Internationalizing Higher Education Curricula: Strategies and Approaches

Abstract

The COVID-19 global pandemic has put the growing reliance on international students in higher education into sharp relief. With the increasing emphasis on the value of higher education as both an export market and a revenue generator and the consequent increases in international student enrollment at colleges and universities, higher education leaders are seeking to provide curricula which reflect the global perspectives that students need to work and function within increasingly complex and multicultural work environments. A literature review was conducted to determine how institutions are approaching curriculum internationalization as a way to prepare students as global citizens. This paper explores four rationales for internationalization including the political rationale, the economic rationale, the socio-cultural rationale, and the academic rationale. We also provide an overview of strategies that can be utilized to internationalize higher education curriculum. These are centered on supporting faculty, developing partnerships, international student experiences, language integration, and curriculum learning outcomes. The following four common and evolving approaches for internationalizing curriculum are reviewed: the add-on approach, the infusion approach, the transformational approach, and the social responsibility approach. Several notable shortcomings in these approaches are outlined, and the paper concludes with a number of proposals for future empirical research in this area. This work helps to fill a gap in understanding how to implement these important curriculum reforms.