Internationalisation of landscape architect education at SLU, Alnarp students viewpoints

Transkript

1 Report within Project Course (Pedagogisk grundkurs del 3, 4p) 2010 at SLU Internationalisation of landscape architect education at SLU, Alnarp students viewpoints Results of a questionnaire study Christine Haaland, Department of Landscape Management, Design and Construction, Alnarp, SLU September 2010

2 Contents Preface 3 Summary 4 1. Introduction 6 2. Methods 8 3. Results and discussion Distribution and return of questionnaires Students opinions on internationality of landscape architect education at Alnarp Students opinions on English as teaching language Students opinions on internationality of course content Students opinions on internationality of background of teachers Studying abroad Wishes of students regarding internationalisation Viewpoints on high percentage of international students in Master courses Other aspects Overall discussion Suggestions for improvements 31 References 33 Appendix 2

3 Preface This report was written within the project course of the basic pedagogics education (part 3) for university teachers at SLU. The topic of the project was individually chosen and is expected to represent four weeks of work. It was challenging to deal with an issue very different from my own research background (ecology) in terms of all different aspects from topic to methods. Thus this report should be viewed from this background as a piece of work carried out within a very limited time by an individual with no previous experience of questionnaires (which are the backbone of this report) or of dealing with pedagogic matters in this form. Nevertheless, this project was extremely interesting and exciting for me. It was fascinating to read all the students answers, their thoughts, ideas and struggles. The answers to the questionnaire have made me reflect on my own teaching, but hopefully this report can also contribute to reflections for others and maybe even lead to improvements regarding teaching in the international classroom within the landscape architect education at Alnarp. First of all, I want to thank all the students who took the time to answer the questionnaire. I am really glad to have had the opportunity to read so many of your viewpoints! Many of you have made much use of the possibility to comment. Thank you for that! I also want to thank my colleagues Anna Peterson, Märit Jansson, Mats Gyllin and Anders Westin, who helped formulate the questionnaire:. Last but not least, there is the issue of the language in which this report is written. I chose English purely because writing in English is still more familiar to me than writing in Swedish. However, if Swedish were my mother tongue, I would have written this report in Swedish, because it is intended for a Swedish speaking audience. Thus citations from the questionnaire, which was in Swedish, and from other Swedish sources are given in Swedish to avoid any incorrect nuances in translation. Internationalisation of higher education has been discussed in Sweden in many different forums and occasions, but the students voice is not often heard. Therefore this report offers a rare opportunity to read some student opinions on internationalisation. Christine Haaland, Alnarp, September

4 Summary Questionnaires responses from 70 Swedish speaking landscape architect students studying in years 1, 3, 4 and 5 at Alnarp were analysed within this project. About two third of the students who responded classified their education in general as a little international or not at all international, while nearly one third perceived it to be international. 84% of all students who responded were positive to English as the teaching language. Nevertheless, students pointed out several problems with using English as the teaching language (need longer time for reading and writing; lacked possibilities to develop their Swedish professional terminology; lower teaching quality when teachers English is not sufficient; no language help in English, own performance not coming up to the same standard as in Swedish, which also affects grades). Writing in English was more often seen as difficult compared with other aspects (reading, listening to lectures, participating in discussions, asking questions). The English language skills of several teachers needs improvement, according to students comments. Course quality in some courses is suffering from teachers low English skills. The majority of students regarded the course content of their landscape architect education as a little international, while about one third regarded it as international. Categorisation of course content regarding internationality was not necessarily related to year of study. Students evaluated different aspects of teaching differently and thus came to different conclusions even when attending the same courses. One quarter of students classified their teachers as very international or international, while three quarters classified them as a little international or not at all international. Several remarked that there is of course a large variation between teachers. It was also indicated that even when teachers have an international research background, this is not always communicated when teaching. Out of 70 students who answered the questionnaire, 6 (8%) had studied abroad. Out of 69 students who answered the question on future plans to study abroad, 32 students (46%) reported that they plan to study abroad in future. This varied between 74% of students in year 1 and 12% in year 4. 4

5 The majority of students who responded requested internationalised education regarding language (56%), teachers with international experience (90%), course content (77%) and course literature (79%). The high percentage of international students in Master s courses was seen overwhelmingly as positive. It was mentioned several times as the first aspect when describing features that make the education international. Nevertheless certain problems were pointed out (large differences in subject, language and computer knowledge; large cultural differences, which can be problematic for example in group work and discussions). Half of the students did not name or did not identify a lack of any specific aspect regarding internationalisation of their education. Others named more internationalised course content, guest lecturers from abroad, projects abroad, for example in Denmark, and making studying abroad easier. A genuine criticism that was mentioned in many questionnaire responses was the strong focus of the education on regional conditions (Sydvästra Skåne). 5

