Internationalisation without
Travel
Paul Taylor (IATL)
Overview
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Contexts
Interdisciplinarity
Open Space Learning
Internationalisation
Discussion
Contexts
• an extraordinary year for Higher
Education
• the tumultuous passage of the HE & FE
bill through Parliament
Contexts
• swingeing cuts to the teaching grant to
English universities
• marked increase in University fees
• student “occupations” around the
country
Contexts
• a growth in the notion of students as
choosier and more demanding consumers
of the higher education experience
(Mandelson, 2009)
Contexts
• HEFCE funded CETLS
Reinvention Centre
CAPITAL Centre
• merged to form IATL
Student as Producer
Open Space Learning
Student Engagement
Contexts
• New themes include
Interdisciplinarity
Internationalisation
Interdisciplinarity: Case Study
• The Faust module ran at the University of Warwick in the
academic year 09/10
• Convened by Dr Paul Prescott in the English
Department.’
• Open to students from all disciplines, offering the
curricular space for students to analyse a single topic
from the perspective of many different academic fields.
• The topic for the year 09/10 was the Faust myth.
Interdisciplinarity: Case Study
• Prescott describes the module as being
‘distinctive for three main reasons:
1) it is open to all second- year students from across the
University, regardless of degree course;
2) it is delivered by an "ensemble" of teachers from a
range of departments;
3) it attempts to take seriously the notion of
interdisciplinary learning
Interdisciplinarity: Case Study
• When a visiting tutor led the session, Paul sat in a circle
amongst the students, placing himself as a fellow
learner, not just an imparter of knowledge
I am very clear that when someone comes in to teach
the group... that I am then part of the group and learning
with the group
• challenges the ‘deficit model’ of students being in
intellectual arrears compared to lecturers
Interdisciplinarity: Case Study
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onus was on students to devise their own research agenda
students were put into the role of researchers
write about what interests you
as one student put it,
it’s left up to us to take it a step further
assessment split between an individual portfolio an assessed
essay and a group project
only requirements being that it was related to Faust and that it
had an output that had a physical presence and could be
released into the public domain
Interdisciplinarity: Case Study
breath of fresh air
like a journey
freedom to think
something you could use in any interview or any job you
go into
Open Space Learning
• Challenges traditional teaching methods
Reinvention Centre at Westwood
Hierarchical
academic/
student
relationships
change
to produce
more
fluid and elabo-rate collaborations between
producers of scholarly work. Addressing these
theoretical issues in practical ways calls for a critical
rethinking and reinvention of the spaces in which
students learn [Lambert]
Internationalisation
• Warwick has identified the need to make itself “an
international beacon by embedding internationalism into
every area of the University’s mission” as one of its main
goals
Every Warwick student is an international student
• International travel to and from Warwick
• Internationalisation without travel
• Competency framework (CAL)
Internationalisation without Travel
• The premise is that students should be able to enjoy effective
and developmental international experiences by working on
shared activities with students based in an institution or
institutions overseas without travelling.
• While the opportunity to travel is welcomed by many students, it
is not always appealing, or indeed possible, for others due to
their personal circumstances.
Internationalisation without Travel
• The premise is that students should be able to enjoy effective
and developmental international experiences by working on
shared activities with students based in an institution or
institutions overseas without travelling.
• While the opportunity to travel is welcomed by many students, it
is not always appealing, or indeed possible, for others due to
their personal circumstances.
“ virtual globality ”
Launched in September 2007
• Publishes undergraduate work
• Peer-reviewed
• Multi-disciplinary and open to all
• Collaboration between staff, both academic and admin,
and students. Editor is a student.
• Critical, reflective editorials document the reaction of
the academic community to the notion of undergraduate
researchers as they submit work for publication.
• To date it has been the single most helpful process with regards to
my writing skills
• [I was] pleased with the fact that [the reviewers] had taken the time
to think in such depth about the paper's content, and very interested
to receive their views and critiques.
• It made me engage with the topic in far greater depth than is usual
with undergraduate study; the extra motivation existed because of
the promise of a tangible end product, and a sense of actively
creating something, rather than the usual undergraduate activities of
writing essays simply to ‘make a grade’
• I had nothing to lose by submitting my paper and am very proud
that I was able to make it good enough to be published
Future Plans
• Reinvention is to become a joint venture with Monash
University in Melbourne
• Collaboration between students, administrative and
academic staff in different continents
• How do we facilitate collaborative working and effective
dialogue?
Other Collaborative International Outputs?
• Databases, archives, exhibitions
• Publications and review articles
• Conference submissions and conference organisation
• Performances
Internationalisation without Travel
Interdisciplinary research-based modules modelled
on the ‘Faust’ module and taught by staff and taken
by students from:
• different faculties
• different universities
• different time zones
and resulting in a range of outputs that have a
‘physical presence’
Internationalisation without Travel
• The notion of internationalisation without travel
will become the focus of a bid in February to the
HEA’s ‘Collaboration Fund’.
• The focus of this bid will be the creation of joint
spaces in which students in three universities –
Warwick, Monash, and another – can study
simultaneously, and in which activities can be
recorded for later interaction.
Internationalisation without Travel
• Aims to move beyond the relatively
straightforward presentation of information that
exists in online learning and interaction
• Create a means of interaction between students
and academics that reflects a greater emphasis in
universities on experiential and embodied learning
methods.
• Dedicated “international portal” teaching spaces?
Discussion
• What existing curricular activities should we share
internationally?
• What extra-curricular activities could we develop?
• What are the barriers to international collaboration?
• What opportunities are we missing?