The Impact of the COVID-19 on International Higher Education: The Emerge of New Forms of Internationalization

Abstract

With the rapid development of the massification of higher education, the growth of international mobility plays an important role in shaping the internationalization of higher education and increasing international student numbers. However, the impact of COVID-19 has significantly influenced international mobility, including student, academic staff, and program mobility, and in response the model is being shifted from physical to online education. Furthermore, the unavoidable changes provide an alternative for international students, which allows them to cope with the mobility crisis. In other words, virtual mobility or internationalization at home creates new forms of internationalization in higher education. Numerous articles discuss student mobility before the COVID-19 pandemic, and several studies reveal the motivation behind student mobility under the pandemic. However, fewer scholars pay attention to the effect of virtual mobility. Therefore, based on a literature review and second-hand survey data, this chapter analyses the impact of COVID-19 on the internationalization of higher education in the past two years, new forms of international mobility, and the perspective from both students and staff. In addition, this chapter further provides recommendations for the future development of the internationalization of higher education, especially with the new normal.