User:Goldenhawk20/Internationalization of higher education

Internationalization of higher education in theory is "the process of integrating an international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of postsecondary education." . The main components of internationalization of higher education are recruitment of international students, development of international branch campuses, students, staff and scholars exchange programs, internationalization of the curriculum, and research and education partnerships between institutions regionally and internationally.

Internationalization Categories
The internationalization of higher education can be divided into two processes:

Internationalization at Home
As a response to domestic postsecondary students lacking engagement with cross cultural experiences, schools have developed on campus internationalization efforts to promote a global student identity. Examples of on-campus cultural learning opportunities include: internationalizing the curriculum, developing inter-cultural research projects, collaborating with local minority groups, and promoting interactions amongst domestic and international students.

Crossborder Internationalization
Crossborder internationalization is "the movement of people, programs, providers, policies, knowledge, ideas, projects and services across national boundaries." Traditionally, crossborder internationalization was demonstrated through student mobility, but now postsecondary institutions are borrowing and implementing foreign programs within their own campus. This demonstrates how internationalization efforts involve the exchange of people and ideas to new countries.

Economic Impacts
Considered to be a product of and response to globalization, internationalization has an economic orientation. Within the Anglo-American tradition of higher education, internationalization is increasingly associated with commodification and commercialization of postsecondary education. There is international competition for recruitment amongst postsecondary institutions to recruit foreign students from privileged countries in order to generate revenue, secure national profile, and build international reputation. Anglophone postsecondary institutions benefit from international students enrolling at their school due to the higher tuition fees for foreign students. International students contribute to their host country's economy through their tuition fees and their living costs during their study period.

Social Impacts
Postsecondary institutions promote interactions between international and domestic students to develop their cultural fluency skills in preparation for a globalized future. The rise of internationalization has meant students from countries with limited access to domestic higher education opportunities are able to access and obtain their education in a foreign country. Postsecondary institutions that offer internationalization experiences, whether crossborder or within their own campus, are viewed as more prestigious and competitive than schools who have limited international mobility initiatives.

Academic Impacts
The rise of international students at postsecondary institutions has led to faculty adapting their teaching style and content delivery to better fit their needs, especially language gaps, within the classroom. These academic modifications include providing diversity focused materials, promoting cross cultural collaboration in class, avoiding colloquial language, and presenting images/visual material to support lecture content.

Challenges of Internationalization
The internationalization of higher education can pose several challenges:


 * Western postsecondary institutions have been tasked with developing culturally relevant support services for the rising diverse international student population.
 * Cross cultural research projects and research collaborations are difficult when language barriers are present between the countries working together.
 * At the institutional level, internationalization efforts can be hindered when senior staff do not reach a consensus about the definition of internationalization and the steps needed to undertake the process.
 * International students pay inflated tuition fees when compared to domestic students, which can act as a barrier for international study opportunities.
 * The popularity of internationalizing higher education has led to the creation of private and non-accredited education companies offering unregulated courses and programs.