IntlUni – meeting the challenges of the multilingual and multicultural learning space

TY - CONF

T1 - IntlUni – meeting the challenges of the multilingual and multicultural learning space

AU - Lauridsen, Karen M.

AU - Lillemose, Mette Kastberg

PY - 2014/6/18

Y1 - 2014/6/18

N2 - IntlUni – meeting the challenges of the multilingual and multicultural learning spaceAlmost all European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have undergone tremendous changes as a result of internationalisation and the development of the European Higher Education Area. Until now, many resources have been devoted to key areas such as motivating and funding mobility, ensuring transferability of credits as well as joint European Quality Standards. However, what actually goes on in the classroom, where lecturers as well as students have different first languages and educational cultures, has attracted less attention.IntlUni is an Erasmus Academic Network, supported by the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme, and addressing the challenges of the multilingual and multicultural learning space (MMLS) in the international university (2012-15). The aims of IntlUni are (i) to identify the quality criteria that should characterise teaching and learning in the multilingual and multicultural learning space; and (ii) to develop recommendations for how higher education institutions may implement and ensure the sustainability of quality teaching and learning in the MMLS.The first year of the project (2012-13) has been devoted to the identification of the linguistic, cultural and educational challenges of the MMLS. An online survey has been conducted with quantitative and qualitative input from all 38 partner institutions in 27 different countries. This has been followed up by a collection of narratives outlining critical incidents and possible solutions to the problems identified at the same partner institutions. The results of the first year comprise a report of the current situation regarding the internationalisation of higher education across Europe based on recent literature as well as the survey among partner HEIs; a chart outlining the languages of instruction, notably the spread of English medium instruction; and a catalogue of the linguistic, cultural and educational challenges identified. The second year of the project (2013-14) is devoted to identifying and describing examples of successful practice that have been applied to meet these challenges. The third year of the project (2014-15) will be used to develop quality criteria and recommendations.The poster will present the overall aims and objectives of IntlUni, the results of the first year, and some first results from the second year identifying the examples of good practice and pointing towards possible quality criteria and recommendations.

AB - IntlUni – meeting the challenges of the multilingual and multicultural learning spaceAlmost all European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have undergone tremendous changes as a result of internationalisation and the development of the European Higher Education Area. Until now, many resources have been devoted to key areas such as motivating and funding mobility, ensuring transferability of credits as well as joint European Quality Standards. However, what actually goes on in the classroom, where lecturers as well as students have different first languages and educational cultures, has attracted less attention.IntlUni is an Erasmus Academic Network, supported by the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme, and addressing the challenges of the multilingual and multicultural learning space (MMLS) in the international university (2012-15). The aims of IntlUni are (i) to identify the quality criteria that should characterise teaching and learning in the multilingual and multicultural learning space; and (ii) to develop recommendations for how higher education institutions may implement and ensure the sustainability of quality teaching and learning in the MMLS.The first year of the project (2012-13) has been devoted to the identification of the linguistic, cultural and educational challenges of the MMLS. An online survey has been conducted with quantitative and qualitative input from all 38 partner institutions in 27 different countries. This has been followed up by a collection of narratives outlining critical incidents and possible solutions to the problems identified at the same partner institutions. The results of the first year comprise a report of the current situation regarding the internationalisation of higher education across Europe based on recent literature as well as the survey among partner HEIs; a chart outlining the languages of instruction, notably the spread of English medium instruction; and a catalogue of the linguistic, cultural and educational challenges identified. The second year of the project (2013-14) is devoted to identifying and describing examples of successful practice that have been applied to meet these challenges. The third year of the project (2014-15) will be used to develop quality criteria and recommendations.The poster will present the overall aims and objectives of IntlUni, the results of the first year, and some first results from the second year identifying the examples of good practice and pointing towards possible quality criteria and recommendations.

M3 - Poster

T2 - ICED 2014

Y2 - 16 June 2014 through 18 June 2014

ER -