6 1. Introduction The objective of this project was to learn landscape architect students opinions of certain aspects of the internationalisation of their education at Alnarp. It was intended to chart students wishes and problems regarding internationalisation, including issues such as the use of English in the majority of Master s courses. The main intention of this report is to present reflections on the topic and to contribute to a further discussion of the issue. Internationalisation of higher education has been accelerating at Swedish universities during the last decade, with the Bologna process as one of the most driving forces. The number of students from abroad studying at universities in Sweden has increased, from 10,000 students in 1998 to more than 30,000 in 2008 (Salö 2010). However, the number of Swedish students studying abroad has remained relatively stable, with approx. 25,000 students each year over the last 10 years (Salö 2010). In Sweden, the Bologna process has resulted in restructuring of higher education to a large extent (the most obvious being perhaps the division into Bachelor and Master degrees), but also to a change in teaching language, which in Master s courses is increasingly English. Of the non- English speaking countries, the Nordic countries have the highest number of courses given in English apart from the Netherlands (Samuelsson 2009). According to Salö (2010), in 2010 about one third of all courses at advanced level were given in English, while at the basic level it was 10%. While profound changes have been underway, their impacts were quite little studied at the beginning. Research on the effects of, for example, using English as teaching language in non-english speaking countries is quite new (e.g. Airey 2009), while teaching international students in English speaking countries has been studied more comprehensively (see for example Carroll & Ryan 2005). Carroll and Ryan (2005) took a broad perspective on the issue, going far behind pure language matters and addressing topics on international students different cultures, learning methods, etc. Nevertheless acknowledgment of the challenges of teaching in English at Swedish universities has resulted in the elaboration of language policies at several universities (e.g. University of Gothenburg 2006, LTH, 2009, KTH 2010). In addition, the issue was taken up at a national conference arranged by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education (Högskoleverket, Undervisning på engelska i svensk högre utbildning Hur undviker vi negativa effekter?, 24 November 2009, Stockholm). At SLU there is a pronounced aim of internationalisation of education and research. There are strategies at both central and at LTJ Faculty level on how to achieve objectives on internationalisation (e.g. LTJ Faculty: Prage (2008) has written a comprehensive report on internationalisation of SLU education that provides information and discusses the history of internationalisation at SLU, contexts such as the Bologna process and 6

7 strategy/policy documents at SLU regarding internationalisation of education. It also provides a long list of recommendations on how to achieve objectives on internationalisation, including a time plan for implementation. Prage (2008) suggests the following definition of internationalisation: Internationalisering är processen att integrera en internationell och interkulturell dimension i SLU:s undervisning, forskning, fortlöpande miljöanalys, kunskapsutbyte och kompetensutveckling. (Prage, 2008, p. 21). The use of English as teaching language in Sweden supports internationalisation in that it makes the participation of foreign students easier, but it does not necessarily mean an internationalisation of course content. Within the landscape architect programme at Alnarp, the major teaching language at the undergraduate level (year 1-3) is Swedish. Other languages such as English and Danish are used almost solely through literature. There are about students in each of the three years and the vast majority of these students have a Swedish background, in that they have Swedish as their mother tongue or have attended Swedish schools for several years before entering university. The Master s courses at advanced level are almost all given in English, but the Master s thesis may be written in Swedish. In the past, Master s courses were given in Swedish or on demand in English. This meant in practice that if there was one student on the course who could not follow it in Swedish, the course language was switched to English. This procedure was changed some years ago to holding most courses principally in English. The percentage of foreign students in the Master s courses varies, but can be up to 75%. The university teachers within the landscape architect programme almost all have a Swedish background, but several have spent long periods abroad, in English speaking countries and in other countries. There were several reasons why I chose this topic for the project. In spring 2010 I was involved in teaching a Master s course for landscape architects at Alnarp, which was held in English. As preparation for the course and a further step in my pedagogic education, I attended a course at Lund University entitled Learning and Teaching in English. This course gave me many new insights regarding teaching in English and generally teaching international students with different backgrounds. I became interested in the issue and attended the conference mentioned above in Stockholm arranged by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education. Delegates at that conference presented the work of other Swedish universities on teaching in English and their language policies and language courses for both students and teachers and during the course of these presentations I became aware of two issues. Firstly, I felt that a profound change has taken place in the landscape architect programme at Alnarp by shifting most Master s courses to English without any other accompanying measurements, either for students or teachers (to the best of my knowledge). Regarding my own teaching, I also realised that I can change teaching language, but what else do I change in the form of course content to meet an international audience? Secondly, I noticed that many aspects of internationalisation, including language issues, were raised 7

