The Higher Education Academy (HEA) has appointed convenors, following a competitive process, to lead two Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on Internationalisation. Dr Gavin Bunting from the University of Wales will convene the Special Interest Group - Transnational Education, while Dr Sue Robson (Newcastle University), Dr Scott Burgess and Dr Diane Sloan (Northumbria University) will convene the Special Interest Group - Internationalisation of the Curriculum. The two SIGs reflect the operational priorities of the HEA’s internationalisation work:

1. Internationalisation of the curriculum: This SIG will build on the HEA’s inaugural group convened in 2011-12, focusing on effective learning and teaching policy and practice to enhance the student learning experience, for both the home and international students.
2. Transnational education: New for 2012-13, this SIG will focus on promoting high quality learning and teaching on overseas programmes. The group will bring together those in HE interested in either/both staff and student issues in transnational arrangements, whether ensuring equitable student learning experiences or teaching excellence.

The SIGs will run, in the first instance, till July 2013. Each SIG receives £4000 to facilitate its work. In return for the funding, each SIG will be expected to produce at least one practical output for the UK HE sector such as a resource, tool or guide  which will promote engagement in the theme of the SIG, encouraging the development of policy and/or practice or address one (or more) key issue(s). The HEA encourages staff of UK higher education institutions with a genuine interest in developing high quality learning and teaching for home and international students to join the SIGs. Members will need to commit to a number of meetings (face-to-face or virtual).

• To join the SIG – Transnational Education, email Dr Gavin Bunting at g.bunting@wales.ac.uk.
• To join the SIG – Internationalisation of the Curriculum, email Dr Sue Robson at heasig@newcastle.ac.uk.

Find out more about the HEA’s work on Internationalisation at the HEA website.

By Fabrice Hénard, Leslie Diamond, Deborah Roseveare. Approaches to Internationalisation and Their Implications for Strategic Management and Institutional Practice - A Guide for Higher Education Institutions.
Why focus on internationalisation?
Internationalisation of higher education is not new. Many of the earliest scholars travelled widely in Europe, but in the early modern era the focus on national development and internationalisation became marginalised. Nonetheless, initiatives such as the Fulbright Scholars Program in the United States and the Erasmus Mundus Programme in Europe have aimed to promote mutual understanding and encourage collaboration among higher education institutions. Today, however, the accelerating rate of globalisation has focussed attention once again on student mobility, international research collaboration and education as an export industry.
In today’s age of global knowledge and technology, an interconnected network and global awareness are increasingly viewed as major and sought-after assets. With the current labour market requiring graduates to have international, foreign language and intercultural skills to be able to interact in a global setting, institutions are placing more importance on internationalisation. The number of students enrolled in higher education outside their country of citizenship practically doubled from 2000 to 2010 (OECD, 2012a) and this trend is likely to continue.
However, student mobility is simply the most visible part of a greater topic, namely internationalisation, which is more complex and multifaceted. One aspect, sometimes referred to as internationalisation at home, consists of incorporating intercultural and international dimensions into the curriculum, teaching, research and extracurricular activities and hence helps students develop international and intercultural skills without ever leaving their country (OECD, 2004; Wächter, 2003). Other fast-growing forms of internationalisation are emerging (e.g. transnational education sometimes delivered through off-shore campuses, joint programmes, distance learning, etc.) and suggest a more farreaching approach, especially where higher education is now seen as an integral part of the global knowledge economy.
Globalisation has major implications for the higher education sector, notably on the physical and virtual mobility of students and faculty, information and knowledge, virtual access, and sharing of policies and practices. In many OECD countries, the transition from elite to mass participation in higher education is virtually complete. As the size of the 18 to 25 year-old age group declines, some of these countries are facing a decrease in domestic enrolments and attracting foreign students is increasingly seen as a way to compensate. Simultaneously, in emerging economies – especially China, India and in Southeast Asia – there is an ever growing demand for higher education and internationalisation may be regarded as a costeffective alternative to national provision (OECD, 2008).
The landscape of internationalised higher education is rapidly evolving. New countries and institutions are entering the global talent pool and challenging the established position of the traditional champions of international education. The English language is dominating new programmes and campuses are being built to welcome an increasing number of students from emerging economies. New forms of institutions, programmes and teaching methods are being set up. In addition, the effects of the economic and financial crises are far-reaching and long-lasting, changing the flows of students and faculty across continents as well as brain circulation.
Expected benefits of internationalisation
One of the main goals of internationalised higher education is to provide the most relevant education to students, who will be the citizens, entrepreneurs and scientists of tomorrow. Internationalisation is not an end in itself, but a driver for change and improvement – it should help generate the skills required in the 21st century, spur on innovation and create alternatives while, ultimately, fostering job creation. Yet the current economic climate calls for a closer examination of the tangible benefits of internationalisation for the economies and societies of, and beyond, the OECD.
Today, internationalisation functions as a two way street. It can help students achieve their goals to obtain a quality education and pursue research. It gives students an opportunity for “real world, real time” experiential learning in areas that cannot simply be taught. Institutions, on the other hand, may gain a worldwide reputation, as well as a foothold in the international higher education community, and rise to meet the challenges associated with globalisation. The top five reasons for internationalising an institution (Marmolejo, 2012) are, in order of importance, to:
- improve student preparedness
- internationalise the curriculum
- enhance the international profile of the institution
- strengthen research and knowledge production
- diversify its faculty and staff
Despite dramatic variations between countries and institutions, there is a general consensus that internationalisation can – when part of a broader strategy – offer students, faculty and institutions valuable benefits. It can spur on strategic thinking leading to innovation, offer advantages in modernising pedagogy, encourage student and faculty collaboration and stimulate new approaches to learning assessments. With the infusion of internationalisation into the culture of higher education, students and educators can gain a greater awareness of the global issues and how educational systems operate across countries, cultures and languages. Research is inherently internationalised through collaborations and partnerships amongst teams, and most scientific projects can no longer remain nationally-bound.
The many aspects and complexity of internationalisation raise various challenges for policy makers (e.g. on optimising mobility flows, equal access to international education, protecting students and quality assurance [OECD, 2008]). Likewise, institutions must be responsive and orchestrate all of these various aspects consistently in order to reap the benefits of internationalisation as well as manage the risks. For example, internationalisation of programmes entails refining support for students and paying closer attention to students with ever more demanding expectations in terms of quality of pedagogy, student assessments and the learning environment.
Internationalisation brings with it many challenges to the status quo. It introduces alternative ways of thinking, it questions the education model, and it impacts on governance and management. It will raise unexpected issues and likely benefits. All of these have a different impact, meaning and import for institutions in countries of varying degrees of social or political development. Key concerns of internationalisation include ways to sustain and enhance the quality of learning and ensure the credibility of credentials in a global world.
The key role of governments in internationalisation
Government policy might be motivated by the desire to attract skilled workers, to export education services, to promote development or to exercise “soft-power”. Governments also know that the nation’s credibility will be affected if its higher education institutions are abusing their international trust. The involvement of governments in internationalisation is therefore twofold: supporting the expansion of internationalisation and safeguarding its quality.
At the same time, whilst institutions are gaining more autonomy, their expansion beyond national borders can be fostered or hampered by government policy. Thus, the synergies and inconsistencies of institutional strategies and national policies on internationalisation should be better understood. Investigating the interconnecting relationships between the various actors, first between institutions and their governments, is of utmost importance to grasp the complexity of internationalised higher education.
Why internationalisation matters for higher education institutions Internationalisation enables higher education institutions to:
- increase national and international visibility;
- leverage institutional strengths through strategic partnerships;
- enlarge the academic community within which to benchmark their activities;
- mobilise internal intellectual resources;
- add important, contemporary learning outcomes to student experience;
- develop stronger research groups.
Why internationalisation matters for governments Internationalisation enables governments to:
- develop national university systems within a broader, global framework;
- produce a skilled workforce with global awareness and multi-cultural competencies;
- use public higher education funds to promote national participation in the global knowledge economy;
- benefit from trade in education services.

