Scholarship in Innovation Leadership and Internationalisation- The Case of Harare Institute of Technology, Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) is a new age university which prides itself in being the stimulant of scholarship in innovation and whose overarching principle is governed by developing a technopreneurial oriented graduate. Internationalising the curriculum in HIT’s understanding refers to course content and teaching and learning approaches which incorporate an intercultural and international perspective. The focus, therefore, is not only on the subject matter of the curriculum, but also on the pedagogical implications of teaching and learning approaches that will promote the inclusion of international students. The case of Harare Institute of Technology is given in this paper highlighting the efforts made in internationalising curriculum for Bachelor of Technology degree programmes in engineering and technology established in four schools since 2005. The paper also highlights attempts to enable education that produces global citizens cognisant of the developmental needs of Zimbabwe and aligning the issue to fundamental principles in global citizen education. Emerging knowledge societies around the world are creating global competition for the best students to provide skilled labour. As the global knowledge paradigm is embraced , requiring swift access to a highly skilled work force, there will be increased competition for international students, many of whom will stay on to fill the skills shortages of their host countries.