8 at the course at Lund and at the conference at Stockholm, but I got virtually no impression at all of what Swedish speaking students think of the internationalisation of their education and of including using English as teaching language. Thus I became curious as to the opinions landscape architect students at Alnarp have about this issue. Finally, my own background as a foreigner in Sweden, with experiences of different educational systems at universities in several Western European countries, also played a role in why I was interested in the matter of internationalisation of university education. 2. Methods A questionnaire was developed with questions on several aspects of internationalisation (see Appendix). These questions dealt with the perception of degree of internationalisation of the education, language issues, wishes regarding course content, teaching language and plans to study abroad. Here I want to point out once more that I have no previous experience in questionnaire design or research. Through discussions with my colleagues over the years, I have come to realise that there is major criticism of the application of questionnaires and their interpretation. However, I chose the method because I wanted to reach a certain number of students (in certain years of their education). An alternative way would have been face-to-face interviews, which can give much deeper insights, but which have the disadvantage that only a few persons could have been questioned. Carrying out interviews in addition to the questionnaire was not possible in the given time. Before starting the study, I asked several colleagues and my supervisor to comment on the questions, especially on their understandability, and these were improved due to their help (but I do not want to blame them for any shortcomings!). However, I noticed that questions could be interpreted differently by students. This was especially the case regarding questions 7 and 8, as I will discuss later. Fortunately many students used the comments sections and thus their answers could be interpreted more easily. The questionnaires were distributed to Swedish-speaking students in years 1, 3, 4 and 5 of their education. The aim was to reach students in all phases of their education (first and last year of basic education and final years). To get a balance between years at basic level and advanced level, students from year 2 were omitted. The questionnaire was developed only in a paper version and not in a digital version, so that I could carry out the study without being dependent on any computer support (which would have been the case if I had chosen a digital version). This had certain advantages and disadvantages. An advantage was that the feedback was probably much higher when the questionnaire was distributed during course time, while I was present, compared with distributing it by . A big disadvantage was that all data had to be transferred from 8

9 written version into Excel for analysis, which was time-consuming. Another disadvantage was that distribution method was not equal for all. The distribution was carried out in three different ways. The questionnaire was distributed - in courses that I taught myself. - in courses that I visited. - by post to year 5 students, who are usually not at university but working at home on their Master s thesis. Questionnaires were distributed between mid-march and the end of June 2010 and they had to be returned by 27 August In all, 70 questionnaires were returned and the responses in these are included in this report. The responses were transferred to and analysed in Excel. 3. Results and discussion 3.1 Distribution and return of questionnaires A summary on the distribution and return of questionnaires is given in Table 1. Table 1: Summary of number of questionnaires completed and returned by landscape architect students at Alnarp within this project. (Total number n = 70). Distr. = distributed; Ret. = returned Number of questionnaires distributed in courses Number of questionnaires distributed by post Approximate percentage of Swedish speaking students in respective year of study who returned the questionnaire Year Distr. Ret. % Ret. Distr. Ret. % Ret. 1 (~50)* 19 33% ~35% % 45% %? % % 30% *In year 1, approx. 50 students were asked if they were willing to complete in the questionnaire and 19 agreed to do so. 9

10 From Table 1, it can be seen that about one third to one half of the Swedish speaking students per year were reached. The majority of first year students were not interested in filling in the questionnaire, even when asked several times. The third year students were much more willing to fill in the questionnaire. In this year I aimed to reach at least half of all students (time constraints prohibited any higher coverage). In year 4 the questionnaire was distributed in two parallel courses and the response rate was very high too. Students from year 5 could almost only be reached by post, which resulted in a rather low response rate. Thus it has to be kept in mind that only a certain percentage of students answered, that not all students had the chance to fill in the questionnaire and that in the case of students from years 1 and 5, where response rates were low, students with strong opinions or that were more interested than others in the topic of internationalisation answered. In years 3 and 4, the question of representativeness of answers might be less problematic due to the high response rate and more random selection of students. 3.2 Students opinions on internationality of landscape architect education at Alnarp (Question 1) The first question in the questionnaire asked students about their general impression of the internationality of their landscape architect education. About two third of the students who answered classified their education in general as a little international or not at all international, while nearly one third thought it international (Table 2). Table 2: Responses to question 1: Hur internationell upplever du att landskapsarkitektutbildningen är generellt? Number of answers (all years) Percentage of answers (all years) Percentage of answers Year 1 Percentage of answers Year 3 Percentage of answers Year 4 Percentage of answers Year 5 Mycket internationell 1 1% 5% 0% 0% 0% Internationell 20 29% 37% 13% 39% 30% Lite internationell 42 60% 47% 78% 50% 60% Inte alls internationell 5 7% 11% 9% 0% 10% Delad mening 1) 2 3% 0% 0% 11% 0% Total % 100% 100% 100% 100% 1) Students were asked to answer with one cross. However, in several cases students answered with two crosses, so these answers were categorised as delad mening. 10

11 It might not have been easy for students to categorise their whole education regarding internationality within the given answering options. Thus subsequent questions of the questionnaire were intended to capture more detailed different aspects % of students in years 4 and 5 regarded their education as only a little international, even though the courses are given in English and have a high percentage of international students. Out of 70 answers, 39 students used the comments section, which gave information on why students chose a specific answering option. Several students noted that the first years of education were a little international, but the last years were more international. Students who had taken Master s courses already and students who were at their basic level both commented in that way, the latter with the assumption that Master s courses will be more international. Mycket internationell på masternivå inte alls på kandidatnivå. (Year 4, lite internationell ) De första åren är inte alls internationella medan de 2 sista är extremt internationella. (Year 4, internationell ) I årskurs 1-3 är kontakten med omvärlden mkt begränsad (endast kortare studieresor utomlands). Från årskurs 4 erbjuds många möjligheter att åka utomlands och kommer i kontakt med utbytesstudenter på hemmaplan. (Year 4, internationell ) Hittills har vi inte så mycket internationell undervisning, men exempel tas kontinuerligt från olika delar av världen i undervisningen. Jag har intrycket av att det kommer bli mer och mer internationell profil på utbildningen ju högre årskurs. (Year 1, internationell ) Inte varit så internationellt, men kommer att bli. (Year 3, lite internationell ) Kanske mer år 4/5. (Year 3, lite internationell ) Some students who categorised their education as international made the following comments: Utbildningen/kunskapen känns generellt sett internationellt applicerbar. (Year 4, internationell ) Studieresor utomlands, utländsk litteratur, utländska gästföreläsare och samarbete med utbytesstudenter på avancerad nivå bidrar till att göra utbildningen internationell. (Year 5, internationell ) Efteråt fler utländska exempel på projekt & inspiration. Kan uppleva för stort fokus på Skåne, Sverige. (Year 4, internationell ) 11

