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The past decade has seen a rapid increase in the number of international students undertaking doctorates in Anglophone universities such as Australia and the UK. In 2009, 11,500 international students were undertaking postgraduate research in Australia, with a 20 per cent increase in doctoral enrolments over the previous year (AEI, 2011). In the UK, international students comprise 50 per cent of full-time research degree students (UKCISA, 2011). The postgraduate research student cohort in these countries has thus radically changed as these students have brought with them different academic cultures and intellectual traditions. Although distinct phases can be identified in the responses of Australian and British universities to increases in international students, with the current phase aligned to internationalisation agendas, there still appears to be a lack of recognition of the potential to take advantage of these global flows of people, ideas and perspectives by engaging with the knowledge and academic values that international doctoral students bring. Are we taking advantage of these opportunities for the generation of new knowledge and skills or do we risk being complacent about the superiority of "Western" academic ways? Using theories of cross-cultural pedagogy, this paper reports on a qualitative study of views of scholarship and learning in Western and Confucian-heritage higher education, using Australia and the UK, and China and Hong Kong as case studies. Interviews with expert scholars in these contexts demonstrate that although there are differences and similarities towards knowledge and scholarship between these higher education systems, these are changing as contemporary teaching and learning conditions and imperatives become more closely tied to discourses of internationalisation and globalisation. This demonstrates recognition of the changes occurring in higher education and an understanding of the need for genuine intercultural dialog so that international education is not just based on the legitimisation of Western knowledge but becomes an enterprise of mutual learning. (Contains 1 table.)

The contemporary context of higher education around the world is characterised by increasing international 'contacts' between higher education systems. These include increased 'flows' of international students, as well as rapidly growing numbers of academic collaborations through international research partnerships and transnational teaching programmes. Yet, much of the literature on international students tends to focus on how international students, and Chinese students in particular, may lack particular Western academic knowledge and values. Identifying groups as, for example, 'Asian', 'Chinese' or 'Confucian culture heritage' learners runs the risk of stereotyped views of international students and the desirability (for all students) of attaining only 'Western' academic knowledge and skills. The rise in the internationalisation of universities around the world has seen not just an increase in international student numbers, but changes to the 'four Ps' of higher education: policies, programmes, pedagogy and partnerships. Interestingly, the direction of student flows is beginning to change from mainly 'east' to 'west', and there is a growing interest in how these interactions can lead to more globalised and intercultural learning outcomes not only just for international students, but also for local students and staff. This article draws on theories of transculturalism, contact theory and the core principles of the UK Higher Education Academy's Internationalising Higher Education Framework. In the context of the proliferation of universities' internationalisation policies and the increasing cultural diversity of university staff and student populations, these theories and principles can provide a foundation for examining how increased contact between Western and Asian higher education systems can lead to learning and knowledge outcomes that can better serve individuals and organisations in the current 'global era'. It reports research that illustrates how academics' notions of 'scholarship' and 'learning' in both contexts are either shared or differ and points to how the common academic values can be the basis for mutual understanding, and the differences can be the source of mutual learning., Author(s): Janette Ryan [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Academic Associate (Internationalisation), United Kingdom Higher Education Academy, 45 Lake Street, OX1 4RP, Oxford, UK Introduction Globalisation has had an impact on the [...]

In 1991, the Australian Government designated students with disabilities as one of the six equity groups that were under-represented in higher education. Since that time, there has been only a modest increase in enrolments of students with disabilities despite government polices and funding of disability support services and programs. People with disabilities comprise 20% of Australia's population but only account for 4% of university enrolments. Despite the existence of the Australian Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (1992) and the introduction of the Disability Standards for Education in 2005, negative attitudes about students with disabilities by university lecturers continue to exist. Research into the knowledge, attitudes and experiences of staff, especially in practice-based courses such as nurse education, reveals that university staff, practicum supervisors and even some disability staff, are unaware of their responsibilities under the legislation and that teaching staff continue to hold negative attitudes towards students with disabilities. This article reports on research that investigated the barriers facing such students in nursing courses, in particular in clinical placements. It shows that a lack of understanding of legislative and institutional requirements underlies negative attitudes about students with disabilities, especially in practicum-based courses. (Contains 7 tables.)

Discourses of internationalisation in higher education often neglect one of the most effective sources of intercultural knowledge and understanding; the international students who increasingly inhabit university campuses around the world. International education is now big business in Anglophone universities such as in the UK and Australia, with 15% of students (United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs, 2010) and 21% of students (Australian International Education, 2010a) respectively being international students. However, benefits for nations and universities are at risk due to a range of teaching and learning issues that affect the learning experiences of international students and are problematic for both staff and students. This paper draws on research over the past two decades to discuss the nature of these issues and provides an overview of the three stages that can be discerned in universities' responses to the influx of international students. This analysis points to a changing pattern of responses which are tied more closely to discourses of globalisation and internationalisation. It also shows that although many of the difficulties experienced by staff and students are well known, there is still much to be done to address curriculum, pedagogical and assessment practices. A necessary precursor to this work is the examination of underlying attitudes, values and systems that may give rise to difficulties for both staff and students. A new approach is needed that positions international students not as "problems" to be solved but as "assets" to internationalisation and the generation of new knowledge and new ways of working in the academy. (Contains 1 table.)

