The Secret Code of the “1+1=3” Internationalisation in Teaching and Learning

By Tiffany Ko

“Coding” is the primary process of developing and maintaining a computer programme. And it is sometimes best to be done in groups. This article captures how Dr. Kristen Li, our CoP – ITL member from HKBU, has worked closely with the Department of Computer Science to explore the secret code of internationalising teaching and learning in the classroom and at the programme level.

A Classroom of Collaboration and Global Vision
Having exchange and degree-seeking students coming from Hong Kong, Mainland China, other parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa, teachers of the Department of Computer Science are no strangers to the multicultural classroom over the last five years. To allow students of different learning styles to excel, Dr. Li adopted a flipped classroom approach that engages students in group-based learning.

In the module of “IT Management: Principles and Practices”, students were arranged in mixed groups and asked to conduct research on certain topics before attending the lectures. Dr. Li observed that engaging students in continuous group work via the flipped classroom approach brought positive transformation to students’ learning. The teacher recalled that students who were first passive in group work became more proactive towards the end of the module. Seeing that their international peers always share ideas confidently in class, local students and Mainland Chinese students gradually became more expressive. They were less afraid of making mistakes and holding a viewpoint different from others.

Besides the flipped-classroom pedagogy, Dr. Li helps students learn from diverse course content. In the same course, she selected and combined examples from Hong Kong, the Greater China, and overseas to facilitate class discussion. Students were then guided to compare markets, technology giants, and policies of different countries. The former Chief Information Officer of HSBC was also brought in to co-teach and accentuate the soft skills essential to managing a transnational business.

Activity across Disciplines, Institutions and Nations
While equipping students with disciplinary knowledge and intercultural competences—such as teamwork skills and global awareness—in the classroom, the Department provides opportunities for student to apply their learning to tackling real-world problems. To this end, the Joint Workshop on Design for Sustainability (D4S) was a vivid case in point.

This annual event brought together students of HKBU, Kyoto University, and National Cheng Kung University to solve problems of Hong Kong society through collaborative design thinking. In the workshop, participants were first offered a fully subsidised trip(s) to Japan and/or Taiwan to learn from cases in different cultural contexts. They then worked in groups to design solutions and presented their findings in Hong Kong.

As a member of the D4S committee, Dr. Li underlined the significance of the international and interdisciplinary design thinking process which made students better global citizens. The workshop was a unique experience for students to recognise how people of different countries and profession approach a single problem in a different way as well as how people acknowledge, negotiate, and accommodate cultural differences. It was observed that the Computer students taking part in the D4S became more aware of how software could be developed and made viable across cultures.

Consistent Departmental Support
On top of internationalising teaching and learning inside and outside the classroom setting, Dr. Li reiterated the value of receiving continuous support from senior management of the department in cultivating a favorable atmosphere of internationalisation. She recalled the time when the Department Head agreed to sponsor students to bring their start-up idea to an international competition; and the time when the Department Head tried the flipped classroom approach himself. As such, the department was supporting students to pursue their aspirations at the global level. While understanding the common issues facing the teachers when it comes to internationalisation, the department accommodates any feedback they receive.

Collaboration is sometimes considered the key to developing a successful computer programme. We confirm this through the sharing of Dr. Li that the close collaboration between teaching staff and the academic department is indeed the secret code to internationalise the programme of Computer Studies. It makes the process smooth, effective, and sustainable.

Acknowledgements
The Editor’s Pick draws on an interview with Dr. Kristen Li who generously shared with us her experiences and insights, and we hope we have done justice to the wisdom of her practice in the internationalisation of teaching and learning.