The internationalisation of Higher Education - UK competitiveness, student mobility and the development of overseas campuses. Thursday, 21st March 2013 Central London.
Guests of Honour: Maddalaine Ansell, Head of International Knowledge & Innovation Unit, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Professor Colin Riordan, Chair, UK Higher Education International Unit (UKHEIU) and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff University.
This seminar will bring together key policymakers with senior stakeholders from across the HE sector to discuss the emerging challenges and opportunities presented by the increasing internationalisation of Higher Education, as well as the next steps for government policy in this area.
Central to discussion will be the competitiveness and attractiveness of UK universities in the globalised higher education market, particularly given recent non-EU student visa reform and growing competition for domestic students from European and American universities. Sessions will also cover the next steps for building UK students' involvement in the Erasmus programme and student exchange in general, as well as the increasing trend for UK universities to open campuses overseas.
We are delighted that Maddalaine Ansell, Head of International Knowledge & Innovation Unit, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; Professor Andrew Coats, Joint Academic Vice-President and Director of Strategy, Monash Warwick Alliance; Dr William Lawton, Director, The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education and Professor Colin Riordan, Chair, UK Higher Education International Unit (UKHEIU) and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff University have agreed to deliver keynote addresses at this seminar.
At this early stage, Professor Christine Ennew, Provost, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC), Pro Vice Chancellor for Internationalisation and Professor of Marketing, University of Nottingham; Sam Harris, Projects and Training Manager, International Society; Professor Alexandra Hughes, Pro-Vice-Chancellor External, University of Kent; Dr Fiona Hunter, International Director, Università Carlo Cattaneo, Italy; John Shaw, Pro Vice-Chancellor International, University of East London; Glynne Stanfield, Partner, Education Group, Eversheds; Daniel Stevens, International Students' Officer, NUS; Simon Sweeney, Director of Postgraduate Programmes and International Political Economy and Business Lecturer, The York Management School, University of York and UK Bologna Process Expert, British Council; Karina Ufert, Chairperson, European Students' Union (ESU) and Geoff Webster, Business Development Director, INTO University Partnerships have also agreed to speak, together with speakers confirmed from KPMG and the QAA.
Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve, Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge has kindly agreed to chair part of this seminar.

By Hiep Pham. It is time for Taiwan to support developing countries in training their young people, in the same way that Western countries such as America have done for Taiwan in the past, according to Teresa Ju, director of the Taiwan Education Center in Da Nang in central Vietnam.
Decades ago, the Taiwan government and Taiwanese families sent their young people to the West for a better quality education. Nowadays, the trend is being reversed – Taiwan has emerged as an attractive destination for international students.
“Before, we [Taiwanese] went abroad only to receive higher education, now we should go abroad to provide higher education,” Ju, a professor at Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, a private institution in Taiwan, told University World News.
Like many of Taiwan’s baby boomers, Ju went to the United States in the late 1960s and earned a PhD from Nova Southeastern University. After more than 20 years of working in US industry she returned to Taiwan to pursue an academic career, first at Foo-Yin University and later at Shu-Te University and Lunghwa University of Science and Technology. Read more...