12 The large focus on Scania (Skåne) was criticised several times, not only in question 1, but also in answers to other questions. One student expressed it thus: Internationell för att det är internationella studenter. Forskning/lärare/vad som lärs ut är till stor del fokuserat på sydvästra Skåne (Year 4, internationell ). Several students expressed an interest in seeing more examples outside Scandinavia: Det känns som om utbildningen fokuserar väl mycket på skandinavisk form och värderingar. Jag hade gärna sett mer exempel från andra världsdelar. (Year 5, lite internationell ) Utbildningen är på engelska + utbytesstudenter + studieresor är det enda som företas. En internationell utblick eller kontaktutbyte saknas nästan helt. (Year 4, lite internationell ) Saknas internationella projekt, få internationella gästföreläsare, inte ens samarbete med Köpenhamn till exempel. (Year 4, lite internationell ) It can be concluded that students perceive their education quite differently, even within the same year of study and attending the same courses. Similar comments accompanied different categorisations, depending on the use of different criteria or different evaluations of these. Nevertheless, there was a certain criticism regarding a focus on Scania, lack of examples outside Scandinavia/Western Europe or generally a wider global context. On the other hand, international literature, using English as teaching language, exchange students and excursions to other countries were seen as criteria of an internationalised education. 3.3 Students opinions on English as teaching language (Questions 2-4) General opinions about English as teaching language in Master s courses In questions 2 to 4 of the questionnaire, issues regarding English as teaching language were taken up. Table 3 summarises the results on what students think of English as teaching language at Master s level. 12

13 Table 3: Answers to question 2: Vad tycker du om att undervisningen i årskurs 4 och 5 är övervägande på engelska? Number of answers (all) Percentage of answers (all) Percentage of answers Year 1 Percentage of answers Year 3 Percentage of answers Year 4 Percentage of answers Year 5 Mycket bra 29 41% 58% 30% 39% 40% Bra 30 43% 32% 57% 50% 20% Dålig 7 10% 10% 9% 11% 10% Mycket dålig 2 3% 0% 4% 0 10% Delad mening 1) 2 3% 0% 0% 0 20% Total % 100% 100% 100% 100% 1) Students were asked to answer with one cross. However, in several cases students answered with two crosses, so these answers were categorised as delad mening. The answers appeared to be surprisingly positive in favour for English as teaching language at Master s level. 84% of all students who answered the questionnaire were positive to English as teaching language, answering very good or good ). At least 80% of students of each year apart from year 5 responded positively to using English as teaching language in years 4 and 5. Students from year 5 were less positive than students from other years, with only 60% being positive to English. The positive aspect mentioned most often was training in English, sometimes in regard to plans to study or work abroad later. English as teaching language was also seen as a precondition that exchange students can take part in Master s courses, which was seen overwhelmingly as positive, although not completely unproblematic (see below). Positive student comments were for example: Lärorik att öva sina kunskaper i engelska språket och utveckla sin förmåga att argumentera. (Year 4, mycket bra ) Kul man lär sig engelska bättre. Möjlighet att lära känna folk från andra länder. (Year 4, mycket bra ). Det är bra att få träning för att lättare kunna använda sig av utländsk forskning/kunna jobba/studera utomlands. (Year 4, mycket bra ) Underbar! Utmärkt att få lära sig att skriva, tala och använda fackspråk! Även utbytesstudenter berikar med andra synvinklar. (Year 5, mycket bra ) Var skeptisk innan men efter tre kurser på engelska så tycker jag att det för det mesta har fungerat mycket bra. (Year 5, mycket bra ) 13

