experiences and debate which support the vision of worldwide horizons. To date, the International Faculty has played a key role in leading and supporting change. It is heartening to imagine that one day its work will be done and that internationalisation truly will ‘pervade’ the institution. An internationalisation strategy, along with commitment and leadership by senior staff, may have been the catalyst, but firing imaginations and offering life-changing experiences for staff and students provides the momentum which we hope will deliver enduring change for staff, students and the university itself.

Biography

Elspeth Jones is professor of the internationalisation of higher education and international dean at Leeds Metropolitan University. She is responsible for leading the university’s drive towards internationalisation. With a background in applied linguistics and TEFL, Elspeth has many years’ experience of learning, assessment and cross-cultural issues for students from a wide variety of nationalities and cultural backgrounds, and worked in Japan and Singapore for seven years. Her output includes Internationalising higher education (edited with Sally Brown) (Routledge, 2007), Setting the agenda for languages in higher education (edited with David Head, Mike Kelly and Teresa Tinsley) (CILT, 2003) and the forthcoming edited collection, Internationalisation and the student voice (Routledge, 2009). She has delivered keynote speeches around the world and authored a range of chapters and papers on values-driven internationalisation and worldwide horizons. Elspeth is a member of the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Studies in International Education. She initiated Leeds Met’s International reflections webpage in September 2003 and has edited it since then.

Notes

¹ ‘Internationalisation at the national, sector, and institutional levels is defined as the process of integrating an international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of post-secondary education’ (Knight, 2004).

² Internationalisation is ‘the process of integrating an international/intercultural dimension into the teaching, research and service of an institution’ (Knight and de Wit, 1995).

³ http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/Internationalisation_Final.doc

⁴ A selection of programmes reviewed can be found in the ALT section of the Leeds Met website: www.leedsmet.ac.uk/ALTre-source/cross_cultural_capability_strategy.htm.

⁵ www.leedsmet.ac.uk/internat/reflects/index.htm.

⁶ ‘International reflections’, 14 February 2008.

⁷ Brian Bolton, International reflections, 15 September 2006.

⁸ Linda Galligan, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia, International reflections, October 2008

⁹ Babita Bhogal, International reflections, June 2007.

¹⁰ Ben Cotton, International reflections, February 2009.

¹¹ www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/Revised_Internationalisation_Strategy_2008_-_2012.pdf.