HIED 66670: Internationalization of Higher Education

Catalog Description:

Students study the historical and current development of the internationalization of higher education institutions; explore higher education administrative leadership characteristics, social/political/economic factors, and national and international relationships that have affected various countries and regions; and examine rationales behind internationalization of higher education institutions, its meaning and approaches, and the different strategies and organizational models in different types of higher education institutions.

Reflection:

In this class, we researched the trend for institutions of higher education to internationalize. We examined international and globally focused degree options, curricula, international representation in the student body and faculty, and the incentives or disincentives for higher education leaders to spend institutional resources, including time and money, on becoming a more international institution. This class was fascinating for me, as I believe I acquired a good amount of knowledge of other nations and cultures during college, work, and graduate school despite never having studied or lived abroad myself.

Objectives:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Define and explain the differences between internationalization, globalization, and multiculturalism, as US practitioners generally use the terms.

  2. Explain the different rationales for internationalization that may motivate different stakeholders in higher education.

  3. Define and be able to give examples of macro, mezzo, and micro-level influences on campus internationalization.

  4. Give an overview of the history of internationalization efforts in higher education in the US and the rationales underlying them, with an emphasis on the post-World War II era.

  5. List the components of a comprehensive internationalization plan for a college or university in the US, and understand how these elements and their interactions may differ depending upon institutional mission, type, and other factors.

  6. Be able to describe each relevant component, such as the mission statement, education abroad, the roles of various stakeholders, internationalizing the curriculum, etc.

  7. Analyze a specific US college or university in terms of its current internationalization plans, activities, and needs, and what influences all of those.

  8. Determine what internationalization goals and activities might be appropriate for a particular college or university, given its mission, student body, faculty skills, curricular emphases, external environment, leadership, budget, and other factors.

  9. Analyze the internationalization goals and activities in terms of both an institutional strategy and in terms of student learning outcomes.

  10. Exhibit increased skills for working effectively in professional teams with diverse membership.

  11. Explain some strategies for providing constructive peer feedback to colleagues, within a US higher education context.

Key Assignments:

Internationalization Review – Throughout the course of the semester, we conducted an institutional internationalization audit of Reed College. We examined degree of internationalization, mission, and international programs at Reed comprehensively. As a class, we then compared and contrasted internationalization plans at different types of institutions with different missions.

Learning Outcomes – In this interesting assignment, our professor allowed us to identify and develop learning outcomes related to internationalization which students in the Higher Education program at Kent State should meet before graduation.