14 Several students expressed problems with using English as teaching language, even when in general positive: Vi får möjlighet att utbyta idéer med utländska studenter, men ord och begreppsutbildning på svenska blir lidande. Vissa undervisande skulle behöva känna sig bekvämare och säkrare i sin engelska. (Year 4, bra ) Fast hade önskat alternativ. Bra att lära sig uttrycka sig på engelska, men även i många fall väldigt tidsödande och kunskaps intag av ämnena blir lidande. (Year 4, bra ) Kan känner att betyget påverkas en del av bristande språkkunskaper och att man inte kan uttrycka det man vill. Dock lärorikt. (Year 4, bra ) Visst är det bra, men jag har svårt för engelska, så jag skulle gärna sett att det fanns mer hjälp på vägen. (Year 1, bra ) Help regarding English language issues was not often asked for. This can be compared with other universities offering English courses and my own experience as an exchange student in the UK, where language courses were offered to all foreign students (and compulsory for those with language problems, which were identified by a compulsory language test at the start of first year). There were also very critical voices regarding English as teaching language: Det jag saknar är en valmöjlighet att få arbeta på svenska. Det är bra att några kurser på avancerad nivå är öppna för utbytesstudenter och hålls på engelska, men möjligheten att välja kurser på svenska måste också finnas. Kvaliteten på utbildningen blir inte bättre bara för att den är på engelska utan snarare tvärtom. Kurser skulle kunna köras på engelska vart annat år och på svenska vart annat år. (Year 4, dålig ) Diskussionen hämmas mycket av att det är svårt att förstå varandra. (Year 4, dålig ) Min egen samt lärarnas brist i engelska har gjort att jag inte lärt mig lika mycket som jag skulle har gjort om jag läst på svenska. [ ] Hade jag vetat när jag sökte till programmet att jag skulle bli tvungen att läsa på engelska så hade jag inte sökt [ ]. (Year 5, mycket dålig ) Teachers English skills were criticised quite often, an issue taken up below Reading English literature The fact that reading English literature takes more time was seen as a slight problem by about 50% of the students, almost 30% did not see any problems, while 20% had large problems (Table 4). Answers were similar between years apart from year 5, where 30% (=3 students) answered that they had large problems with reading. 14

15 Table 4: Answers to question 3a-f: Vilka problem upplever du i samband med att engelska används som undervisningsspråk? (Årskurs 1-3: svarar bara på första aspekten, läsning) a) Läsning av engelska texter tar längre tid, b) Förståelse av föreläsningar, c) Lärarnas engelskkunskaper, d) Svårigheter att uttrycka sig skriftligt, e) Svårigheter att delta i diskussioner, f) Svårigheter att ställa frågor. Numbers are percentage of total responses (all years) and the last row total number of responses Läsning av engelska texter tar längre tid Förståelse av föreläsningar Lärarnas engelskkunskaper Svårigheter att uttrycka sig skriftligt Svårigheter att delta i diskussioner Svårigheter att ställa frågor Stort problem 18% 7% 43% 28.5% 11% 0% Litet problem 53% 39% 46% 43% 43% 56% Inget problem 29% 54% 11% 28.5% 46% 44% Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Number answers of 68 28* 28* 28* 28* 27* *Question only for year 4 and 5 students Students remarked that for literature in English: Reading takes more time Skimming through text is more difficult There can be difficulties with professional terms Facts can be missed Some literature is particularly difficult to understand because of the use of unnecessarily difficult language One student put it like this: Tiden tas upp av textförståelse istället för reflektion över innehållet. Several students pointed out that reading was difficult in the beginning, but that it became easier after a while and that it was good training and many appreciated the large choice of literature available in English. 15

16 3.3.3 Understanding lectures in English Understanding of lectures was seen as comparatively little problem or no problem at all. Of 28 students, 10 responded to this sub-question and almost all pointed out the low English skills of teachers. Sometimes this was seen as making lectures easier to understand, but was more often seen as problematic. Inte så stort [problem, com. author], men om föreläsaren är duktig på engelska har jag svårare att förstå än om en svensk föreläser på engelska: torftigare språk, lättare för mig. Jag ser inget problem för egen del, men det är mkt svengelska vilket gör det svårt för internationella studenter att förstå Teachers English skills The question of teachers English skills was taken up in question 3b. 43% of the students who answered thought that the lack of English skills among teachers is a major problem. Students pointed out that English abilities are different between teachers and that there are several teachers with excellent language skills, but that many teachers seem to be in need of improving their English. Problems occur in particular when students own learning ability suffers: Utbildningen begränsas till lärarnas förmåga att prata engelska. Jag upplever att många lärare hade sagt och förklarat mycket mer om det var på svenska. Förläsarna är så dåliga på engelska att nivån blir så basic att det inte känns som man läser på avancerad nivå. Känns som att föreläsarna inte kan ta fram all sin kunskap när de talar på engelska. Vilket jag upplever som ett stort problem. Det gör att jag går miste om kunskapen som jag är där för att lära mig och dessutom tar lån för att kunna lära mig. The English skills of teachers seem to need improvement. The question is how this can be achieved in other ways apart from the existing exchange options for teachers, which are often not attended because of lack of time or other constraints Writing English In comparison to other aspects, writing in English seemed to be the most difficult. More students had large problems with writing in English than with reading, listening or taking part in discussions. Tar så otroligt mycket längre tid som jag istället hade kunnat lära mig saker. Samt att det drar ned arbetena/inlämningen lite om språkkunskapen är bristande. 16

