/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/colleges/stephenson-college/facilities-stephenson/facilities/IMG_20210813_095430.jpg)
Internationalisation at Home Mini-Conference - 4th March 2025
The development of ‘Internationalisation at Home’ Strategy has been identified as a key enabler of this strategic aim. To this end, an Internationalisation at Home Strategy Working Group has been established, chaired by Rob Lynes. As a collegiate university with a strong WSE, we believe we have the potential to be sector-leading in this area. The aim of this mini-conference is to support colleagues in the development of Durham’s approach to I@H .
/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/colleges/stephenson-college/college-life-stephenson/college-life/87667-(4).jpg)
Example event image caption
Context and Rationale:
We know that those who study, work or volunteer abroad during their studies get better degree results and are more likely to be in a graduate level job six months after graduation than their peers who have not travelled.
Durham’s refreshed Global Strategy has a strategic aim to increase the employability of our students from all backgrounds, support the cohesion of our community and embed an ethos of global citizenship by ensuring that all students have an international experience during their time at Durham. Having these international experiences can help to build confidence, resilience, intercultural awareness and international networks, as well as to improve graduate outcomes. It also helps students to develop an understanding of the wider world and their place within it and enhanced engagement with society both locally and internationally.
Currently only about 10% of our students are able to or choose to undertake mobility abroad during their time at Durham and therefore it is crucial that we provide opportunities for developing these skills, competencies and understandings through ‘domestic internationalisation’ in order to reach all of our students. This is often referred to as ‘Internationalisation at Home’ and has been defined more specifically as:
‘the purposeful integration of international and intercultural dimensions into the formal and informal curriculum for all students within domestic learning environments, with activities that aim to develop international and intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes for all students’.
The development of ‘Internationalisation at Home’ Strategy has been identified as a key enabler of this strategic aim. To this end, an Internationalisation at Home Strategy Working Group has been established, chaired by Rob Lynes and supported by Fiona O’Carroll with representation from across the University. As a collegiate university with a strong WSE, we believe we have the potential be sector-leading in this area. The aim of this mini-conference is to support colleagues in the development of Durham’s approach to I@H in the ways outlined below.
Conference Programme:
|
Time |
Activity |
Venue |
|
09.15 |
Registration tea/coffee |
Saltwell Building |
|
10.00 |
Plenary session 1 Internationalisation of the Curriculum at Home: Setting the Scene Professor Elspeth Jones, Emerita Professor of the Internationalisation of Higher Education, Leeds Beckett University
Abstract Agreeing an understanding of internationalisation within an institution is critical in a rapidly changing global and geopolitical context. International recruitment and student mobility still dominate internationalisation strategies around the world, while international research collaboration and partnerships are important supporting factors. With some exceptions, strategies rarely place value on enhanced global perspectives and an international outlook for all students. Multi-perspective awareness and cultural intelligence are vital life skills in personal and professional life within diverse societies, and we cannot rely on international mobility as the only means to achieve them. Internationalisation of the formal and informal curriculum at home can reach all our students, both in terms of the global dimensions of their own programme of study and in developing interpersonal and transversal skills. In recent years, broader discussions around social and cognitive justice and decolonisation of curriculum in higher education have been linked with the internationalisation agenda, along with increasing awareness that, responding effectively to the diversity of international students and to the diversity of home students are in fact not two agendas but one1. Yet the kind of societal division fuelled by nationalism and populism pulls policy in a different direction, and we now see ‘responsible internationalisation’ being defined in terms of knowledge security and economic competitiveness rather than collaboration to address global challenges. Against this background, the question arises as to whether higher education is sufficiently self-critical on these matters. Can institutions be encouraged to reframe internationalisation and ‘interculturalisation’ as part of an inclusion and social justice agenda? This presentation will explore some dimensions of what we call ‘internationalisation’ and aim to foster further discussion of the points raised.
