Internationalization of Higher Education in East Asia: Issues, Implications, and Inquiries

Abstract

Internationalization has emerged as one of the top priorities for higher education institutions around the world, and East Asia is no exception, as is evidenced by the studies in this volume. However, higher education institutions often fail to clearly articulate the rationale and conceptualization of their internationalization policies. Thus internationalization efforts frequently result in change that is only superficial or isolated rather than deep and pervasive. As noted in the introduction and several chapters in this volume, in the case of East Asian universities, internationalization efforts may even run counter to institutional identity, which may force higher education institutions to sacrifice quality and integrity for the perception of meeting globalization demands through rudimentary internationalization policies.