Strategies and challenges of internationalisation in HE

Abstract

PurposeAlthough internationalisation has become a key strategic element of universities across the world, there is little empirical evidence suggesting the nature and extent of integration of internationalisation into the strategic mission of individual institutions. Little is also known about challenges faced by institutions in their quest to integrate internationalisation into their broad strategic choices. This paper aims to address these issues.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory study is conducted in six universities in the UK selected from the Russell pre‐1992 group, the post‐1994 group and former colleges of higher education (HE). The study has three distinct but interrelated aims: how internationalisation is conceptualised in the study institutions; the available evidence for its structural integration into the university services and understanding the perceived challenges institutions face in the quest to integrate the idea as a broad strategic element of those institutions.FindingsThere exist a range of distinct barriers working against the full integration of the concept into the institutional cultures. These include: conceptual and structural deficiencies in the organisation of institutional internationalisation; over emphasis on human exchange initiatives over cultural integration efforts and increasing undercurrents of feelings among staff and students of local neglect at the expense of global attention.Originality/valueThe paper creates a sound basis for a more broad‐based study across the HE sector. Specifically, the paper suggests that the increasing cultural diversity in UK HE brought about in part by internationalisation and also by general human migration occasions new thinking and practices in organisational and management terms to address the needs of the “mosaic or cultural melting pot” phenomena characterising the increasingly multicultural HE learning environments.

Practice, problems and power in ‘internationalisation at home’: critical reflections on recent research evidence

“…Much of the demand for international higher education has historically been driven by a desire to acquire high-level English language skills, alongside the perceived prestige of degrees from Anglophone developed nations. More recently, non-Anglophone countries have also begun to offer degrees taught, in part or whole, in English, thereby providing an incentive for home students to remain and the chance to recruit international students from other nations (Maringe 2009;British Council 2014). The second has been a growth in expectations about internationalised graduate careers, with it becoming increasingly common for graduates to seek work outside of their home nation, while even those remaining within their home country are more likely to need to interact with colleagues, customers or suppliers elsewhere in the world -or at least with culturally-diverse individuals in their own country.…”

Internationalization Strategies and Policies in Second-Tier Higher Education Institutions

“…Research into internationalization in such 'second-tier' 2 institutions is lacking, with the exception of a few focused studies (De Wit 2011;Maringe 2009;Raby and Valeau 2007;Waechter 1999;Yemini et al 2014a). The present study aims to characterize the nature of internationalization within 'second-tier' higher education institutions in Israel, the Netherlands, and Canada, describing the process on national, regional, and institutional levels.…”

As tecnologias da informação e comunicação como apoio à evolução da internacionalização do ensino superior

“…Maringe (2009) realizou um estudo exploratório, em seis universidades localizadas no Reino Unido, cujos principais objetivos eram: 1) identificar como a internacionalização é conceituada nas instituições estudadas; 2) identificar evidências da integração estrutural do processo de internacionalização nos serviços das universidades; e 3) compreender os desafios que as instituições enfrentam na busca pela integração do conceito de internacionalização como um amplo elemento estratégico daquelas instituições. O estudo indica que há uma falha na execução do processo de internacionalização do ensino superior, uma vez que, embora a internacionalização seja identificada como objetivo estratégico pelas universidades estudadas, há uma variedade de barreiras que trabalham contra a integração do conceito de internacionalização à cultura institucional.…”