Internationalisation of the Curriculum

1. Include analysis of international case studies.
2. Set tasks that require students to discuss, analyse, evaluate information from a range of international sources.
3. Address global / economic / political / environmental / social / ethical / health issues in course content.

Faculty of ECMS

Professor Holger Maier's multiple award-winning Mekong e-Sim is a rich example of implementing strategies 1, 2 and 3 for internationalising the curriculum.

In this electronic role play, Professor Maier (email) provides his Engineering students with an international case study that requires them to discuss, analyse and evaluate information from international sources on economic, political, environmental, social and ethical grounds. This role play has the potential for a multi-disciplinary and cross-institutional approach, with students from Asian Studies, Public Health, Law or Journalism participating.

The e-Sim is a simulation that allows students to experience some specific social, cultural and environmental issues faced by different national and cultural groups located around the Mekong River.

Simpler versions of such role-plays, using international scenarios, can be devised relatively quickly. For further information please email e-Learning & Online Education online@adelaide.edu.au

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

• C&ENVENG 2026 - Environmental Engineering II
  includes an international simulation: Mekong e-Sim (see above)
  includes an assessment task on air pollution problems of different megacities around the world, such as Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Beijing and Mexico City.
  contact: Holger Maier
• C&ENVENG 4075 - Advanced Water Resources Management and Design
  includes an international case studies: e.g. water resources problem on a Pacific Island.
  contact: Martin Lambert

Faculty of Sciences

• Example of a focus on cross-cultural variation in terminology within a course: download the excerpts from a chemistry lecture PDF which shows examples of global variations in chemical identification and hazards identification. (supplied by Professor Geoffrey Crisp)

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

(Information provided by Associate Professor Amanda Nettelbeck email)

The Faculty provides many examples of good practice for the internationalisation of curriculum because so many of its courses have a cross-cultural focus by nature of the Faculty focus in general. Particular examples are:

• DEVT 1001 Introduction to Development Studies
• GEST 1001 Globalisation, Justice and a Crowded Planet
• POLI 1102 Introduction to International Politics
• HIST 1106 The Twentieth Century: The World in Turmoil.

School of Humanities

• Chinese, French, German, Japanese
  the courses taught within these disciplines cover the language and culture of their respective regions.
  contact: John West-Sooby
• POLI 2012/3012 - Citizenship in an International Context
  this course is part of the Bachelor of International Studies.
• POLI 1103 - Justice, Law and Society
  many of the examples used in this course are international.
• POLI 2092/3092 - Problems and Policy in Australia
  includes consideration of issues like immigration and multiculturalism, inequality and social justice, globalisation and media laws. All these topics involve a broad awareness of world trends.
  contact: Carol Bacchi
• Postgraduate programs in Art History
  includes courses in European art, Japanese Art and Southeast Asian art.
  contact: Cathy Speck

  Elder Conservatorium of Music

• GENMUS 1003 Musics of the World I
  introduces students to a select range of musics from different cultural areas of the world to develop a culture-based approach to understanding music.
  contact: Steven Knopoff

Faculty of the Professions

Information supplied by Kate Harris, Associate Dean (International) email
Many programs offered in the Professions have international components.

Architecture and Built Environment
Apart from some specific courses (for example Cultures, Histories and the Designed Environments), an international perspective is offered in some courses, and international visitors and speakers add an international perspective for students.
An International Telepresence Design Studio was developed in 2007 that features videoconferencing classes in collaboration with Penn State University in the US.
Students are also offered the opportunity to do a studio in an overseas country. For example, this year the students went to University Sans Malaysia in Penang.

Business
There is a Bachelor of Commerce (International Business) which includes compulsory courses with an international focus. It also encourages students to participate in student exchanges at partner institutions overseas.
In many other programs there are some compulsory courses which have an international focus (for example International Marketing, International Management, Global Wealth Management). Many courses include international material in the curriculum. This could be in the form of case studies, examples, specific information on international markets, business environments, international corporations etc. For example, international accounting standards are used in accounting courses - as this is now the Australian standard, finance courses refer frequently to international capital markets etc.

Economics
There are specific International programs (for example the Master of Applied Economics (International) which has core courses focusing on international economics.
There are also many courses available to both postgraduate and undergraduate students which have an international focus (for example International Trade, International Finance, International Economic History).
Because Economics is an international area of study, many courses will have international content.
The content of the level III course Resource and Environmental Economics, for example, includes a large international issues component; and for their project the students are encouraged to choose to study an international environment issue.

Education
Because the programs are designed to either provide teacher training or to upgrade the skills of practicing teachers, it is important that there are elements of the curriculum that provide an understanding of culture and learning. There are some core courses that provide this. For example Culture Education and Society, Multicultural Society and Education Policy.
In addition, students can major in a language teaching specialty - necessitating the need for some cultural background.

