The Internationalist

How have universities responded to calls to decolonise higher education? Join the ACU and renowned academics, students and practitioners to explore the critical question of who gets to learn, and who gets to teach. Subscribe now!Find out more about our work on the Association of Commonwealth Universities' website. If you have any questions or feedback, you can email us at communications@acu.ac.uk.

Curricula - which are basically bodies of knowledge - tend to be modelled on templates of learning that have usually originated in the so-called West. But whose knowledge counts? And once that knowledge is out there, who owns that knowledge? Our guests in this episode are: Meera Sabaratnam, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at SOAS, University of London and Margaret Forster, Associate Head of School of Maori Knowledge - Te Pūtahi-a-Toi at Massey University in New Zealand.Find out more about our work on the Association of Commonwealth Universities' website. If you have any questions or feedback, you can email us at communications@acu.ac.uk.View the transcript here.

As more students from different backgrounds enter higher education, how can universities create a sense of belonging for all those who attend? In this episode we're joined by Candace Brunette-Debassige, Acting Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President of Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and Larissa Kennedy, President of the National Union of Students in the UK. We dive into their personal experiences at university and critically look into the idea of these institutions being an inclusive space for all students. Is it realistic?Find out more about our work on the Association of Commonwealth Universities' website. If you have any questions or feedback, you can email us at communications@acu.ac.uk.

In this episode we're talking about reparations, the relationship between universities and their immediate environment and the land they exist on. What do universities have to do to renew their social contract? We're joined by Professor Shaun Ewen, the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) of the University of Melbourne in Australia, and Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and Chairman of the Reparations Committee of CARICOM.Find out more about our work on the Association of Commonwealth Universities' website. If you have any questions or feedback, you can email us at communications@acu.ac.uk.

This year has seen an upsurge in calls for symbols of colonialism to be removed - from statue removals to changing the names of buildings. We're discussing the importance of these symbols and whether or not we should be getting rid of them. Our guests in this episode are: Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and Dr Vagishwari, professor in the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History at Christ (deemed to be university) in Bengaluru, India.Find out more about our work on the Association of Commonwealth Universities' website. If you have any questions or feedback, you can email us at communications@acu.ac.uk.

Universities work by sharing knowledge and people across borders - it's essential for research. But the nature of the global economy means that universities in higher income countries are the ones with the money and therefore the power. So will we ever be able to make international collaboration truly collaborative? Our guests in this final episode of the series are: Kirsty Kaiser, Implementation Manager at the Research Fairness Initiative and Imran Rahman, Dean of the School of Business at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.Find out more about our work on the Association of Commonwealth Universities' website. If you have any questions or feedback, you can email us at communications@acu.ac.uk.

Series Two of The Internationalist explores the impact - past, present and future - of the digital revolution on higher education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on Higher Education around the world, moving learning and teaching online. In a new series of The Internationalist podcast, Natasha Lokhun will be exploring how Higher Education has been changed by the digital revolution. How can universities benefit from the rapid changes they have experienced during the pandemic and how can they position themselves best to confront the associated challenges? What can universities do to influence how technology is used and how can technology be used to influence the design and delivery of higher education?The first episode explores some of the benefits and challenges Higher Education will face in our digital future. Natasha's guests are Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa and Professor Martin Weller, Professor of Educational Technology at the Open University in the UK and we also hear from Professor Darelle van Greunen, who leads the research, engagement and innovation group at Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth in South Africa.Order of ContributorsProfessor Darelle Van Greunen 2:11Professor Tshilidzi Marwala 3:57Professor Martin Weller 13:49