Internationalisation of higher education

The presence of international students has generated discussion on ‘internationalisation’ and this has become a topic widely discussed in the higher education sector. The term ’internationalising the curriculum’ has been frequently cited as a strategy for the internationalisation of higher education or an approach that is currently employed within the Australian university system engaging with cultural diversity. Central to developing successful internationalisation is identifying the ways in which the phenomenon is understood and experienced by academic staff as the deliverers of courses. Using phenomenographic analysis on data obtained through open-ended interviews, the study captures the perception and the experience of academic staff from a multi-state multi-campus university concerning their understanding of (1) international students, (2) the prospects of internationalisation and internationalising the curriculum and how these two perspectives have impacted on their pedagogical practice. Findings indicated a discrepancy among the academic staff in relation to how they perceive international students, internationalisation and internationalising the curriculum. The key issue whether internationalisation is the provision of good education for international students or whether it is the provision of good international education for all students was discussed in relation to staff views on internationalisation. While the majority of academic staff saw the benefits of internationalising the curriculum and thus were able to share their understanding, some had an unclear enunciation of what it meant. The extent to which individual characteristics and working experience contributed to staff understanding was also discussed. The findings point to the desirability of institutions achieving a unified understanding of issues surrounding internationalisation of higher education, thus, enabling the implementation of coherent and consistent pedagogical practice across campuses.