Abstract
Given the internationalization process of higher education across the globe, continuing professional development (CPD) of academic staff is vital to ensure the quality of teaching and learning. Under such scenario, the European Erasmus+ project “Educational Quality at Universities for Inclusive International Programmes” (EQUiiP) identifies the role of the internationally-oriented educational developer (ED) as crucial to higher education institutions (HEIs) and provides these institutions with the means to support academic staff and hereby enhance the quality of internationalized programs taught in international classrooms. Consequently, this chapter provides the conceptual rationale behind the EQUiiP project, delves into the needs of teacher education programs and the role played by the EDs, and describes the EQUiiP project and its outcomes by providing concrete examples of its inclusive CPD program. Finally, some implications and recommendations for teacher professional development, with specific reference to the Spanish setting, are offered.
TopIntroduction
In the last two decades the internationalization process that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have engaged in around the world has clearly contributed to the fast development of English-Medium Education (EME). EME, in short, is regarded by universities as a way to favor incoming and outgoing mobility and, at the same time, foster global skills and English proficiency amongst home students (Doiz, Lasagabaster & Sierra, 2012; Smit & Dafouz, 2012).
Despite this rapid growth, explicit support of the range of professionals engaged in this new EME reality (lecturers1, students and administrative staff) is very often scarce and ad hoc (Haines, 2017; Klaasen & de Graff, 2001; Valcke & Wilkinson, 2017). Generally speaking, most professional development programs supporting universities in the implementation of internationalization in a multilingual and multicultural classroom seem to be few and far between, and not part of a systematic continuing development initiative (Dafouz, 2018; O’Dowd, 2018). Moreover, responsibility for such support is usually spread across diverse structures and agencies within institutions, leading to a fragmentation in its provision.
Against this backdrop, a group of seven European partner universities, geographically, typologically and linguistically different, set up the EQUiiP project (2016-19), an acronym which stands for ‘Educational Quality at Universities for inclusive international Programmes’. The partnership comprises two Danish universities, and one university from each of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. This EU Erasmus+ project aims to provide a set of modules to explicitly support a specific group of agents – Educational Developers (EDs) – who are those agents in charge of facilitating the continuous professional and personal growth of faculty members, and the ongoing evolution of teaching and learning across HE institutions (Stefani, 2003). Although essential in the design and implementation of innovative teaching practices (Fraser, Gosling, & Sorcinelli, 2010; Green & Little, 2016; Harland & Staniforth, 2008), as is the case of international programs, EDs have received very little attention in the research and the literature. The five modules developed for use in HEIs across Europe and beyond are: Introduction to the International Classroom; Internationalizing Course Design; Feedback & Reflective Processes, Intercultural Group Dynamics and The Role of Language & Language Diversity (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Modules that make up the EQUiiP Program
The aims of this chapter are, therefore, threefold: firstly, to offer a conceptual account of the rationale behind the design of the EQUiiP project addressing the needs of EME teacher education programs and the role played by the educational developers (or teacher trainers) involved in such programs. Secondly, to present more specifically the EQUiiP project as a response to the current educational needs discussed above. And thirdly, to offer concrete examples of the modules and materials designed by the EQUiiP team to support the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of such EDs. The chapter will close with reference to the implications for teacher professional development across settings along with specific recommendations for the Spanish context, where the authors of this chapter are based.
Key Terms in this Chapter
International Classroom: Educational context that promotes the development of all students, whether local or mobile, international understanding and intercultural competence as part of their graduate attributes.
International Competence Profile for Educational Developers: Set of professional values, attitudes, knowledge and competences that EDs working with international curricula should be able to put into practice when supporting CPD.
English-Medium Education: The use of English as the primary vehicle of instruction, particularly in educational contexts where English is not the L1 of the participants.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD): Learning activities professionals engage in to enhance their skills, knowledge, and capabilities.
Inclusive Programs: Educational programs that favor the learning of students with different and diverse backgrounds side by side in the same classroom.
Internationalization at Home (IaH): The deliberate integration of international and intercultural dimensions into the formal and informal curriculum for all students within local learning contexts.
Educational Developer (ED): Agents that assist lecturers and universities function effectively as teaching and learning communities.