Critically Examining the Mobilities of a Critical Thinking Curriculum in Transnational Higher Education: A Case Study in West Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/mp8rrp10Keywords:
transnational higher education, curriculum development, critical thinkingAbstract
This research – which is a work in progress – examines a ritical Thinking curriculum as a specific case of how a curriculum is shaped by mobilities across geographical, linguistic and cultural borders in transnational higher education (TNHE), where English is the medium of instruction. The site of this research is a TNHE institution in a West African Francophone country, delivering an American university curriculum. The study adopts a critical theory approach and draws on actor-network theory and utilizes document analysis, interviews, classroom observations and an online activity with various groups of actors to build a rich picture of the Critical Thinking curriculum as a case. It addresses an intersection of comparative and international higher education that has not been explored before: the mobility and relevance of a Critical Thinking curriculum in TNHE in West Africa, thus contributing to critical internationalisation studies and supporting broader educational development efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Cette recherche – qui est un travail en cours – examine un programme d'études sur la pensée critique comme un cas spécifique de la façon dont un programme d'études est façonné par les mobilités à travers les frontières géographiques, linguistiques et culturelles dans l'enseignement supérieur transnational (transnational higher education – TNHE), où l'anglais est le moyen d'enseignement. Le site de cette recherche est un établissement d'enseignement supérieur transnational situé dans un pays francophone d'Afrique de l'Ouest, qui dispense un programme universitaire américain. L'étude adopte une approche théorique critique et s'appuie sur la théorie de l'acteur-réseau. J’utilise l'analyse de documents, des entretiens, des observations en classe et une activité en ligne avec divers groupes d'acteurs pour dresser un tableau riche du programme d'enseignement de la pensée critique en tant que cas. Il aborde un aspect de l'enseignement supérieur comparatif et international qui n'a jamais été exploré auparavant : la mobilité et la pertinence d'un programme d'études sur la pensée critique dans les établissements d'enseignement supérieur en Afrique de l'Ouest, contribuant ainsi aux études sur l'internationalisation critique et soutenant les efforts plus larges de développement de l'éducation en Afrique sub-saharienne.
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