Communities of practice as a solution for the implementation gap in internationalisation of the curriculum

Abstract

ABSTRACT The educational benefits of internationalisation in higher education are of paramount importance for all students. Despite an increasing presence of best practice guides and internationalisation strategies, there appears to be a significant implementation gap in terms of lecturers’ engagement with internationalisation in their teaching practice. Through an Action Research-informed Community of Practice approach, this study aims to provide new insights into lecturers’ engagement with Internationalisation of the Curriculum by examining their own perspectives, an area which has been underdeveloped to date. The Community of Practice provided an effective way of raising lecturers’ awareness of Internationalisation of the Curriculum, while simultaneously effecting change at teaching and institution-wide levels. It facilitated an environment that encouraged lecturers to both incorporate global dimensions into their teaching and collaborate with colleagues to provide integrated learning opportunities for students that reflect the multicultural world. The findings presented focus specifically on lecturers’ perspectives of Internationalisation of the Curriculum and are relevant to a large body of stakeholders, namely those involved in Internationalisation of the Curriculum specifically, as well as practitioners interested in Continuous Professional Learning and best practice teaching in general.