Internationalisation of the Curriculum and Support for International Students
Title of Case Study: / MALAYSIAN INFLUENCES ON THE DEGREE CURRICULUM
Institution and initiating department/faculty:
Anglia Ruskin University/Ashcroft International Business School
Departments/faculties in which initiative implemented/to be implemented:
Key Contact: / Others involved:
Name: / Brenda Eade / Name: / Dr Jonathan Smith
Address: / Tel:
Ashcroft International Business School
Anglia Ruskin University
Bishop Hall Lane
ChelmsfordA
CM1 1SQ / Email:
Name:
Tel:
Email
Name
Tel:
Tel: / Email
Email:
Abstract
This paper gives a specific example of how the Ashcroft International Business School (AIBS) is internationalising its curriculum, and is offered in the hope that it may assist others in using this type of arrangement to internationalise their curriculum.
As indicated in its name, AIBS is involved in a wide variety of innovative international partnerships, and the paper will begin by providing some brief details on the range of these. One of the initiatives is a franchise agreement with a college in Malaysia for them to deliver a degree in Business Management. Delivery and assessment of the programme is a shared undertaking between the Malaysian college and AIBS, with AIBS moderating the programme and providing the award.
We have found this franchise arrangement has provided us with a strong drive to internationalise our curriculum because the programme offered must be applicable and meet both our own students’ and the Malaysian students’ needs.
This paper will examine this specific franchise agreement, not as a way of publicising our international work but in a critical way that aims to highlight some of the dilemmas and challenges we’ve found in internationalising our curriculum. It will detail how those involved in its delivery within AIBS view the programme and how they provide an international focus to it. It will also present the Malaysian partner’s view on the arrangement and how well they see their needs being catered for. An evaluation of the arrangement is then provided which presents some of the questions, dilemmas and difficulties we are currently grappling with.
Background
AIBS is one of the five faculties at Anglia Ruskin University, which has campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford. Its International Policy Statement says:
“The University is committed to developing its involvement in international education through the learning experiences it provides its students, the professional activities of its staff, its research and development activities and the partnerships it establishes world-wide.”
And that it will seek:
“to provide every student with opportunities to gain an understanding of the significance of the international dimension in the context of their studies and respond to the changes brought about by an increasingly global economy through taught elements of the curriculum, study abroad, language learning, study visits, learning resources and career guidance.”
A small example of AIBS’ international focus includes:
§  Undergraduate franchises with two colleges in Malaysia and one in Trinidad.
§  Postgraduate franchises in the Netherlands and Hungary.
§  Dual Award degrees offered in partnership with Germany, France and Holland
§  Students from Germany, France, Denmark joining the final year of the International Management degree programme.
Description of activity
The BA (Hons) Business Management
This is the three-year full time degree taught in English and franchised to the two colleges in Malaysia. It has a modular structure with some compulsory modules and some optional ones to be selected from various business and management subject areas. These include marketing, accounting, human resource management, information systems, economics, decision making and strategy. In addition to the degree being run in Malaysia it is the most popular course for UK students, and is also offered on both of AIBS’ Cambridge and Chelmsford campuses. It is also franchised to the School of Accounting and Management in Trinidad. Approximately 250 students in Malaysia, 800 students in Trinidad and 300 students in the UK follow this programme each year.
One optional module designed especially for the Malaysian students is Malaysian Taxation. This is taught by a Malaysian tutor with expertise in that area but mirrors the curriculum for the UK equivalent module.
To give some specific details now on how the curriculum is internationalised we will focus on Malaysia and two areas of the curriculum, namely strategic management and marketing.
We begin by taking a look at the UK lecturers’ perspective of how they internationalise this curriculum.
For Strategic Management an issues based approach is adopted focussing on global issues such as the environment, ethics, local versus global products, international transactions versus FDI for global expansion. These issues are set against a backdrop of a single corporation that is genuinely global. In the case of marketing, the tutor believes that concepts and theories are being taught which are applicable in all parts of the world, and consequently the content of the modules is international. Care is taken that the assessment involves a case study on a company with an international brand such as Coca Cola. However, where European companies (such as Easyjet or Ryanair) have been used as examples, Malaysian students have not felt disadvantaged as they have been able to access information about the companies via the internet. (Interestingly Air Asia has now set up business in Malaysia, basing its structure on the cheap airlines of the UK). Furthermore, we have found difficulty in using local Malaysian companies as case study examples as they are not as open with the publication of information on the internet as those in the UK or Europe, and students therefore find it difficult to research around the local company.
