Student-Centred Learning in the
International Classroom
Jennifer Valcke – Unit for Medical Education (UME)
[email protected]
Internationalised Higher Education
 Continuous change
 Student body
 Diverse (culturally, linguistically, socially,
geographically, etc.)
New students = new teaching methods
 Digitalised learning space
 Changed medium of instruction (English)
 Teachers take language into consideration
 Teachers focus on students
The International Classroom (IC)
 The IC is a multilingual and multicultural
learning space (MMLS).
 The diversity of the actors and contexts at KI,
poses special challenges to learning
but also creates rich opportunities for
enhancing learning and intercultural
competence.
Pedagogy
Language
Culture
Some Challenges of the MMLS
 Students’ general and academic language
proficiency
 Teacher’s language proficiency
 Cognitive load of learning through a foreign
language
 Student / teacher roles
 Ethical behaviour
 Plagiarism
 Expectations regarding group work
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Some Opportunities of the MMLS
 Encourage peer learning
 Use “international” students as resources
 Design interaction purposefully and
explicitly
 Integrate medical issues with cultural ones
 Observe and discuss issues from different
angles
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Examples of Student-Centred Learning in the MMLS
 Class discussions on teacher/learner
expectations
 Establish ground rules
 Integrate medical issues with cultural ones
 Use culturally diverse Virtual Patients (VP) to
teach effective communication skills and
develop cultural sensitivity
 Group work
 Create heterogeneous groups for peer learning
 Use peer review for feedback
“Intercultural competence is a state
of becoming, rather than a
destination. Hence it is particularly
important to explore pedagogies that
will assist students to enter this state
of becoming culturally competent.”
(Betty Leask, 2015)
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Check out our new webpage
http://ki.se/en/education/internationalising-teaching-and-learning-at-ki
Disclaimer: This webpage is a work in progress and will migrate to the CLK
website in the Fall 2016. Please give us feedback through our online form!
References
 Beelen, J. and Jones, E. (2015) Redefining Internationalisation at Home: In: Curaj, A.
et al. eds. The European Higher Education Area:Between critical reflections and
future policies. Springer.
 Childress, L. (2010) The twenty-first century university: developing faculty
engagement in internationalisation. Complicated Conversation Vol 32. Peter Lang.
 de Wit, H. et al. (2015) Internationalisation of Higher Education. Study requested by
the European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/
STUD/2015/540370/IPOL_STU(2015)540370_EN.pdf .
 Haines, Kevin & Emma Dafouz (2015). The IntlUni Principles. Available online:
http://intluni.eu/uploads/media/IntlUni_Principles___Recommendations_
final_conf_2015_KH_EDM.pdf
 Leask, Betty (2015). Internationalizing the Curriculum. Routledge.
 Leask, Betty & Jan Wallace (2011). Good Practice Report: Learning and Teaching
Across Culture. Australian Learning and Teaching Council Limited.