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Internationalising at Home
Student-centred internationalisation
An internationalisation strategy
which is focussed on the
students ensuring that they
acquire an understanding of
other cultures and graduate
with an global outlook.
Why is International student support team interested in Internationalised curriculum?
Integration promoted by inclusive curricula and extra-curricular activities increases the levels of intercultural interaction and the sense of belonging
A high sense of belonging has a strong positive effect on academic success*
Academic success improves the overall student experience and has a direct effect on recruitment
*Glass, C.R & Westmont, C.M (2014) Comparative effects of belongingness on the academic success and cross-cultural
interactions of domestic and international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 38, 106-119
International Student Integration: SHU's Current position
• Investment in social integration projects for international students
• An annual programme of over 40 events organised with local partners attracting more than 4000 participants but mostly international students
• International student satisfaction with multicultural integration is in the bottom quartile in the International Student Barometer benchmarking study (Autumn 2013)
International students’ expectations
Where respondents expected to meet....
Barriers to integration
• Majority of international students expect to study with UK students but most PG courses are predominantly international
• International students perceive accommodation as not mixed enough
• Cultural differences and perceived reserve/unfriendliness by UK students
• Social anxiety and lack of confidence were mentioned by only a few of the students
• International students want integration with UK peers to be 'enabled' at course level. They want to study alongside UK students
Improving integrationViews from international students
• Introduce cheaper/discounted fees for post graduate courses to UK students to encourage them to enrol
• Promote the importance/benefits of meeting international students to UK students
• Mix undergraduate and post graduate students on elective course options
There are no easy solutions
• Simply mixing UK and International students will not solve the problem
Mixed courses?
• Having diverse students on the course does not in itself ensure that students will interact meaningfully
• We also need:
– students with high level of cultural openness
– the right conditions for the intercultural interaction
– equal status– common goals– perceived similarity between
the two groups– institutional support
Need to eliminate perceived threats
Threat to UK Students International Students
learning experience
lower marks because of international students' poor English
academic confidence being undermined even further
self esteem fear of being judged by international students for certain behaviours
fear of rejection by UK peers; fear of prejudice
comfort levels
having to make an effort to communicate with someone without the same cultural references
having to overcome shyness and perceived poor language skills
social competence
fear of initiating conversations with international students who stick together
fear of being misinterpreted, misconstrued in social situations because of lack of cultural reference
identity fear of looking 'uncool' being ostracized by their cultural group if they try too hard
Adapted from Promoting Integration on Campus: Principles, Practice and Issues for Further Exploration, UKCISA 2014 based on Harrison, N and Peacock N (2010) Cultural distance, mindfulness and passive xenophobia using Integrated Threat Theory to explore home HE students' perspectives on internationalisation at home, British Educational Research Journal, 36 (6), 877-902
Integration requires...
• mutual accommodation of differences
• support for both International and UK students
• a holistic, integrated approach to foster opportunities for integration in all aspects of the student life
Which can be achieved through 'Internationalisation at home' projects
• BSc International Hospitality
• MSc Applying Physiotherapy
• MSc International Business
• MSc Technical Architecture
• BA Primary Education
Culture Connect
‘One of the main benefits of participating in the Culture Connect scheme is that it gives first-hand experience of engaging with international students. ...
Every British student will enter the world of work as part of a diverse workforce, which may include people from other countries. Culture Connect offers students the opportunity to develop skills to enhance British students' chances of finding work after completion of their studies. Both parties - home and international students - are the undoubted winners of schemes like Culture Connect, which brings together the university community.’
Sami Riaz, mentor from Britain
Global Friends / Conversation Club
Conversation club / Global Friends
SHU GoGlobal Blog / ICE Club
ICE Club / SHU GoGlobal group
What can you do?
Does your curriculum include international matters and issues?
How do you currently make use of course diversity ?
How are you enabling students to become global citizens with the design of the course? What capabilities, skills and competence do they need to succeed in the profession and for employability?
How do we encourage our students to think nationally, internationally and globally across the course and during learning?
How can we support you?
Further reading
• Glass, C.R & Westmont, C.M (2014) Comparative effects of belongingness on the academic success and cross-cultural interactions of domestic and international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 38, 106-119
• Harrison, N and Peacock N (2010) Cultural distance, mindfulness and passive xenophobia using Integrated Threat Theory to explore home HE students' perspectives on internationalisation at home, British Educational Research Journal, 36 (6), 877-902
• Groeppel-Klein, A., Germelmann, C.C. and Glaum, M. (2010) Intercultural interaction needs more than mere exposure: Searching for drivers of student interaction at border universities. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34, 263–267.
• Allport, G. W. (1954). The Nature of Prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
• Spencer-Oatey, H., Dauber. D. and Williams,S (2014) in Promoting Integration on Campus: Principles, Practice and Issues for Further Exploration, www.ukcisa.co.uk
• Dejaeghere, Y., Hooghe, M. and Claes, E. (2012) Do ethnically diverse schools reduce ethnocentrism? A two-year panel study among majority group late adolescents in Belgian schools. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36, 108–117
