ABSTRACT
The aspiration to provide an international experience for undergraduates in the UK higher education institutions has been defined in different ways and has been implemented to radically varying degrees in different institutions. There is no single or simple answer to how one achieves the goal of developing students with a global perspective or the qualities of a global citizen. Conventional approaches have been highly reliant on strategies such as international exchange and study abroad programmes. However, it cannot be assumed that such programmes automatically enhance the participants’ intercultural effectiveness. Indeed, some studies have shown contrary impacts on students’ perceptions and behaviour (Bennett, 1993; De Nooy & Hanna, 2003; Greenholtz, 2003). There is a danger that initiatives under the general banner of ‘internationalisation’ introduce curriculum content, exchange schemes or extra-curricular activities that are assumed to promote greater intercultural awareness without any proven link between the aspiration and the outcome.
