Experiences in the internationalization of education: Strategies to promote equality of opportunity at Monterrey Tech

Abstract

This article provides an analysis of the reasons why educational institutions choose to internationalize the services they offer, how universities are internationalizing and to explore who is participating in the internationalization process. It not only addresses the theory surrounding the internationalization of education but also the practical issues of implementing it and making it accessible to students from a wide range of socio-economic situations. A case study of a summer study program in Poland for students from the Monterrey Tech (in Spanish El Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, ITESM), Cd. Juarez Campus, Chihuahua, Mexico, is used to explore two theoretical questions: can equality of opportunity be achieved for all students in the process of the internationalization of education and what are the characteristics of the internationalization of education which affect development? These issues take on concrete forms when an educational institution attempts to internationalize the education it offers. At that time, organizations and the people in them must confront questions such as: what strategies can be implemented to internationalize the education offered and how can students of fewer economic means be included in the international opportunities available? My focus is on the benefits and costs to the undergraduate student with an emphasis on examining equality of opportunity for each student.