Paper short abstract:

Over the past ten years, academics have tried to internationalise their academic selves. The authors of this paper followed an autoethnographic approach and reflect on the decolonisation of the academic self on the relationship between internationalisation of the curriculum and decolonisation.

Paper long abstract:

This paper builds on by five academics from three western European countries Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. That earlier study is rooted in Sanderson (2008) and his argument that internationalisation of higher education requires the internationalisation of the academic self and follows up on Vandeyar (2019), who argues that academics need to decolonise first in order to be able to decolonise curricula in South Africa. We, five expert practitioners and researchers in curriculum development and internationalisation of higher education became curious about the state of our own decolonised selves as.

In the original study, we decided to adopt an autoethnographic approach to data collection (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007). Autoethnography is a means of reflecting on the self so as to reveal true feelings and vulnerabilities that may otherwise lie hidden, not just from others, but from oneself (King, 2013). Autoethnography is particularly pertinent in the current context because it "lies at the intersection of discourses and experiences of Self and Other, Insider and Outsider, Native and Colonialist" (Anderson & Glass-Coffin, 2013). Each member of the team created a visualization of their decolonising self in the form of the 'map' of an island, following King (2013). Each map was complemented with a reflexive commentary. These two qualitative moves enabled each individual to explore their standpoint regarding their professional context and practices concerning decolonization. Subsequently, we shared our images and our commentaries, and collaboratively explored them.

The comparative analysis of our 'islands' includes a discussion to what extent internationalisation of the curriculum (Leask, 2015) and internationalisation at home (Beelen & Jones, 2015) are different from decolonisation of the curriculum.

One of the instruments of an internationalised curriculum is Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Such forms of collaboration form the core of the Erasmus+ Project iKudu and are usually associated with internationalisation but not with decolonisation. In this paper we explore the potential of online teaching and learning practices for decolonisation of curricula.

Paper Download (463 KB)

Paper short abstract:

The paper discusses how Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) can contribute to internationalised home curricula, which can in turn help to achieve transformation of curricula at South Afican universities.

Paper long abstract:

This paper draws on the Erasmus+ project iKudu, which is aimed at building capacity for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) at five South African universities. As part of the project, these universities were asked to assess how online collaboration contributes to achieving their aims for internationalised curricula, using Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider, Whitney & Stavros, 2008). We will present the five South African self-assessments but also a comparison with self-assessments of the European project partners. The South African self-assessments were followed up by on line interviews with stakeholders, as an alternative for the originally planned site visits. We will present the expectations of stakeholders on the contribution of COIL practices to transformation of curricula, as outlined in Policy framework for internationalisation of higher education in South Africa (2017).

Conceptualising the iKudu project enables us to define our focus on COIL. Extrapolating the role of COIL as a subtool for internationalisation of formal home curricula requires appreciation of the integration of existing curriculum transformation initiatives across the SA and European partners to discover the best of what exists. This includes awareness of strategies focused on curriculum decolonisation with focus on the roles of strategic leadership, COIL practitioners, and its impact on student/graduate experience - and to dream of what might be.

Finally, it will also allow us to reflect on the value of Appreciative Inquiry in a South-North project.

Paper Download (229 KB)

Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the use of COIL within the context of iKudu, an EU funded project which seeks to foster African-European partnerships to develop internationalisation capacity through the lenses of equality and decolonization.

Paper long abstract:

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) plays an important part within the Higher Education internationalisation at home agendas, allowing student to engage in intercultural collaborations around the globe without the need to travel or be involved with costly international mobility, whilst developing traversal skills such as teamwork and intercultural competency. This paper explores the use of COIL within the context of iKudu, an EU funded project which seeks to foster African-European partnerships to develop internationalisation capacity through the lenses of equality and decolonization. This paper explores the underlying literature around COIL and equality before examining the expectations and experiences of academic staff who have been involved in the creation of new collaborations between a consortium of five South African and five European universities. This article offers insight into the challenges of setting up new international collaborations against the backdrop of COVID-19 as well as insight into the hopes and expectations of the staff involved.

Paper Download (386 KB)

Paper short abstract:

A reflection on how a project about South African and Indian higher education made visible the intractable problematics of our 'work' within Higher Education Studies, Women's Studies and Academic Development.

Paper long abstract:

This paper reflects on a collaborative study which explored academic citizenry in the post-colonial contexts of South Africa and India. We conducted a mixed-method study of academics' experiences of agency, positioning and participation within universities, to comprehend the conditions of possibility for their shaping of the trans/formation of higher education. While participants' narratives revealed heterogeneous experiences and understandings, from passivity to ignorance and activism, what was disconcerting was what emerged about the larger conditions of their formation as citizens within boundaries and borderlands of the academy. Imaginaries to effect change seemed dormant or suppressed in India, and battle fatigued in South Africa. As authors, we discuss how this project made visible the intractable problematics of our 'work' within Higher Education Studies, Women's Studies and Academic Development, and the related im-possibility for decolonising the hidden meso-curriculum.

Paper Download (1.2 MB)