Internationalising the curriculum is often understood as translating content into English or buying a programme from abroad. Both interpretations lead to results that fall short of the resources spent.
The essence of this work is adjusting content and teaching organisation so learners gain the capacity to work in a multinational environment, whether or not they go abroad.
This guide sets out five steps from review to adjustment, along with how to measure whether the work is effective.
Step one: define a specific goal
Before touching the content, you need to answer what this work is meant to serve.
The goal may be to prepare learners for further study abroad. In that case the focus is on the transferability of results and the capacity to learn in a different environment.
Or it may be to prepare learners to work in an international environment locally. The focus is entirely different: the capacity to work with colleagues from many cultures, using international standards in professional work.
Or it may be to attract learners from other countries. The focus is on content that does not depend on local context and on an organisation suited to people outside the system.
These three goals are not mutually exclusive but they carry different priorities, and failing to define this clearly leads to scattered effort.
For most schools in Vietnam, the second goal has the greatest practical value and is also the least prioritised, because it does not produce visible results right away.
Step two: review existing content
This is the most time-consuming step but it determines the quality of the entire process.
For each course, ask four questions. Does this content depend on the domestic context? If so, which part depends on it? Is there an international standard or practice relevant to this content? After completing it, can the learner work in an international environment in this respect?
Sort the results into three groups. A group that needs no adjustment because the content is already universal. A group that needs an added international perspective alongside the existing content. A group that needs substantial change.
Record the review results, because they are the basis for planning and also a reference document later on.
The results are usually a pleasant surprise: much of the specialised content in many fields is already universal, and the volume that needs adjustment is smaller than initially expected.
The review should be carried out by the lecturers responsible for each course themselves, with unified guidance, rather than handed off entirely to a dedicated unit.
Step three: adjust the content
The four directions of adjustment below cover most cases.
Add a comparative perspective. Instead of presenting only the domestic approach, add one or two other systems’ approaches and the reasons for the differences. This is the direction with the highest value-to-effort ratio.
Bring international standards and practices into the specialised content. Learners need to know which standard is commonly used in their field.
Use international reference materials alongside the existing textbook. There is no need to replace everything; adding one or two materials per course already makes a difference.
Add activities that require working with foreign-language sources. There is no need to switch to teaching in English; requiring learners to read and process foreign-language material already raises their capacity significantly.
The first direction should be prioritised in the first year. It requires no change to the programme structure, no complex approval, and it has a clear impact on learners’ awareness.
Step four: adjust the teaching organisation
Content is only half of it. Teaching methods and assessment need to change accordingly.
Increase group work and discussion. The capacity to work in a multicultural environment forms through practice, not through listening to lectures.
Introduce project-based assignments. Working by project is common in international environments and differs from traditional assignment-based learning.
Adjust the assessment method. Add formative assessment alongside the final exam.
Create opportunities to interact with people from other systems. Online exchange sessions with a class in another country, guest speakers from international businesses. These activities cost little and have a large impact.
The last activity is usually undervalued. A ninety-minute online exchange session with learners in another country creates an experience that many hours of lecturing cannot replace.
Step five: prepare the staff
None of the steps above can be carried out if the staff are not prepared.
Assess the actual current capacity. How many lecturers can read specialised material in English, how many have experience working in an international environment.
Create opportunities for international exposure. Attending conferences, joint projects, or short-term exchange programmes. Far more effective than domestic training courses.
Factor preparation time into the workload. If it is treated as extra work, only the most enthusiastic people will take part, and they will stop once overloaded.
Create a mechanism for sharing within the team. Whoever has successfully adjusted a course should share how they did it, as this is the most effective form of spreading the practice.
The third point is the decisive one. Most internationalisation efforts fail not for lack of ideas but because no one has time to carry them out.
Measuring results
Four indicators show whether the work is effective.
The number of courses adjusted and the degree of adjustment, following the classification from step two.
The actual capacity of graduating learners, measured through their ability to process specialised material in a foreign language and through feedback from employers.
The proportion of learners who continue studying abroad and the recognition of their academic results.
Feedback from the lecturers themselves on whether the adjustment made teaching better or just added work.
The last indicator is measured the least but matters most for sustainability. If staff feel the adjustment only adds burden without improving teaching quality, the process will stop as soon as top-down pressure eases.
Regarding a reference framework for internationalisation at the higher-education level, the document from The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sets out principles a school can rely on when planning.
For comparative data on the degree of internationalisation across education systems, data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) helps put one’s own goals into real-world context.
Internationalising the curriculum does not need to start with a large budget
This is a common misconception that leads many schools to delay.
Three things cost little. Adding a comparative perspective to lectures; requiring learners to read one foreign-language material per course; organising an online exchange session with a class in another country.
Three things cost a moderate amount. Buying international reference materials; inviting guest speakers from businesses with a foreign element; supporting lecturers to attend international conferences.
The most expensive things are buying a programme from abroad and hiring international lecturers, and these also have the lowest value-to-cost ratio if the foundation is not yet in place.
The order to follow. Complete the first group in the first year, move to the second group from the second year, and only consider the third group once the first two groups have produced measurable results.
This order matters because it lets the school build up experience before committing large resources, and it also allows stopping if the direction turns out not to fit.
Summary
Internationalising the curriculum is not translating content into English or buying a programme from abroad, but adjusting content and organisation so learners gain the capacity to work in a multinational environment.
The step of reviewing existing content determines the quality of the entire process, and the results usually show that the volume needing adjustment is smaller than initially expected.
Adding a comparative perspective is the direction to prioritise in the first year, because it requires no change to the programme structure yet has a clear impact on learners’ awareness.
Next Steps
Choose three courses and have the lecturers in charge carry out the review step using the four questions above.
The results from these three courses are enough to gauge the actual workload for the entire programme, and serve as the basis for planning the following year.
