Internationalising teaching and learning through building professional capacity

Abstract

Both research and policy have increasingly recognised the key role academics and teaching staff play in internationalising teaching and learning, which points to the importance of professional capacity building. Instead of delivering training programmes to tell our colleagues how to internationalise, we focus on building capacity collectively and drawing on rich local experiences. In this talk, I will present a communities-of-practice approach to building professional capacity across four universities in Hong Kong and Mainland China, supported by a three-year teaching grant from the University Grants Committee. The essence of this approach is to create an inclusive environment in which teachers share effective practices and learn from one another, explore new approaches, reflect on their learning experiences, and develop shared practices and resources. With multiple roles as a project leader, community convenor, and researcher, I will also share the opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned in implementing this approach.