Internationalization Of Higher Education Research Articles

Strategy and sustainability discourses in higher education partnership building between China and UK

ABSTRACT Accompanied by an emergent ‘strategy’ and ‘sustainability’ discourse, international higher education (HE) partnership building has become increasingly orchestrated by non-academic (i.e. operational, and managerial) agents, thereby shifting away from universities’ ‘academic heartland’. The purpose of this article is to scrutinise the frequently used, yet often ill-defined, ‘strategic’ and ‘sustainable’ nature of international partnership building and the way it transforms power dynamics and sense of agency both across and within universities. Drawing on qualitative research with university staff at two partnering higher education institutions (HEIs) in UK and China, this article explores different interpretations of what strategic and sustainable partnership building means and sheds light on the conflicts that emerge between academic and non-academic stakeholders in this process. In doing so, it highlights the all-pervasive influence of managerialism in HE and the potential effects it can have on the success or failure of international partnerships.

Study abroad at home: first-year undergraduates’ socialization into the community of practice in a Sino-America cooperative education institute in China

ABSTRACT With the development of internationalization in higher education, an increasing number of Sino-Foreign cooperative education institutes have been established in China over the last two decades. These institutes offer English-medium instruction where English is the working language for students to conduct various academic tasks. Based on a case study, this research examines how a group of freshmen enrolled in a Sino-Foreign cooperative education institute became socialized into the Community of Practice (CoP for short) in the institute and the factors that played into this process. It was found the students underwent differential levels of socialization into the CoP after one-year’s study. While some students took an active part in the activities of the CoP and became more competent members of the community, some remained at the periphery of the community. The major factors that might have influenced the students’ socialization include the English learning context of the participants before entering the institute, the participants’ manipulation of resources in the institute, their engagement in the activities at the institute, their academic plans and self-image, as well as their English proficiency levels.

ONLINE THERMODYNAMICS EDUCATION UNDER PANDEMIC TIMES, IN CONSTANTA MARITIME UNIVERSITY

As well known, the day of 11 March 2020 will remain in the history as the day in which The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Under these circumstances, the international higher education was forced to remove the campus activities in online. Constanta Maritime University is one of the universities across the world which moved the educational process from face- to- face to online learning. This was a challenging task for the academic, managing and technical administration and for the students, as well. This paper focuses on the disciplined entitled Thermodynamics 1, encountered in the curricula of the Electromechanics Faculty, Constanta Maritime University. The paper describes the steps done during the online education along the semester, both by students and lecturers. At the end of the semester, students and lecturers had to face another challenge: the online examination. Since in the new conditions, the students had to gain the same knowledge as during the classic educational process, we are providing the results obtained by our students. Their exam was scheduled on June 26, 2020. The number of students attending the online examination was 108. The online report for the examination, available on the online platform of the university, indicates that online 17 students were not able to pass the examination (grade 5). The same chart data shows that 19 students have obtained grades in the range (8,00- 8,50), while 2 students obtained grades in the range (9, 50- 10,00). These results are considered to be encouraging for lecturers and students. This type of examination it is seen as a potential long term examination manner, given its benefits: online generation of the test, online verification and not last, transparency.

Empirical Study on the Impact of COVID-19 on International Student Enrollment for Higher Education in China

International students’ mobility was not spared in terms of the negative impact of COVID-19 on higher education. The majority of prior research on COVID-19 and international higher education has employed a qualitative research design. Few of the studies have employed a quantitative research approach. Our study, therefore, in an attempt to fill in the literature gap, explores the impact of COVID-19 on international students’ enrollment in China using a quantitative approach. Using cross-sectional data for thirty-one provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions on the Chinese mainland, the study utilized Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares for the long-run relationship analysis. Our findings revealed that an inverse and statistically significant relationship exists between total confirmed cases and international students enrolled. Similarly, a negative relationship was found between total deaths and the number of international students enrolled for the 2020/2021 academic year. On the contrary, a positive and statistically significant relationship was found between total recoveries and the number of enrolled international students at higher education. Our findings add up to existing literature on COVID-19 and international higher education.

World practice of applying strategic management in cooperation with market subjects of educational services

This article is devoted to the issues of foreign practice of applying methods and tools of strategic management in the interaction of subjects of educational services on the market.Today, given the development of higher and postgraduate education, the main focus is on the integration of education and business. This process was developed along with the development in the higher education system of such terms as “integration”, “internationalization”, “globalization”, which are becoming synonyms and not contradictory terms adopted in the field of higher education.With the development of globalization and internationalization of higher education, the importance of the implementation process, methods and measures for the implementation of transformations that contribute to the development of the detail of a higher education institution as a high-quality and effective institution of education and science increases. The object of close and thorough research is the organizational and economic mechanism that contributes to improving the quality of education.Integration processes are prerequisites for the development of a competitive environment among higher educational institutions, thereby allowing us to consider the organizational and economic mechanism of managing educational institutions as a business process, while it is necessary to take into account the specific features that are characteristic only of a higher educational institution as a subject of educational services.

