NTLSN · Crash Course · Global cohorts

Internationalisation — a crash course

Most Australian classrooms are international classrooms. Four short lessons on teaching diverse cohorts well — then a self-check.

The one thing to remember: international and diverse students are an asset to design for, not a deficit to manage. Internationalise the curriculum, not just the classroom.
4 lessons~10 min read1 self-checkGrounded in Internationalisation of the curriculum (Leask)

The lessons

1
Internationalise the curriculumContent, not just classroom
›

Internationalisation is about what students learn, not only who's in the room — diverse perspectives, examples and ways of knowing in the curriculum itself.

  • Include diverse perspectives, cases and sources, not just Western defaults.
  • Make global and intercultural capability an explicit outcome.
  • Design it in from the start, across the program (Leask).
Grounded in
  • Internationalisation of the Curriculum (Leask)
  • Global & intercultural learning outcomes
2
Value diverse prior learningDifference as resource
›

Students arrive with different educational cultures and strengths. Treating that as a resource — not a gap — improves learning for everyone.

  • Make implicit ‘rules of the game’ explicit (what we mean by critique, referencing, participation).
  • Draw on students' own contexts and examples.
  • Avoid deficit framing — diversity is the asset.
3
Language & participationLower the barrier, not the bar
›

Language load shouldn't mask what students know. Small design moves let everyone participate without lowering standards.

  • Use plain language and define discipline terms.
  • Give processing time, written options, and varied ways to contribute.
  • Caption media and provide materials ahead of class.
4
Intercultural group workMix well, on purpose
›

Group work can build intercultural capability — or reinforce divides. Design it so mixing is structured and valued.

  • Form mixed groups intentionally and give them a reason to integrate.
  • Set norms and roles; assess process as well as product.
  • Use group work to build the intercultural outcome, not just divide labour.
◇ Bring it together — from the NTLSN commons
Browse “Internationalisation”Inclusive teaching course369 sector videosFrameworks & policy

For a diverse cohort — a quick self-check

✓
My curriculum includes diverse perspectives and sources.
✓
Global/intercultural capability is an explicit outcome.
✓
I make the implicit ‘rules of the game’ explicit.
✓
I lower the language barrier without lowering the bar.
✓
My group work is intentionally mixed and structured.
✓
I frame diversity as an asset, not a deficit.
Source & attribution. Curated from internationalisation-of-the-curriculum scholarship (Leask) and intercultural-teaching good practice indexed by the NTLSN commons. Practitioner synthesis, not original research.
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