17 Kan vara problem för många studenter[;] tycker att det borde vara valbart att lämna in skriftliga uppgifter på svenska for de svenska studenterna. Utbytesstudenterna har valt att gå utomlands vilket gör engelskan naturligt för dem. Man vänjer sig efter ett tag att uttrycka sig på engelska, men självklart hade det varit lättare om man haft möjlighet att välja vilket språk man får skriva på. Several different aspects were pointed out by students. Writing in English was reported to be more time-consuming and the quality of text often worse than when written in Swedish (not only correctness of text, but also content). Several students emphasised that they would appreciate it if they could choose language themselves when writing individually, a option that is provided in some courses, but not all. However, writing in Swedish might give lower grades according to marking criteria. This is an aspect that should be re-considered Participating in discussions in English Only a few students had large problems with taking part in discussions. Nevertheless, discussions in the international classroom were a challenge, according to students comments. Low English skills of some (many?) international students is often seen as a bigger problem in discussions than Swedish students own English skills. Here pure language issues were named, but also cultural differences of international students. Some noted that the use of English made them participate less in discussions than when lessons are given in Swedish. Eftersom engelskkunskaperna hos utbytesstudenterna ofta är lägre kan jag lätt göra mig förstådd desto svårare att förstå andra. För mig personligen: hittar man inte orden kan andra översätta. Svårare för utbytesstudenter: om de inte kan/har någon som översätter. Det kan vara svårt att förstå varandra både pga språket och kulturella skillnader. Grupparbeten är svåra och mkt tid och energi går till att undvika konflikter och reda ut missförstånd. Det är både spännande och en utmaning att arbeta med personer med en annan bakgrund. Eftersom jag har svårt med engelskan har jag dragit mig undan Asking questions in English Asking questions in English was generally not seen as a problem (but there were exceptions). Several students noted that this is only sometimes difficult and remarked that supervision is in Swedish. I assume that Swedish students also have the possibility to talk to teachers in Swedish after lectures/course elements. 17

18 Måste tänka genom formuleringar innan, frågar inte riktigt lika mycket spontan på engelska som på svenska. Det kan ta lite längre tid att få fram sin fråga/göra sig förstådd men det är inte ngt. problem. Jag drar mig lite mer för att ställa frågor på engelska. It is well known that asking questions or answering teachers questions takes more time in a foreign language. In teaching situations, it is important not to forget this aspect Positive aspects of using English as teaching language (including literature). This question was asked in the questionnaire because I expected many more students to have a negative attitude to English as teaching language. I anticipated that more students at basic level would be reluctant and would point out more negative aspects of using a foreign language as teaching language. Thus this question was asked to make students aware of positive aspects as well. Had I known the overwhelming interest in English as teaching language, I would probably not have included this question in the questionnaire. Thus students mentioned here aspects that had already been taken up in previous questions. Of the 63 students who answered the question Vilka aspekter upplever du som positiva i samband med att engelska används i undervisningen (inklusive användning av engelsk litteratur)?, only one student noted that no positive aspects could be found. The following positive aspects were mentioned: A much larger range of literature Training in English o generally o regarding specific terminology o especially important with regard to later study/work opportunities o enables communication with exchange students Enables inspiration to be taken from many other countries Broadens perspective in many different ways Enables results of international research to be accessed Makes the education internationally available Many students appreciated the tremendous range of English literature (even though it is more difficult to read). Some noted that translating literature is problematic and that it is better to read in the original language. Students saw English as a possibility to be part of the globalised world. English is the language that makes it possible to get inspiration 18

19 and other perspectives from many different countries. The students saw training in English as very essential in their future employment possibilities or their ability to study abroad. Several students emphasised that the possibility to communicate with exchange students was the most important aspect of using English as teaching language. English is seen as a factor increasing the quality of the education and one student asked whether more languages should be used. Utländsk litteratur är ett måste i ett så internationellt yrke som landskapsarkitekt i en globaliserad värld. Mer saker måste göras för att knyta Alnarpsstudenten till världsarenan/marknaden Litteratur skriven på engelska är mer benägen att rikta sig till internationella landskapsfrågor. Om Sverige ska utvecklas måste landskapsarkitekter lära sig från resten av världen. Möjligheten att jämföra kulturer och olika design- och planeringsteorier på ett internationellt plan. Största fördelen är att det kan vara utländska studenter på kurserna. Det ger intressanta diskussioner och redovisningar/grupparbeten. Större möjlighet att arbeta internationellt i framtiden. Även möjligheten att ta inspiration ifrån utlandet ökar, vilket är mycket viktigt. It seems that many more students felt themselves part of the globalised world than I had expected. 3.4 Students opinions on internationality of course content (Question 5) The majority of students regarded the course content of their landscape architect education as a little international (Table 5). There were slight differences between study years, with three quarters of year 3 students seeing course content as a little international, while almost half of year 4 students categorised it as international. No student regarded course content in general as very international, and only a few regarded it as not at all international. 19

