Abstract

As more higher education institutions engage in the internationalization of their courses and curricula, it becomes essential to clearly articulate the meaning and purpose of the internationalization of learning and teaching. The purpose of this study was to examine the past and current experiences of the Loyola International College (LIC), illustrating the efforts of a Canadian University to create and implement an international program. This case provides insight into a lived experience of curriculum internationalization by examining and analyzing the relationships amongst the wide-range of rationales that drove curricular internationalization, the approaches used to implement curriculum internationalization, and the LIC pedagogical frameworks.
This case study is based on archival data of official text records (Academic program committees, Senate and Board of Governors) supplemented with interviews. A total of seven participants were interviewed, including founding members of the College, current instructors and students. Based on the examination of the collected data, the thesis identifies key rationales that underlay the creation of the LIC; illustrates how the pedagogical concepts that evolved from the initial rationales continue to influence the current functioning of the College, and describes how new emerging factors interacted and continue to do so with the original frameworks.
The thesis identifies a set of critical questions that may inspire all stakeholders and curriculum committees, in particular, in setting up a process ensuring that all concerned stakeholders engage in a broad discussion about the potential educational benefits and pitfalls of internationalization initiatives.