Developing a guide for international course alignment: lessons learned from an integrated curriculum design

This paper examines the process of curriculum internationalisation implemented in two public health courses – a first-year graduate course taught at a university in Kazakhstan and a third-year undergraduate course taught at a university in Ontario, Canada. Qualitative data derived from 180 short reflection assignments and nine semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically to explore students’ experiences with the international course alignment. Students often initially showed excitement about the opportunity to collaborate with international public health students, and some expressed positive learning experiences. However, students also described barriers for successful global collaboration related to logistical issues, such as discordant timing of the courses, challenges with communication, and a lack of clarity about the nature of the cooperation. Building on students’ feedback and our experiences as their course instructors, we offer a guide to help educators align courses provided internationally.