20 Table 5: Answers to question 5: Hur internationellt bedömer du att kursinnehållet är i landskapsarkitektutbildningen i Alnarp? Number of answers (all years) Percentage of answers (all years) Percentage of answers Year 1 Percentage of answers Year 3 Percentage of answers Year 4 Percentage of answers Year 5 Mycket internationellt 0 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Internationellt 19 28% 32% 13% 44% 22% Lite internationellt 43 62% 58% 74% 50% 66% Inte alls internationellt 7 10% 10% 13% 6% 11% Total % 100% 100% 100% 100% Of course, it might not be easy to answer a general question like this, which cannot be related to certain courses. Nevertheless, in students comments (37 out of 69 students commented on their answer) there was almost no mention of bias (as for example in question 1). The majority of students remarked that course content focused mostly on Sweden. International aspects are considered in study trips to other countries and in English literature. Many students remarked again on the focus on Sydvästra Skåne. Kurser hittills berör mest Sverige med exempel från Europa & USA. Inga djupa. Bra koppling med studieresor som ger förståelse och en bild av stadsplanering och utveckling i andra länder. ( Lite internationellt, year 3) Det är mestadels svenska, & framför allt skånska, perspektiv. Studieresorna är det som ger mestadels av det internationella perspektivet. ( Lite internationellt, year 4) Fokus på sydvästra Skåne. Många av lärarna jobbar och forskar på skolan och berättar om sina projekt. Det ger ett lokalt perspektiv ( Lite internationellt, year 4) Innehållet är nästan alltid fokuserat på Svenska eller Nordiska förhållanden. Ofta till och med på Skånska! ( Inte alls internationellt, year 3) Vi lär oss inte ens om övriga Sverige, när det kommer till natur och gestaltning. ( Inte alls internationellt, year 3) Utbildningen is stort står sig bra på den internationella marknaden, men studenten måste visas att steget ut på världsmarknaden är litet och fullt görbart! Hur ska 20

21 lärarna klara detta? Har dom koll på den samtida internationella landskapsarkitekturen? ( Internationell, year 4) Students in years 4 and 5 might have been expected to evaluate course content as more international than students in years 1 and 3. However, while year 4 students tended to evaluate the course content as more international than students in lower years, this trend was not continued in year 5 (but note the small number of students responding to the questionnaire in year 5). 3.5 Students opinions on internationality of teachers background (Question 6) Around 25% of students classified their teachers as very international or international, while 75% classified them as a little international or not at all international (Table 6). The answers varied slightly between years of study, with students in year 1 seeing teachers as more international than those in year 3 and 5. Table 6: Answers to question 6: Hur internationella upplever du att lärarna är? (Här ingår både lärarnas backgrund och/eller hur deras internationella erfarenheter avspeglas i undervisningen) Number of answers Percentage of answers Mycket internationella 4 6% Internationella 14 20% Lite internationella 40 58% Inte alls internationella 10 15% Delad mening 1) 1 1% Total % 1) Students were asked to answer with one cross. However, in several cases students answered with two crosses, so these answers were categorised as delad mening. Several students pointed out in their comments the differences between teachers. Ganska stor skillnad mellan lärarnas internationella erfarenheter men generellt upplever jag dem som goda. ( Internationella, year 5) Students perceived the internationality of their teachers quite differently even if they attended the same courses, as these examples from year 1 show: Många (alla?) [lärare] har studerat, jobbat, eller verkat i någon form på internationellt nivå -> internationellt perspektiv. ( Mycket internationella, year 1) 21

22 Några [lärare] verkar ha arbetat/studerat utanför Sverige vid något tillfälle. ( Internationella, year 1) Tar oftast exempel enbart från Skåne i sin undervisning. Vad händer i resten av Sverige och världen då? ( Lite internationella, year 1) Others pointed out that teachers might have a larger international context than is evident in their teaching: De flesta [lärare] har eller har haft kontakter med utlandet, men är dårliga på att lyfta detta i utbildningssammanhang. ( Internationella, year 4) [ ] om än det är så att de har internationell erfarenhet[är det] inget som har framkommit. ( Inte alls internationella, year 4). 3.6 Studying abroad (Question 7a-c) Of the 70 students responding, 6 (8%) had studied abroad (besides one Master s student). The countries involved were Denmark, Norway, UK, Germany, Italy, Hungary and USA. The reasons given for studies abroad were gaining new perspectives, experiencing a new environment, language training and becoming more international. For those who had not studied abroad, the following reasons were given: Early stage of their education (almost all first year students added this comment) Personal reasons such as family/partner Plans (more or less concrete) to study abroad in later part of studies No interest Not financially possible Difficult without prolonging total study period Thought it was not possible in year 1-3 Applied, but did not get a study place Had visited or planned to visit other countries in other contexts (working, private travelling) Of the 69 students who answered the question on future plans to study abroad, 32 students (46%) answered that they plan to do so in future. This is a relatively high number, especially compared with the number of students that have actually studied abroad and that actually leave Alnarp each year as exchange students. Countries most often mentioned as the future country for study were UK and USA. Other countries named were Nordic countries (in general), Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, France, Australia and New Zealand. Several stated that they did not know yet and some only specified the language (English or German speaking country). 22

