The Skewed Global Landscape of Higher Education Training and Research

Around the world, the number of both research centers/institutes focused on matters of higher education and degree-granting programs in the field of higher education, is growing. However, the expanding quantitative picture masks many unanswered questions about the content and quality of these activities. Furthermore, the concentration of centers and programs in a small number of wealthy countries presents a stark geographic divide between those with access to research and training relevant to the increasingly important field of higher education, and those without

Communicating across cultures and cyberspace : electronic mail and admission of international students of English in the U.S. higher education context

This Capstone paper focuses on the use of electronic mail (e-mail) in the cross-cultural context of communication between international applicants and admissions staff at college and university-based intensive English language programs (IEPs) in the U.S. Viewing the e-mail exchanges between these two groups as a unique intersection of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and cross-cultural interaction, the central question of the inquiry is framed as follows: How does the use of electronic mail technology between applicants and admissions officers affect the admissions process at university-based intensive English language programs? In order to address the primary research question, data is presented and analyzed from a study conducted among two directly impacted constituencies: international students of English at the Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) at Boston University, and admissions staff from IEPs across the country. Both the student and staff groups completed written questionnaires which revealed demographic data about the individuals and the institutions, details about methods of communication employed during the admissions process, and information around perceived levels of satisfaction with the admissions process. The study results guide the author to the conclusion that success or failure of the e-mail communication between the international applicants and the admissions staff is largely a function of three salient factors in the exchange: speed, access and tone. Practical recommendations include the need for a deeper understanding of how international applicants experience CMC with admissions staff, a commitment to a multi-faceted admissions process, and the development of institutional policies that make the most of on-line technologies. This study is highly relevant for U.S.-based educators working with all types of inbound international populations. Many concepts can also be helpful for individuals working more generally in simultaneously cross-cultural and computer-mediated contexts

Soaring Spain: A Dream Deferred?

Universities in Spain were committed to an active internationalization agenda with government initiatives such as Estrategia Universidad 2015 and Universidad.es set to help them along this path. However, the current economic crisis has dramatically slowed down this process. Spain’s continued success in attracting international students may keep the momentum going

National Policies for Internationalization—Do They Work?

As internationalization becomes an increasing priority for higher education worldwide, national governments are implementing policies and programs to promote related activities in their countries. This article categorizes such policies by primary activity type, reviews existing efforts to gauge the effectiveness of such policies, and discusses key factors that can impact policy success.

International Faculty Mobility: Crucial and Understudied

Increased global competition not only implies that universities must compete for the best and brightest of undergraduate and graduate students, but they must also seek out talented researchers and teachers on a worldwide scale. The international mobility of faculty is also important in relation to the internationalization of higher education. Yet, the scope and nature of international mobility of faculty is a rather unknown and understudied phenomenon. This article addresses definitional and contextual issues, and national, institutional and individual factors related to international faculty mobility, and calls for more research on the phenomenon

“Successful” Internationalization: European Insights

Data examined from “The EAIE Barometer: Signposts of Success” (2018)—specifically from among respondents who reported high levels of progress with respect to their international activities, confidence in their institution’s performance, and optimism about the future—exhibits some commonalities with respect to matters of motivation, organization, and execution. Aligning internationalization strategy with institutional mission, positioning the internationalization strategy and its supporting actors purposefully within the institution, and implementing agendas that are both expansive and meaningfully resourced seems to add up to a recipe for (self-reported) success

Citius, Altius, Fortius: Global University Rankings as the “Olympic Games” of Higher Education?

The global university rankings can be seen as analogous to the Olympics. This article compares aspects of the Olympics to how global university rankings work, comparing medal counts to academic rankings