Internationalization of
Higher Education
February 8, 2018
Outline:
• Background
• Globalization
• Internationalization of Higher Education
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• IHE Rationales
• IHE Streams and Components
Internationalization at Home (IaH)
Internationalization Abroad (IA)
Study Abroad
Background:
• The concepts of internationalization and/or globalization have
existed from ancient times in human societies.
• In the form of mobility, scholars would take on long-distance
travels in search of knowledge and science.
• Our understanding of the concept of internationalization can
be traced back to early and mid-20th century
• Modern internationalization of higher education can be traced
back to the end of World War II.
• The basis of higher education was based upon revenue
creation, economic resources and financial gain.
Globalization:
• Globalization dominated the economic and political arena of
the decades before World War I up until the end of the Cold
War.
• Communication, trade and global politics between all nations
turned, from a political approach or strategy, into an absolute
necessity for survival, growth and expansion.
Globalization
• Robertson defines globalization as a notion which “refers to
the compression of the world and the intensification of
consciousness of the world as a whole” (Robertson, 1992,
p.8).
• Daly (1999) defined globalization by referring to its main
principle of unifying different national agendas into one,
sacrificing national boundaries in favor of economic unity.
Globalization Characteristics:
• Disregard for geopolitical borders;
• Imposition of benefits and preferences;
• One-way flow from developed nations to developing
and underdeveloped nations;
• Substitution of values and cultural components of
destination countries;
• Disregard for the language, heritage, and culture of
destination countries.
In Sum,
• the intense force with which the process of globalization was
transcending borders and imposing the will of some nations
unto others made many stakeholders, especially those from
less developed and resourceful nations, to rethink their
strategies and plan ahead for their future.
IHE Emerges:
• Internationalization can originally be traced back to
the world of economy, and its definition has been
undergoing changes for more than three decades.
Defined firstly by Johanson and Vahlne (1977), an
increase of international involvement came to be
regarded as our first understanding of this concept.
IHE Definitions:
Knight and De Wit (1997): “… the process of integrating an
international and intercultural dimension into the teaching,
research and service functions of the institution.”
van der Wende (2002): “increasing interconnection between
national higher education systems by removing boundaries, but
maintaining the competences of national governments.”
Knight (2003): “… the process of integrating an international,
inter-cultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions or
delivery of postsecondary Education.”
IHE Definitions
• Huang & Lin (2007) … to enhance students' ability to engage
in job-related problem solving and decision making in ways
that reflect knowledge and respect for other cultures.”
• Knight (2008): “… the process of integrating an international,
intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions
or delivery of higher education at the institutional and national
levels.”
• Thuy Anh (2009): “an enhancement of international and
regional cooperation and integration in the field of education.”
IHE Definitions (cont.)
Although Knight’s (2008) definition is widely-accepted as the
most suitable choice for IHE definition, the elusive nature of this
concept’s definition stands.
The most practical bet is to define this concept based on the size,
needs, resources, and aims of the internationalizing institute or
body while maintaining the most fundamental values and
frameworks of the grand concept.
A Look at One of the Most Important
World University Ranking System’s
Criteria and Weights
Advantages of IHE
• Raises faculty and students intercultural awareness;
• Improves program outcomes to meet requirement of the global market.
• Enhances graduates' national, regional, and global mobility.
• Enhances faculty members mobility and expertise.
• Helps students, and faculty become global citizen.
• Contributes to improved measures of curriculum design implementation, and modification.
Advantages of IHE (cont.)
• Strengthens the appraisal and reward systems for faculty employment and promotion by making them more rigorous, valid and equitable.
• Enhances the visibility of students, faculty, and institutions
• Improves language skills of students
• Enhances the international character of research
• Contributes to the economics of education
• Improves the nation’s cultural, economic and political visibility
• Contributes to the understanding of other peoples religions and culture.
Disadvantages of IHE
• Brain-drain of students and faculty of developing countries.
• Benefits of Internationalization are sometimes confined to outstanding students and faculty.
• Weakening of national and regional engagement of students and faculty.
• Adverse effects on the job market (cross-border education).
• Elitism of graduates from developed countries.
• Acculturation and loss of indigenous culture and values.
IHE Rationales
Biddle (2002)
• Creating citizens who have global literacy;
• Stay active in the competition with other institutes;
• Keep up with micro and macro developments in the economy
that give rise to different opportunities;
• Maintaining a national and an international reputation.
IHE Rationales (cont.)
Knight (2005)
Rationales Existing Rationales Emerging Rationales
Socio/cultural
National cultural identity
Intercultural understanding
Citizenship development
Social and community
National level
Development of human
resources, strategic
alliances, income
generation,
development commercial
trade, nation building,
institution building, social
and
cultural development
Political
Foreign policy
National security
Technical assistance
Peace and mutual
understanding
National identity
Regional identity
IHE Rationales (cont.)
Knight (2005)
Rationales Existing Rationales Emerging Rationales
Economic
Economic growth and
competitiveness
Labour market
Financial incentives
Institutional level
International branding,
quality enhancement,
international standards,
income generation,
student and staff
development, strategic
alliances, knowledge
production
Academic
Extension of academic
horizon Institution building
Profile and status
Enhancement of quality
International academic
standards International
dimension to research and
teaching
IHE Rationales (cont.)
The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (2009):
• The general rationale: “…to prepare graduates who are
internationally knowledgeable.”
o “The top down and bottom up impetus”
o “Student demand”
o “Political imperative”
o “Economic/financial imperatives”
o “Academic rationale”
o “Challenge established concepts of knowledge and
learning”
IHE Rationales (cont.)
Hudzik and McCarthy (2012):
• Core Mission
• Client\Customer
• Social and National Need
• Globalization of Higher Education
Internationalization Components:
• Internationalization at Home (IaH)
• Internationalization Abroad (IA)
• Study Abroad
Internationalization at Home:
According to Knight (2008), as cited by Kea (2014, p. 82),
internationalization at home revolves around the development
efforts in the home campus including “including curriculum and
programs, teaching and learning process, extra-curricular
activities, and liaison with local cultural/ethnic groups.”
Internationalization Abroad:
Movement of People
Mobility of people refers to the more traditional practice of
internationalization in which students and faculty members used to
travel abroad, as they still do, to seek education or participate in
teaching and research practices in another country.
Movement of Programs
Movement of programs refers to the act of offering the academic
potential of a university to students of different countries without the
need to be physically present in those countries. The best example
for this mobility is e- and distance-learning.
Internationalization Abroad:
Movement of Providers
The movement of providers is the provision of educational services
in places other than the institutes home country where a university,
for instance, offers its services to students in different places around
the globe via establishing branch campuses.
International Projects
Finally, the fourth section, that is international projects, includes
activities and projects which are more inclined towards development
and capacity building rather than academic or educational programs
and activities.
Study Abroad:
Defined as any of a number of arrangements by which
university students complete part of their degree program
through educational activities outside their home country.
Necessity: Mobility cannot be one-way. This concept is
currently in existence, and it is crucial to regulate and
manage this notion in practice.
Study Abroad (cont.):
Kraft, Ballantine, and Garvey (as cited in Sowa, 2002) classify study
abroad programs into three categories:
• Total Immersion
• Protective Studies
• Tour Models
There are a myriad ways to further classify and categorize study
abroad programs, including academic focus, provider, site,
instruction method, and length of program.
Many Thanks
for Your Attention