Delon Chai, L&T Associate Director at Curtin Malaysia School of Pre-U and Continuing Education (SPACE), shares his Fellowship journey embedding Indigenous knowledges and developing cultural competence in graduates.
Teaching in today’s globally interconnected world requires more than just subject expertise, it demands a commitment to preparing students for diverse work environments.
At Curtin University Malaysia, our student cohort is highly diverse, comprising local, international and Indigenous students. Preparing them for the workforce means more than just equipping them with business discipline knowledge; it requires fostering cultural competence so they can collaborate effectively in Malaysia’s multicultural business landscape as well as in the international arena. This core philosophy drives my commitment to embedding intercultural learning experiences into my teaching.
From WIL to cultural immersion: re-thinking real-world learning in business education
My early approach to Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) focused primarily on professional skill-building. For instance, in my Sustainable Event Development unit, students worked closely with event organisers, taking on responsibilities from planning to execution of a music festival in Miri, Sarawak (a state within Malaysia). While this provided students with valuable hands-on experience in events management, I realised that real-world learning must go beyond industrial exposure – it must equip students with cultural competence to work effectively in diverse teams and industries, including the Indigenous communities.
Recognising this gap, I evolved my practice to integrate cultural competence into WIL-based assessments. Now, in my unit ‘Communications, Culture and Indigenous Perspectives in Business’, students not only engage in real-world case projects, but also explore how cultural backgrounds influence communication, decision-making and business operations across local and international contexts. By incorporating Indigenous perspectives into the curriculum, students gain a deeper appreciation of the cultural diversity whilst developing skills needed in the complex business world with cultural awareness and sensitivity.
A fellowship journey: from Fellow to Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges)
My journey as a Fellow of Advance HE provided me with a strong foundation as a scholarly practitioner who exemplifies the UK Professional Standards Framework.
Besides being a reflective practitioner in my own teaching, I began taking on mentorship roles to guide early-career academics in developing their own reflective teaching practices. Through one-on-one conversations, peer observations and collaborative workshops, I encouraged them to see reflection not as a compliance exercise but as a transformative and progressive habit. Ultimately, I aim to empower them to adapt, grow and deepen their impact on students through purposeful teaching. However, as I took on leadership roles, my perspective shifted from classroom teaching to one of systemic educational transformation. I realised that to truly serve my diverse student body – including Indigenous students at Curtin Malaysia – I needed to take a step further. This is where my curiosity in teaching shifted to a much larger mission: to re-define what it means to educate learners in a rapidly changing and multicultural world. This led me to pursue the Associate Fellowship (Indigenous Knowledges) offered by the QUT Academy of Learning and Teaching (QALT), a recognition that aligns with my evolving practice of embedding both Australian and Malaysian Indigenous perspectives and cultural competence into the curriculum.
Pursuing both fellowships was not merely about personal recognition. It was also fundamentally about rethinking my approach to learning and teaching in higher education. This is where I began to see my role not just as a teacher, but as an educational leader – one responsible for shaping learning environments where diversity, equity and innovation thrive.
Teaching in a multicultural environment like Sarawak exposed me to the rich tapestry of diverse lived experiences, which highlighted the need for education to be culturally sustaining and not just academically rigorous. Indeed, the fellowship journey prompted me to critically reflect what it means to create meaningful learning experiences that go above and beyond reflective teaching practices – one that honours Indigenous perspectives and knowledges, fosters intercultural understanding and cultivates ethical and culturally competent graduates.
A continuous journey toward inclusive learning
Through my fellowship journey with Advance HE, I have grown not just as a reflective practitioner but as a mentor guiding future educators toward more inclusive and culturally competent professionals. I see each recognition not as a milestone, but rather a checkpoint – one where I have the opportunity to pause, reflect and re-calibrate my practice to better serve an increasingly diverse student population. These moments help keep me grounded in my purpose and open to new ways of thinking, teaching and leading learning.
At the time of writing, I hold an Associate Fellowship with HERDSA and am working closely with a mentor as I pursue the full HERDSA Fellowship, continuing my commitment to reflective practice, inclusive teaching and fostering culturally appropriate learning environments.
Delon Chai is the Associate Director of Learning and Teaching at Curtin Malaysia’s School of Pre-U and Continuing Education (SPACE). His current research focuses on diversity, equity and inclusive practices in higher education, particularly for underprivileged students. He holds several accolades in teaching including the Curtin Excellence in Teaching Award (Global) and Curtin Malaysia Excellence in Teaching Award. Delon welcomes opportunities for collaboration and can be reached at delon.chai@curtin.edu.my.
