Of the policies covered in Internationalizing Higher Education Worldwide: National Policies and Programs, the type I found to have the potentially broadest reach and best chance of implementation is Internationalization at Home (IaH). Adopting an IaH approach to higher education could affect the student body as a whole, rather than the smaller population who study abroad. The chapter focuses on two aspects of an IaH approach, internationalization of the curriculum and broad institutional engagement of internationalization. Because the US was listed among the policy examples, I decided to look further into what is being done at home.
Here in the United States, IaH policy is put into practice by the Department of Education through grant programs to fund the development of foreign language education. Among these is the Language Resource Centers Program. Started in 1990 as part of the International Education Programs Service, the LRC program provides 4 year grants to higher ed institutions to establish and operate resource centers to improve the country’s ability to teach and learn foreign languages. The LRC program activities include a focus on less commonly taught languages, teacher training at the K-16 level, professional development and intensive summer institutes. The LRC emphasizes the importance of expanding the languages taught in the US, noting that some of the least taught languages are among some of those most widely spoken throughout the world. They reference business and political ‘hot spots’ in which Arabic, Chinese and Korean are spoken. In 2014, nearly $2.8 million was awarded to 16 higher education institutions, including the CUNY Graduate Center.
What is happening to enhance IaH within the higher ed system we are attending? The grant was used by the Graduate Center to establish a National Language Resource Center as part of their Institute for Language Education in Transcultural Context (ILTEC). Started in 2012, ILTEC is a research and resource center for language education at CUNY. On the research side, they support projects from language scholars and instructors. On the resource side, they work with CUNY faculty and language programs in professional development and circulate language education materials. The ILTEC site includes a ‘CUNY Language Map’ showing the languages each colleges is registered to teach, and which are being offered this semester. Here at Baruch the Spring ’16 courses include Arabic, Mandarin and Portuguese.
ILTEC provides a smaller scale, local example of how the broader goals of internationalizing higher education can be implemented. Indeed, New York City and the CUNY system are an ideal candidate to lead US internationalization efforts, with the diversity of nationalities and languages present at each campus. The ACE readings note that while the world is increasingly connected and global in nature, higher education institutions and systems are still operating on a national level. The field of higher ed is often by nature slow to change, however the types of efforts taking place worldwide show that the isssue is considered vital. It is exciting to see how the issues are being put into practice within our system and I encourage you to look at what is happening where you work!
Allison Olly
Resources:
Dept of Education: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iegpslrc/index.html
ILTEC: http://www.gc.cuny.edu/Page-Elements/Academics-Research-Centers-Initiatives/Centers-and-Institutes/Institute-for-Language-Education-in-Transcultural-Context
Hi Allison — thanks for the information as to what CUNY is doing to promote IaH. I agree that NYC-based institutions are uniquely suited towards these types of initiatives because of their geography and the demographic makeup of NYC. I was curious to see if colleges in rural communities are doing anything similar. I went to my good friend Google to look into it, and found out that schools like North Dakota State University and the University of Wyoming offer programs and study abroad opportunities to learn Arabic and Mandarin. While they do not look as developed as CUNY’s, I’m glad to see these initiatives aren’t just being limited to universities in large cities.
In addition to the language study component of IaH, I’d like to see colleges and universities in the U.S. have a “global/international studies” course as part of their general degree requirements. As the readings have pointed out, cross-cultural communication is crucial to be successful in today’s global economy. It’s important for students to learn a language, but they also need to be well versed in the social, political, and economic environments of other regions of the world to truly be competent in an increasingly globalized world.
Allison, it is great that you touched on the topic of internationalization at home in relation to language proficiency. Many of the study abroad programs are focused on teaching a language course while in the country (i.e. French in France). The ILTEC is able to get the logistics on teaching students on how to be proficient in a language, but I feel like it lacks the cultural understanding and learning aspect of international higher education. The goal of going on a program to learn french in France is not only to become well-versed in the language, but it is also to experience the and learn the culture of the language so they can learn to speak like a true native. I think without studying abroad, this cultural proficiency is hard to achieve.
Hi Allison,
Thank you for your post and extensive research on the topic in relation to current CUNY efforts. I find it fascinating how much is being done behind the scenes that many of us are not even aware of. I agree that Internationalization at home is one of the most important and effective ways to expand the idea of internationalization. According to the study done by Lahti University of Applied Sciences, “Internationalization abroad only reaches a fraction of the student population. Whereas IaH aims to help all higher education students achieve international and intercultural dimensions, and to ensure that returning students from international exchange programs have opportunities to “integrate their study abroad experiences and provide alternative international experiences at home for those who choose not to study abroad” (P.17). Internationalization at Home has a lot of potential here in the US, given the diversity and variety of culture most of the universities have to offer.
One of the Internationalization at Home initiatives here at Baruch College is the Global Student Certificate Program for undergraduate students. The program offers variety of free multi-cultural experiences and a chance to work on a program that includes research on culture, language, politics, business, and many other aspects of a particular country you are assigned to. I have done the program myself in 2010 and it was the best thing I’ve experience in college in regards here at home. I’ve learned more about Mexico than I could have ever imagined doing on my own without going away. More initiatives like that will create success for internationalization at home policy.
https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/100836/Dang_Thanh.pdf?sequence=2
http://zicklin.baruch.cuny.edu/centers/weissman/students/global-student-certificate
Natallia
I agree that the issue of Internationalization at Home is an important one in the internationalization dialogue and one that I have not been as aware of as before this course. Internationalization of curriculum is fascinating in that it highlights the delicate balance that needs to be achieved in addressing internationalization while also not losing sight of national goals and values in higher education. I have focused on India this week and so I think understanding how IaH may impact the overall regulatory scheme there could be an interesting exercise. The $2.8 million grant to CUNY for foreign language curriculum is a great example of IaH efforts. Would such efforts work in India where national regulatory priorities compete with a need for more lax internationalization rules? I could see internal debate over this issue in India and raise it as one of the wrinkles to consider in IaH conversation.
Thanks for informing us about the LRC program. I think it’s a great venture that will yield a large return investment, and I am happy the CUNY Grad center is a part of it, I wonder if and when the other CUNY schools will get involved. It is interesting that the program started in 1990 but was only able to award $2.8 million to 16 schools, which doesn’t seem like a lot in terms of higher education programs in my opinion, but on the other hand of how limited funding is, I suppose this an achievement.
It’s refreshing that CUNY has taken the funding and gone down two ventures, research and resource. No doubt their efforts will entice the funding officers to award more money. I agree that CUNY is a perfect place to push these efforts, with each school being so different from the last.
Hi Allison,
I too was interested in the IaH initiatives and I am glad you explored more to see what is being done in the US. I had no idea the CUNY Graduate Center was among the colleges and universities who received grants from the Language Resource Center Programs. The CUNY Language Map is especially helpful as I think learning a language starting in undergrad would ensure a higher proficiency in that language by the time the student reaches grad school. In addition, I always am curious how many students actually put to use the languages they learn. I know first hand if you don’t practice a language you learn you will never become fluent and many times “lose it”. We are so lucky to be in NYC where diversity and foreign language surrounds us each day, I wonder if there are ways to make sure our students keep practicing their language after they leave CUNY.