What is the Community of Practice?
One of the aims of the HUBi has been to function as a Community of Practice (CoP), where advisors and study programs share approaches to internationalisation, good practices, challenges, and together learn about all aspects of internationalisation.
This has been facilitated in a number of ways:
- Regular meetings have been organized to bring study programs together to discuss specific internationalisation related themes
- Each participating study program in the HUBi (HUB Internationalisation) knows a buddy. The CoP is used to share the buddy’s explorations with the HUB. The consultant of CoIA (connected to the study program) is the sounding board for the study program.
- During the meetings, study programs are given the opportunity to share ideas and themes and to explore them with other study programs.
- Study programs are regularly invited to share a best practice and to discuss it with other programmes or to make it available via digital channels.
- TEAMS is used as a means of communicating between meetings, primarily as a means of sharing resources, events of interest, etc.
- An overview of the areas of interest of all present/former HUB members has been shared as a means of facilitating programs working on similar topics and themes to share challenges and good practices.
Through a purposeful and consistent approach within this community of practice, a common foundation was created for internationalisation within the RUAS. The work of the approximately 30 study programs contributed to a paradigm for meaningful internationalisation, based on international and intercultural competencies needed by the working field, corresponding learning outcomes and constructive alignment.
Community of Practice
HUB internationalisation Hogeschool Rotterdam (2018)
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Learning arrangement Study Program and the role of advisor / coach from HUB
The role of advisor/coach from the HUB Internationalisation is aimed at directly supporting the participating courses that want to get to work on the theme of Internationalisation. In the project plan, the overall approach and focus has already been chosen. From there, the advisor / coach and the team look for the learning questions the team has about internationalisation. Thinking about the approach and implementation focuses on:
- Embedding in the organisation in a structural way (rationale, verifiable objectives and timeline)
- Involving colleagues and increasing involvement with the purpose to promote implementation
- Strengthening the solution by thinking along about the content
- Supporting to contact content experts / good practices
Stimulating learning and acquiring new knowledge in accordance with concrete learning questions and activities culminates in a learning arrangement:
- What are you curious about
- What learning questions do you have
- What do you want to do and do you have a buddy in mind?
- What support do you expect to need from the HUB?
By caputuring these learning questions in a learning arrangement, progress can be mutually monitored and interim adjustments can be made As an example of a learning arrangement of a programme aimed at internationalisation :
Curious about:
- How we can integrate intercultural sensitivity into our education.
- How we can integrate our 'own' vision with our vision on internationalisation.
Learning questions:
- What can professionalisation for our lecturers look like?
- Help with the development of teaching materials (also for students).
Entrepreneurship:
- ‘Peeking at the neighbours’
Support:
- Help to actually finish and implement things
Commitment:
- Own commitment to the agreed timeline and objectives
The direct involvement and expertise of the advisor/coach in the theme of Internationalisation means that it is possible to think along from the context of the programme. The combination of expert and critical friend is ideally suited to building a constructive relationship, aimed at strengthening the intended activities in the context of internationalisation.
CoP at a glance
Learning environment
A learning environment that is organised in such a way that the exchange of knowledge and ideas and the sharing of good practices is possible. A learning environment that facilitates and stimulates further exploration of internationalisation in a broad sense. A learning environment that is sustainable and strives for continuity.
Common issue + urgency
Within the CoP, we are not only looking for the common issue of internationalisation, but also for the specific demand of the study program (within the professional domain). We point out and share the sense-of-urgency, for example with regard to curriculum development or learning outcomes.
Exchange + output
The CoP wonders what is the best way to exchange knowledge, insights and experiences. Together we look at how the output and evaluations add value to the study programs. It is important how and what we communicate about the results and how we disseminate the results of the CoP.
Exploration + Experimentation
The CoP explores new ideas with regard to internationalisation, among other things through the input of study programmes and/or experts, professional field and students. The CoP stimulates experimentation and the implementation of new knowledge, good and new practices.
Connecting + working together
In the CoP, the study programme looks for cooperation and connection with related and inspiring programmes. In the CoP, the study programme focuses on the connection with other study programmes in order to see how continuity can be safeguarded.
Resources (tools)
The programmes share the possibilities: budgetary (internal funding, subsidised, etc.), professionalisation (internal and external, internships, seminars). The CoP explores and shares the potential of technology (ICT and VR resources). The CoP consciously looks for professional expertise.
Objective
The CoP strives for a context-rich and meaningful commitment to internationalisation for the professional domain. The CoP is a place for and gives room for learning from and with each other with regard to internationalisation.
Sustainability
The CoP has set itself the task - in cooperation with all stakeholders - of embedding internationalisation sustainably in study program, institutes and the networks of the professional domain. Other courses are being used to look at what is needed to give this sustainability an organisational form.
Change
The CoP supports and advises in order to realise and commit to change and willingness to change (if there is one). With the other study programs the way in which impact is created for study program, professional domain and labour market, is being explored.