Students’ International Academic Mobility in the Context of Internationalization of Higher Education (RUDN University Case)

Abstract

The relevance of the research topic is due to the growing role of student mobility as a form of internationalization of higher education in Russia. In recent years higher education has become more widespread and available, influenced by the development and distribution of educational services export and its transformation into a global educational market. In the context of “mass” higher education the special role of Russian education is of special interest for practitioners and researchers in the field of international educational cooperation. The article focuses on academic mobility in the field of higher education based on the experience of RUDN University. The aim of the study is to identify the effective participation of Russia in the global process of education on the example of international academic mobility of students on the basis of a comparative analysis of the works of Russian and foreign researchers. The objectives of the research are to study the best practices and implement the best developments in Russian conditions; to form the infrastructure and institutional basis for the mobility of students and researchers at all levels. Obviously, mobility is an integrative and determinative part of integration processes in the educational field. The article describes the experience of implementing academic mobility on the example of RUDN University using the comparative analysis of statistical data. All-inclusive academic mobility strategy serves as a tool for internationalization of higher education. The problem of competitiveness of Russian higher education in the dimension of internationalization is thoroughly discussed.