INEC 2009 - A first for UCSI University

There are certain things in life that happen so fluidly, that we never take notice of them until someone takes the time to explain its process to us. Let’s take globalization as an example, it never happens consciously but constantly and consistently over time, so gradual that no one ever sits up and says, “Hey globalization is happening now.”

Unbeknown to us, globalization and internationalization are integral parts in shaping of the world today. One way of conscious application is through education. The recent International Education Conference (INEC 2009) organised by UCSI University, which was held at the Marriott Putrajaya, touched on this topic: How important is internationalization of education and how it creates a world community that is culturally diverse yet linked.

To know the importance of internationalization, one must know what internationalization is. Associate Professor Dr Gavin Sanderson, Deputy Director, Learning and Teaching Unit, University of South Australia said in his keynote speech that internationalization is “both a response to, and a reflection of, the globalization process” and internationalization in education as “an institutional approach to weaving internationalization through teaching and learning.”

As a long-time educator, Dr Sanderson said that he learnt the existence of internalization and its importance in Asia, while he was teaching in Japan. ‘Kokusaika’ which can be translated as self-change or self response, where something in us changes or improvises due to international experience. I am sure many of us have experience that learning process through interaction with international students.

One the second day we had another keynote speaker, Associate Professor Dr Miki Sugimura, from Sophia University, Japan. Dr Sugimura’s speech touched on international student flow and the benefits of transnational programmes. Her research was very interesting as she showed a graphical flow chart of student numbers who are opting to study overseas. There was a big number of Malaysian students opting for education abroad… makes one wonder if there is something that needs to be improved in the local education system, doesn’t it?

The highlight of the conference was ‘Waves - The Diaries of Chinese International Students in New Zealand’ a two-hour documentary filmed by another keynote speaker, Associate Professor Li Tao. For the four students featured in the documentary, they each had different reactions and ways of adjusting to the new lifestyle in New Zealand exactly like what Isaac Newton once said “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”.

I personally found the documentary very interesting, as it is obvious that every human being is an individual, and not everyone can be expected to receive or accept change just like that. Having being an international student in the United Kingdom, I can understand the transition difficulties these kids were facing.

Another highlight of the conference was the International Students Forum, which featured one of the Frontiers team members, Hamza Uthman Muhammad. Hamza told me that he felt privileged to be a part of the forum, and he learnt many things from it.

“I realised that other international students have problems that I did not have or have yet to face, and this was a perfect opportunity for me to learn about them and how to overcome them if they hit me. It’s good that something is being done and foreign students are getting a platform to speak,” he said, when asked about his experience.

Apart from that, the conference featured many research papers in the parallel sessions, both by local and international students and lecturers from different universities, touching on many different aspects of internationalization from students behavioral patterns to language issues. All in all, it was an eye-opener and thought-provoking two days, and I am definitely looking forward to more of such conferences!