Biography: Professor Elspeth Jones is Emerita Professor of the Internationalisation of Higher Education, Leeds Beckett University, UK, and founding editor of the influential book series, Internationalization in Higher Education (Routledge). As Professor and International Dean at Leeds Metropolitan University, she led the Worldwide Horizons drive, which saw internationalisation (or ‘interculturalisation’) as one element of a pluralist and diverse institution, fundamental for all students and staff. Elspeth served as Chair of the Internationalisation at Home Expert Community of the European Association for International Education (EAIE) and wrote its frequently-cited 2015 definition* with Jos Beelen. She has published widely and was awarded the inaugural Medal of Lifetime Achievement in Transnational Research (Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards) and the EAIE Award for Excellence in Research. She studied abroad in Germany and taught for seven years with the British Council in Singapore and Japan. She has worked with a range of universities, ministries and other bodies across six continents, including UNESCO, European Commission, European Parliament, and the International Association of Universities. *Internationalization at Home is the purposeful integration of international and intercultural dimensions into the formal and informal curriculum for all students within domestic learning environments.
References: 1 Jones, E., & Killick, D. (2007:109). Internationalisation of the curriculum. In E. Jones & S. Brown (Eds.), Internationalising Higher Education (pp. 109–119). Routledge. Beelen, J., and Jones, E. (2015). Redefining Internationalisation at Home. In: Curaj, A., Matei, L., Pricopie, R., Salmi, J., Scott, P. (eds) The European Higher Education Area: Between critical reflections and future policies. Springer. (p69).
|
Saltwell Building |
|
10.45 |
Plenary session 1 – Internationalisation at Home: The UK Context Dr Anthony Manning, Dean for Global and Lifelong Learning at the University of Kent, Chair of UUKi I@H Working Group
Understanding and Supporting Internationalisation at Home: Strategic Approaches for Inclusive Global Learning Internationalisation at Home (IaH) is an important yet often underdeveloped dimension of Internationalisation of the Curriculum, ensuring that all student, regardless of mobility opportunities, have the opportunity to benefit from global and intercultural learning experiences. As universities seek to widen participation, enhance employability, and embed sustainable internationalisation practices, a structured and institution-wide approach to IaH is increasingly essential. This session will explore why and how institutions can embed IaH effectively across their curricula, student experience strategies, and institutional policies. Recognising that IaH extends beyond the classroom, we will discuss practical mechanisms to engage students, academic staff, and professional services teams, ensuring that the benefits of internationalised learning are widely understood and valued across the institution. Key themes will include cross-functional collaboration, curriculum integration, and the role of IaH in fostering inclusive global mindsets, linked to the International Higher Education Commission paper on that topic. A focal point of the session will be the UUKi Internationalisation at Home Handbook, which provides a structured framework to support institutions in developing, implementing, and evaluating their IaH strategies. Participants will gain hands-on guidance on how to utilise the handbook’s models, case studies, and strategic tools to advance their own institution’s IaH agenda. Attendees will leave with practical insights and strategies to champion IaH within their own institutions, ensuring that internationalisation is truly inclusive, impactful, and effectively embedded in student experience.
Biography: Dr Anthony Manning is the Dean for Global and Lifelong Learning at the University of Kent and Co-Chair of the UUKi Working Group for Internationalisation at Home. He leads the development, implementation, and review of Global and Lifelong Learning initiatives, encompassing internationalisation of the curriculum, global engagement activities, cross-curricular international pathways to higher education, English for Academic Purposes, and multi-disciplinary degree apprenticeships. A Principal Fellow of Advance HE and a National Teaching Fellow, Anthony also serves as Chair of the British Accreditation Council’s (BAC) Accreditation Committee and is a member of the British Council’s English Language Advisory Group. He has acted as an external examiner for 12 universities across the UK, China, Uzbekistan, and Nepal and sits on the Academic Quality Committee for NCUK. Additionally, he is an expert advisor for Advance HE’s accreditation and fellowship process. Anthony’s research and publications focus on internationalisation in higher education, academic literacy, English for Specific Purposes, and language assessment.
Recent Relevant Resources:
Online Interviews
Recent Blogs:
|
Saltwell Building |
|
11.30 |
Coffee break |
|
|
12.00 |
Panel Session - The Durham Context chaired by Professor Rob Lynes, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor Global and Principal, Stephenson College Panellists will include:
|
Saltwell Building |
|
12.45 |
Lunch |
Platform 1, Wylam Building |
|
14.00 |
Parallel Workshops – What does I@H mean for DU and Next Steps Workshop 1 – Curriculum based I@H Workshop 2 – Extra-Curricular I@H
|
Saltwell and Wylam Buildings |
|
15.00 |
Feedback from Workshops (all) |
Saltwell Building |
|
15.45 |
Close and departure |
|