Global engagement in the post‐pandemic world: Challenges and responses. Perspective from the UK

AbstractHigher education (HE), particularly its international mobility element, is one of the sectors that have suffered an immediate and substantial impact by the pandemic. The disruption in international travel and the local restrictions to physical contact has caused disruptions in the academic planning and delivery of higher education worldwide. Many argue that the recent pandemic and the move to online and blended learning delivery will define the future of HE. In this paper, we explore two main themes. Firstly, we explore the pre‐Covid trends in international higher education. Using national and international data from UNESCO, OECD and other sources, we analyse the global developments in international student mobility. Secondly, we focus on the UK to study the position, share and interplay between the international student and transnational education (TNE) markets. We reflect on the findings of our analysis and discuss the pivot to online education and its pedagogical and regulatory implications. The role of sustainability as a central strategic objective for HEIs is examined through the lenses of TNE in generating local impact and promoting the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Integration of Design Thinking with Cultural Intelligence in Higher Education for a Socially Complex Environment

AbstractThis article focuses on international design education and the benefits of combining design thinking with cross‐cultural empathy, in addressing ‘wicked’ global problems in our society. There is a lack of cross‐cultural design thinking‐specific approaches in international education literature. This study aims to cover the main contributors to the development of design thinking, Cultural Intelligence (CQ), and explore their different views. It discusses the metric of CQ, its importance in the world today and how to improve CQ, through cross‐cultural design workshops and units that deal with ‘wicked’ global problems and scenarios. The approach involves a combination of design thinking methods with an empathy framework, to seek meaningful participation in the entire design process for a socially complex environment. Furthermore, the results reveal that, co‐design with cross‐cultural empathy relates to the increasing development of CQ. The findings are discussed and related to the implications for the use of design thinking in international higher education.

Diffusing innovation to support faculty engagement in the integration of language and content across the disciplines in an internationalized Canadian university

ABSTRACT This article discusses an innovation within one Canadian institution that focuses on linguistically responsive activities in an internationalized, Anglophone university. The study draws on recent research in applied linguistics that addresses language and content integration within disciplinary courses as an innovation. Drawing on Rogers’ (1995) ‘diffusion of innovation’ theory, the study involved purposive sampling of faculty members who were ‘early adopters’ of innovative activities aimed to support multilingual/EAL students. Qualitative data were gathered through interviews with content faculty, as well as transcriptions of professional learning focus group meetings of applied linguistics faculty who engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations to support the trialability, visibility and the adaptability of the innovation, as well as to demonstrate its relative advantage. The end goal was to engage faculty members to rethink their teaching and learning practices, given the linguistically and culturally diverse context of today’s universities, and to deepen our understanding of language as an under-researched aspect of internationalization in higher education.

Contesting globalization and internationalization of higher education: discourse and responses in the Asia Pacific Region

Contesting globalization and internationalization of higher education: discourse and responses in the Asia Pacific Region

Faculty Engagement in Internal Quality Assurance of Academic Programs: A Literature Review

Faculty engagement has a close relationship with the internal quality assurance (IQA) of academic programs and program success since faculty participation significantly impacts continuous quality improvement of teaching and learning. However, dramatic challenges revealed in a review of the literature indicated faculty resistance to this process. The purpose of this review of published articles was to learn about the strategies to engage faculty in quality management of academic programs. Based on a thematic and content analysis of published articles three major categorical areas emerged: Resources, IQA model and recognition and rewards. The knowledge gained from this analysis has implications for international higher education at three levels: ministry of education and training, accreditation agencies and higher education institutions. The implementation of identified practices would foster movement of the quality assurance process toward continuous quality improvement.

Aligning the Purpose, Function & Mission of a Historically Disadvantaged South African Public University: The Case of the University of Venda

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have recently come under increased pressure to internationalize their campuses through increasing study abroad offerings and international student recruitment and retention rates. The internationalization of higher education however, has mostly been theorized from a Euro-American perspective, often not taking into account actors in periphery contexts. This paper highlights the important role of an emergent voice within the field that relies strategically on its third mission to balance transnational pressures to internationalize and local demands for education equity. Drawing on insights from a mixed-methodology case study at a historically disadvantaged public South African university, it is argued that this institution’s increased reliance on non-academic stakeholders within their internationalization decision-making processes, holds together these conflicting imperatives.

Moving internationalisation beyond exceptionalism using the MARS model

AbstractThis paper considers the changing nature of internationalisation in higher education in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic and how this change has required institutions to strengthen the case for internationalisation by linking it more explicitly to institutional purpose. It argues that this development requires institutions to formulate approaches to internationalisation that are explicitly linked to vision and mission statements, that often directly cite the support and development of society in general and local communities specifically, as strategic institutional priorities. In turn, this requires an examination of how internationalisation is addressed in strategic statements and the implications for practical delivery. The paper is underpinned by the authors' understanding of the nature and operation of institutions of higher education which is exemplified by the MARS model. It briefly describes this model and argues that within it, internationalisation activities should be seen as a transversal theme, which affects all operations of the institution in a coordinated matter, rather than an isolated or “exceptional” activity which can be allocated exclusively to specialised units such as the International Office—termed “exceptionalism”. Exploring this theme further, the paper sets out how internationalisation should be embedded into all aspects of institutional operations in a way that is consistent with the hierarchy of priorities set out in the MARS model. A case study from Latin America in which this approach was adopted is presented in which some of the practical implications are considered. The paper concludes by exploring the implications of these outcomes and the potential for, and the nature of, future applications of the MARS model to the development and delivery of re‐imagined internationalisation strategies in the post‐COVID‐19 world.