The current round of basic education curriculum reform in China is considered by many to be the most radical and wide-reaching. However, very little is known about education reform at the school level. Here we document and discuss some of the challenges and opportunities that the reform programme is providing for teachers and schools. We describe the progress to date of an international collaborative research and development project involving teachers, school and district leaders from different regions in China working with Chinese, Canadian and Australian academics on changing teacher practices through "professional learning communities". This model draws on the success of such communities in Australia and Canada in bringing about substantial teacher development. In this article, we explore the mobility of ideas about teacher professional development and student learning across cultural systems. We provide an insight into how Chinese educators have developed "hybrid models" of teaching and learning and teacher development drawn from experience and expertise of teacher researchers in Canada and Australia. Drawing on observational data over a three-year period, as well as the teachers' and school leaders' own accounts, we demonstrate the value of teacher research, and cross-cultural collaboration, in bringing about profound and sustainable changes to educational practices in a network of teacher professional learning communities in China. (Contains 1 figure and 2 notes.)

International students entering postgraduate courses in Australian universities encounter numerous challenges in their new environments. Many relate to the academic literacy and pedagogical practices in the English-speaking academic environment, which international students time and again have reported assume local linguistic and cultural knowledge and can result in feelings of disengagement and a sense that their own knowledge and experiences are undervalued. These practices are often associated with the notion of a native-speaker norm in the English-speaking academy, which exercises tacit power in pedagogy and assessment. Here, we identify the perceptions of international students with whom we have worked in our teaching and our research, which illustrate the impacts on their self-identity and self-esteem as they operate in unfamiliar linguistic and cultural environments. We identify essential principles for teaching and learning environments which students believe can help them to engage more actively in respectful conversations promoting learning for all. We focus on the personal impacts for international students of operating in new academic cultures, and seek ways of promoting dialogic, multivoiced learning spaces for all participants.

Discourses of "internationalisation" of the curriculum of Western universities often describe the philosophies and paradigms of "Western" and "Eastern" scholarship in binary terms, such as "deep/surface", "adversarial/harmonious", and "independent/dependent". In practice, such dichotomies can be misleading. They do not take account of the complexities and diversity of philosophies of education within and between their educational systems. The respective perceived virtues of each system are often extolled uncritically or appropriated for contemporary economic, political or social agendas. Critical thinking, deep learning, lifelong and lifewide learning are heralded as the outcomes of Western education but these concepts are often under-theorised or lack agreed meanings. Equally fuzzy concepts such as "Asian values" or "Confucian education" are eulogised as keys to successful teaching and learning when Asia prospers economically. They are also used to explain perceived undesirable behaviour such as plagiarism and uncritical thinking when Asian economies do not do so well. We argue that in general, educationists should be aware of the differences and complexities within cultures before they examine and compare between cultures. This paper uses the Confucian-Western dichotomy as a case study to show how attributing particular unanalysed concepts to whole systems of cultural practice leads to misunderstandings and bad teaching practice.

Although more students with learning disabilities (LD) are enrolling in Australian universities, their learning needs are not well understood. This article reports on the experiences of students with LD who are encouraged to enter the academy by Australian university policies and government legislation but, once there, find that the promise of equal opportunity is often not kept. This article provides some insights into how university lecturers' normative expectations and practices can affect students' everyday experiences. Interviews with students with LD showed that they do not often receive support services, their "stories" are not believed, and they often feel that they do not "belong."

In Australia, anti-discrimination legislation and government policies have been introduced which aim to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities in employment and education. However in the area of nursing, attitudinal barriers persist that effectively hinder the full participation of people with disabilities in nurse education programs. These attitudinal barriers prevail despite such legislative and policy changes, and run counter to changing community views about disability. Normative assumptions about the ideal attributes of nurses appear to influence these attitudes, especially in the area of admission of students with disabilities to nurse education programs per se, and to their participation in the practicum component of nurse education programs. This paper reports on research conducted in Victoria, Australia, by nurse academics and equity practitioners at three Victorian universities, into the barriers facing such students. The research examined the views of undergraduate student nurses, their lecturers and their clinical educators, nurse clinicians, and university disability practitioners about the participation of people with disabilities in nurse education programs. The research also sought to document their responses to a framework, developed through the research that aims to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities in undergraduate nursing programs. It did this against a pluralistic and technological milieu that in the researchers' view requires a more diverse mix within the nursing profession. (Contains 1 figure and 6 tables.)