The implications of the Chinese learner for the internationalization of the curriculum: An Australian perspective

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of previous termChinese learners on the internationalization of the curriculumnext term in the context of previous termAustraliannext term higher education. It argues that the presence of previous termChinese learnersnext term fuels the impetus to internationalize the existing previous termcurriculumnext term but that this process could lower academic standards if the Corporate University's economic priorities are allowed to unproblematically override educational ethics. The tension between the economics and ethics of education may be aggravated by Australia's politico-social structures, namely its immigration policies, which attract achievement-oriented students and encourage them to treat education as a means of residing permanently in the country rather than starting a journey of life-long learning. The demand for immigration-led places has in turn resulted in an unhealthy dependence on full fee income amid dwindling public funding for public tertiary education. Together, these factors may contribute towards the production of previous termChinese learnersnext term who fall well short of the much-desired graduate attributes.