Internationalisation at a Distance and at Home: Academic and social adjustment in a South African distance learning context

Conceptualizing Internationalization at a Distance: A “Third Category” of University Internationalization

“…In particular, there is need for more investigations into the distinctions between the three internationalization categories (IaD, IaH, and IA). Although our previous research has provided empirical evidence that students' experiences across these three broad categories do indeed differ (Mittelmeier et al, 2019a), we suggest that future work build upon these initial findings to understand this phenomenon more comprehensively. Research on this topic should additionally be broadened beyond our initial investigations into distance learning models to include other forms of online, blended, and technology-supported learning in internationalized contexts.…”

“…Therefore, IaD students may find that they need to "adapt" to a South African model of education with little transitional additional support from the institution. This has implications for the experiences of large numbers of IaD students based outside of South Africa, particularly those residing in non-African countries (Mittelmeier et al, 2019a).…”

“…Other issues are unique to the IaD student cohort at UNISA, such as international money transfers for tuition payments or receiving physical copies of assigned texts (Mittelmeier et al, 2019b). Yet despite these challenges, many IaD students, particularly those from countries in Africa, cite the benefits of getting an "international" degree (Mittelmeier et al, 2019a(Mittelmeier et al, , 2019b.…”

“…All forms of education across borders where students, their respective staff, and institutional provisions are separated by geographical distance and supported by technology. (Mittelmeier et al, 2019a) In this way, IaD activities involve some form of exchange across geographic borders where knowledge and ideas are internationally mobile with the support of technologies, rather than the students themselves. At the same time, IaD learning activities have a broader intended audience than simply "home" students, given the physical distance between students and their corresponding institutions, staff, or peers.…”

“…Our prior work (Mittelmeier et al, 2019a) has provided an empirical evaluation into the differences in experiences between students within these three internationalization categories (IA, IaH, and IaD). By evaluating results of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) from 1,141 distance learning students studying at a South African higher education institution, we identified distinct differences in students' reflections of their learning experiences between home students studying within South Africa and those undertaking a South African education from their own countries of residence around the world.…”