Both tutors believe that visiting the Malaysian institution and liaising closely with their counterparts is key to understanding the difficulties and differences of delivering a UK based curriculum in another country. This has highlighted issues such as availability of texts, difficulty with access to journals and databases, the need to understand and meet deadlines, and the moderation of marks. All visiting UK tutors are encouraged to give lectures to the Malaysian students and to help in dissertation supervision. Video conferencing has enabled further lectures to be delivered from the UK, and email contact is maintained throughout the delivery period.
Moving on to the Malaysian lecturer’s perspective of the curriculum, it is interesting to note that they feel that they are also teaching ‘international students’, as there is a diversity of nationalities within Malaysia (Chinese, Malay and Indian). In addition they recruit students from China and other parts of Asia. As is the case with many UK lecturers, they expressed concerns about the level of English Language held by some students and the students’ focus on assessment rather than on learning.
On the positive side, they find “the AIBS curriculum is focussed, practical and provides the necessary skills for employment”. It also “promotes independent and critical thinking.” They believe that their students “should not be inward looking”, and that the examples provided by AIBS encourage students to undertake research about both European and international enterprises.
Some concerns were expressed about the “cultural differences in leadership and management styles in Malaysia” which were less innovative and open than those in the UK. The teaching of ethics is perceived to be problematic as legislation such as copyright is openly ignored. However, the lecturers believe that the inclusion of ethics in the curriculum gives students confidence to ”behave ethically”. Learning styles were also an issue, as Malaysian school children are taught to memorise facts which makes it difficult for them to be analytical. They also find independent study problematic and consequently Malaysian lecturers provide more support between the formal lecturers and seminars.
Although the Malaysian lecturers liaise with UK lecturers during visits to Malaysia, and via email, it is regrettable that to date there have been few visits by Malaysian lectures to the UK. In the future it is proposed to encourage more visits to the UK as it will further add to the internationalisation of the curriculum.
For students, however, there has been a two way flow between the UK and Malaysia, with students studying in both countries taking the opportunity to study for one semester with the partner institution. This has enhanced the development of a truly international curriculum in the UK as well as providing feedback on how effective the delivery of the curriculum is in Malaysia.
Evaluative comments
AIBS is currently re-evaluating its international strategy and we are examining how we further develop the partnerships discussed in the paper so they are more equal partnerships. Some of the debates and questions we are having as we work through this process are:
§  Internationalising the curriculum is currently in vogue and is a useful marketing strategy as it has the potential to increase revenue as students come from all across the global to study in the UK. However, globalisation is so widespread and fundamental to the way businesses need to operate that should we not consider the international perspective in all programmes and modules as a matter of course?
§  It is clearly not possible to make the programme relevant to every country’s needs, or address every approach in the world, but which ones do we focus on and why?
§  Could it be argued that the reason why UK educational institutions are so successful in attracting students from across the world to study in the UK is that those students want to gain a UK perspective? If this is the case then could it be argued that we would be reducing the attractiveness of courses to move away from a UK perspective? Or is this a rather arrogant view that views the UK as the best?
§  If we desire to internationalise our programmes, should we be looking to develop more equal partnerships and by AIBS franchising programmes and controlling its delivery and assessment of award, are we really just continuing to operate a colonial system?
§  Can all who lecture and assess on the programme have an international perspective, and what is the most effective way for an international perspective to be given?
Advice to others
Although AIBS has a successful international focus which continues to be a priority, this does not mean we have resolved all the dilemmas. We have aimed to share some of these in this paper in the hope that it will assist those struggling with the same issues of how best to internationalise their curriculum.
We have found that developing and operating the franchise with Malaysia has brought both us and the Malaysian colleges tremendous benefits, as well as helping us to ensure that our curriculum has a truly relevant international focus. However this continues to raise questions for us and we look forward to an exciting time of resolving these challenges.
Author Details
Brenda Eade is the Associate Dean in the Ashcroft International Business School. She has responsibility for academic quality and the quality of the student experience. She has recently returned from a visit to the colleges in Malaysia discussed in this paper.
Dr Jonathan Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management at the Ashcroft International Business School in Cambridge. He had a research sabbatical last semester and is currently exploring the spiritual dimension of leadership in the UK, Europe, Canada and America.