International Student Mobility and Transformative Intercultural Learning in Estonia and Denmark

Attracting the best students into universities is a policy agenda driven by the state and universities in Estonia and Denmark. While the policies on internationalization of higher education (IoHE) in Estonia and Denmark are well crafted, the value that international graduates add to the learning environment and culture are hardly explored. Adopting a phenomenological approach, this study aims to describe transformative intercultural learning within the mechanisms of IoHE in Estonia and Denmark. Our analysis of participants experiences reveals that international graduates from Africa bring diversity into the learning environment, which promotes teaching, learning and tolerance of other cultures. In view of this, the study recommends that actors in the IoHE in Estonia and Denmark should be willing to jettison any ethnocentric cultural mentality and adopt a relativistic mentality to promote intercultural coexistence and learning.

An Analysis of China’s Internationalization of Higher Education in the 21st Century: The Utility of Bacchi’s WPR Framework

An Analysis of China’s Internationalization of Higher Education in the 21st Century: The Utility of Bacchi’s WPR Framework

Choosing a Higher Education destination: Marketing of where, why and how?

ABSTRACT This study attempts to contribute to marketing services in higher education literature through the relationship between international students’ satisfaction with educational experiences and the necessary adjustments by institutions to augment their services. It also aims to make theoretical contributions by understanding the international students’ satisfaction criteria for university selection and enrolment. The findings of the study offer administrative implications for universities as well, regarding how they could appeal to international students by emphasizing components of institutional branding via online and offline marketing communication tools. Quantitative methodology was employed and data was collected through a survey. Sampling strategy was voluntary participation and 197 international students replied to the survey. Findings indicate that international students use personal contacts and social relations in finding international higher education institutions. Further, international students care about the campus culture (safe or not), the physical infrastructure of the university and library resources provided to students.

Identity development in institutional change of international branch campuses in Malaysia: an empirical study

ABSTRACT While existing research has explored the development of international branch campuses (IBCs) in Malaysia from several dimensions, the discussion on the IBCs’ identity development within the dynamics of higher education internationalisation can benefit from further elucidation. Applying the framework of institutional change, this research inquired how Malaysian IBCs proceeded with identity development in their institutional change and fit into the internationalisation agenda as a new set of players. Semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation were used to collect data, along with relevant documents used subsidiarily in the study. The results showed that the IBCs experienced various identity development processes in their institutional changes, showing a stable growth and enrichment of international, regional, and local elements. The identity development within IBCs’ institutional change sheds light on the development of higher education internationalisation.

Editorial

This issue of Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences includes work by authors from Austria, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Brazil and Sweden. The five articles cover a diverse range of topics: the third mission of universities, doctoral supervision, internationalisation of higher education, neoliberal think tanks in higher education, and an innovation in the teaching of political thought.

Factors Affecting EMI Attitudes of Engineering and Nursing Students

The internationalization of higher education has led to the increasing number of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) programs in contexts where English is not the first language nor the medium of communication, including Thailand. The introduction of EMI programs, however, is not without challenges. Therefore, a survey questionnaire was used to investigate the attitudes of engineering and nursing students toward EMI. Differences of attitudes based on the program of study, gender, nationality, year level, number of years studying English, the language of instruction in high school, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level, and perceived proficiencies in speaking, reading, writing, and listening were explored. In addition, factors affecting the students’ EMI attitudes were known using exploratory factor analysis. Findings have shown significant differences in various aspects of EMI based on the program of study, CEFR level, and perceived proficiencies of the four macro language skills. Also, eight factors were elicited, including difficulties of the English language, availability of resources and opportunities, personal goals in life, limitations of time when studying content courses in English, providing activities to improve English language proficiency, enhancement of career goals, supports needed, and motivation and intercultural ability. Finally, implications were outlined to support the implementation of EMI, dubbed as an “unstoppable train”, in similar contexts like Thailand.

Book Review: U.S. Power in International Higher Education

Book Review: U.S. Power in International Higher Education

Analyzing Work Stress, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Case of Private Higher Learning Institution in Kuala Lumpur

University colleges in Malaysia have to look for new ways to conduct their businesses to be competitive because of high competition from local and international higher education institutions, ever-changing business environments, shifting preferences in the education market, government requirements, and advancements in global technology. The search for and implementation of new methods, on the other hand, imposed a strain on the workforce. This tension may create stress, affect job satisfaction and citizenship behavior. Hence, a research was carried out to see if stress, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behavior are linked. The study selected one of the college universities in Malaysia, UCA, and obtained 226 data from both academic and administrative workers. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression techniques. Results showed that work stress influenced job satisfaction. Furthermore, job satisfaction also affected organizational citizenship behavior. The study is critical because it could assist management in developing intervention programs that will result in not just stronger human capital but also a good attitude towards UCA.