Cross-dressing in quality management: an intercultural experience

In Australian Higher Education there is currently much discussion about developing curriculum that will prepare a diverse student group for a changing world. With our multicultural student population which includes large numbers of international students, opportunities exist for developing new ways of thinking about teaching and learning. In this paper we will present an interdisciplinary collaboration which attempts to address the issue of the internationalisation of the curriculum as well as intercultural learning. We will focus on the creation of a learning space where students are involved in an authentic, negotiated learning experience. This takes the form of a student-run academic conference which is located in a third year Quality Management subject within a Bachelor of Business degree. In this context the students are simultaneously dealing with the TQM theory and putting it into practice. The focus on the reflections of the participants in this experience show the development of their thinking in this often conflicting, intercultural, academic environment.