23 Of those who planned to study abroad, the following reasons were mentioned (listed in decreasing order of number of mentions): Broadening perspectives (professionally and otherwise) Experience of living aboard, new environment, new culture, other education Language training Making new contacts Better job opportunities Learning something particularly related to landscape architect profession (English parks). Here are two examples of student comments: Utveckla min engelska, nya erfarenheter, uppleva en annan utbildning, ny kultur. Jag ville lära mig att använda språket samt få en tydligare internationell prägel. The reasons for not planning to study abroad were partly similar to those for not having studied abroad yet. Family (partner, children) was one of the most often named reasons. Others were: Satisfied with current situation and education ( jag trivs där jag är ) Difficult procedure to study abroad Financially impossible Unsure if studies/course credits will be accepted back in Sweden Language difficulties Almost finished education (year 5 students) Have already travelled/studied abroad Typical answers were: För att proceduren att söka utomlandsstudier är krånglig och att det inte är säkert att man kan tillgodoräkna sig de poängen för än man kommit hem igen. Och för att jag har sambo och hund Därför det verkar vara ett sämre kursutbud utomlands Trivs i Malmö, tycker Alnarp har bra kurser, masteruppsats utomlands It is remarkable that 74% of all year 1 students planned to study abroad and 61% of year 3 students. In year 4 the proportion was only 12% and in year 5 20%. In year 5 the number of students responding was low and 3 of the 10 students that answered the questionnaire had been abroad already. Nevertheless there seems to be quite a large discrepancy between plans/interest/wishes to study abroad in years of study at basic level and actually putting this into practice. 23

24 On the question of whether students had received any encouragement from teachers to study abroad (7c), 30% answered yes and 70% answered no. A problem was that the question was perceived differently. Through comments it became obvious that students had received general information on exchange possibilities. However, these students did not feel that they were personally encouraged by teachers and mostly ticked the no option (besides two students that commented). Typical answers were: Bara indirekt genom allmän information om utlandsstudier (year 5) Enbart från studenter och nära bekanta (privat) (year 4) One commented like this: Inte hunnit. Endast hört att det kan krångla till examen. (year 1) Others were more positive and answered like this: De flesta lärare verkar ha positiv inställning till att vi studerar utomlands (year 4) 3.7 Wishes of students regarding internationalisation (Question 8) Students were asked whether they wanted an internationalised education. The results show that the vast majority wanted an internationalised education regarding certain aspects, such as teachers with international experience, course content and course literature, but only 50% of the students explicitly wanted English language use. From the responses to question 8, it cannot be concluded that the education should be more or less internationalised than it is at the moment. From students comments it could be deduced that there was some uncertainty about whether the question implicated a more internationalised education than it is now. Thus some students ticked certain aspects no and explained in the comments section ( not more, it s good as it is etc.). Table 7: Answers to question 8a-d: Önskar du en internationaliserad utbildning? Angående språk (n=70) Angående lärare med internationella erfarenheter (n=69) Angående kursinnehåll (n=69) Angående kurslitteratur (n=69) Ja 56% 90% 77% 79% Nej 24% 3% 9% 12% Oväsentlig 19% 7% 11% 8% Delad mening 1) 1% 0% 3% 1% Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 1) Students were asked to answer with one cross. However, in several cases students answered with two crosses, so these answers were categorised as delad mening. 24

25 It is interesting to note that 84% of students appreciated English as teaching language in Master s courses (question 2), but only 56% clearly wanted an internationalised education regarding language. This might partly be explained by the fact mentioned above, that students might have ticked no when they meant that the education should not be more internationalised regarding language use than it is already (e.g. at basic level). Students who answered in question 2 that it is very good that English is used as teaching language in Master s courses almost all also wanted an internationalised education regarding language. Those who answered good in question 2 partly answered in question 8 that this aspect was not of major importance. 3.8 Viewpoints on percentage of international students in Master s courses (Question 9) In all, 26 students out of 28 answered the question about how they perceived the sometimes high percentage of foreign Master s students in courses. Master s students with Bachelor s degrees from Europe, North America and Asia can comprise up to 75% of students in a Master s course. It could be assumed that the combination of different language levels, knowledge levels and cultural backgrounds might be difficult for students used to a study environment almost exclusively attended by Swedish students in the first years. However the answers were overwhelmingly positively about studying together with many foreign students. According to the students responding to the question, this gives new perspectives, is interesting and gives insight into other cultures and study methods. Negative aspects pointed out were a lack of English knowledge, very varying knowledge base and certain cultural differences. Some examples of answers: Mycket positivt. Enda negativt är att det är mycket repetition från årskurs 1-3 för att de internationella studenterna ska få en backgrund till sina masterstudier. Väldigt varierad kunskapsgrad. I vissa kurser har det känts som att man får lära dem hela tiden. Många har svårt att ta initiativ (egna) andra är jätte duktiga. När kursen bara består av 0-5% internationella studenter haltar kursen på grund av språket. När det är större antal internationella studenter vägs språkförbristningen upp av internationellt utbyte! Positivt i fråga om utbyte och infallsvinklar. Negativt i frågan om kulturkrockar och missförstånd i språk. Det är ibland svårt att arbeta i grupp när förkunskaperna mellan gruppmedlemmar är stora. Olikheterna kan även berika arbetet men tyvärr även innebära stora svårigheter. De internationella studenterna känner inte till de svenska landskapen så bra och är inte vana att jobba med samma datorprogram. Vissa utbytesstudenter är inte vana vid grupparbeten eller muntliga redovisningar. 25