Law
Apart from the joint degree with Mannheim University in Germany (Master of Comparative Laws) where students are required to spend four months of study at Mannheim University, many law courses are specifically international or include some international content. For example students are able to study international law in a number of areas - criminal law, environmental law, energy law, trade law.

4. Provide study abroad / exchange programs in eligible overseas institutions as a fully credited option in the program, and encourage domestic students to go on these exchanges.

Adelaide Abroad

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/study_abroad/

Two examples from the Faculty of the Professions

Law School
a joint degree is offered with Mannheim University in Germany (Master of Comparative Laws) where University of Adelaide students are required to spend four months of study at Mannheim University.

Business School
students are encouraged to participate in exchange programs with partner institutions, and some participate in summer schools at international institutions (for example Mannheim University in Germany).

5. Use international publications in teaching activities, e.g. texts, journals, conference proceedings.

As an example from the level III course Resource and Environmental Economics, the articles studied in lectures or tutorials are drawn from top class international journals such as the American Economic Review, the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, the European Economic Review or Ecological Economics.

6. Incorporate language studies / cultural studies / international studies courses, including Diploma in Languages as a study option.

A range of language, linguistics and international studies courses and programs is offered.

The School of Education's Researcher Education and Development team provides the IBP-R (Integrated Bridging Program - Research). This is described as "a groundbreaking 12-week program aimed at helping international research students to develop an understanding of the academic, linguistic and cultural conventions of postgraduate study in their disciplines. Compulsory for all commencing international students, the program is also available by negotiation for local research students who have English as an Additional Language and for international visiting scholars." www.adelaide.edu.au/red/ibp/ (accessed August 7, 2012)

7. Set up group tasks where members are from different cultures / nationalities, and which draw on their different backgrounds.

Academic Staff Development
Courses and workshops for academic, contract and sessional staff routinely include information and strategies for valuing and maximising the benefits of cultural diversity in group work and lectures.
http://www.education.adelaide.edu.au/higher-education/
http://www.education.adelaide.edu.au/higher-education/sessional/

Peer mentoring and volunteer programs provide another form of cultural exchange to maximise the mutual benefit from the diversity of the student population. Some examples:

Faculty of Professions - Business School - Peer Mentoring Program (information supplied by Nicole Rizzo nicole.rizzo@adelaide.edu.au )
In collaboration with Student Services Staff, the School has developed a mentoring program for first year students to be matched with student mentors from 2nd and 3rd year courses during their first semester of studies. A high percentage of international students enrolled in the School ensures ample opportunity for exchanges across many cultures.

Volunteer Program for international students
A Volunteer Program for international students that provides for up to 100 international students to be matched with volunteers who may be other students, current or former staff or members of the wider community. In 2007 the inaugural coordinator of the program, Josephine Sando, in collaboration with one of the volunteers, Ron Seidel, were recognized with an award for an academic paper about the program presented at a UNESCO conference in Thailand. (see Adelaidean article). The current coordinator is Kerry O'Regan (email) who links the program with a weekly conversation group which is also supported by the volunteers.

8. Use the experiences of international students as a tool to inform learning of all students in the course / class.

Academic Staff Development
There is an emphasis in courses for staff on the value of incorporating the experiences of international students into their curricula.
A regular item is a focus on forestalling inadvertent plagiarism by students who are new to the language and culture of research. As this problem is most readily identified in students whose first language is not English, Academic development staff use courses and workshops to demonstrate that strategies for the development of research writing skills - designed in the first instance to cater for non-English speaking backgrounds - can work to help all students understand the issues and learn the benefits of good referencing as part of developing their research writing skills.

See the student guides on avoiding plagiarism on the Plagiarism website (www.adelaide.edu.au/learning/plagiarism/students/#guides) and in particular the online module Avoiding Plagiarism: Achieving academic writing.

See the Research Skill Development website www.adelaide.edu.au/rsd/

See also a framework for developing students as apprentice researchers:
www.adelaide.edu.au/learning/plagiarism/staff/downloads/06_UM_plagiarism_framework.pdf

10. Include lectures / presentations from guest lecturers, using their international experience; these could be existing academic staff with overseas experience.

Faculty of the Professions
Business School academic staff have an internationally diverse profile. This adds to the international dimensions in the curriculum - both through international research and through international work experience of staff. As with the Business School, the diversity of staff in the School of Economics also adds an international dimension to the curriculum.

Academic Staff Development
Courses and workshops for academic staff encourage participants to draw on the experience of their international colleagues.