Internationalization of Higher Education in Europe: towards inclusive university environments for foreign students Danny Wildemeersch, Alexis Oviedo, Tineke.

Internationalization of Internationalization of Higher Education in Higher Education in

Europe: towards inclusive Europe: towards inclusive university environments university environments

for foreign studentsfor foreign students

Internationalization of Internationalization of Higher Education in Higher Education in

Europe: towards inclusive Europe: towards inclusive university environments university environments

for foreign studentsfor foreign studentsDanny Wildemeersch, Alexis Oviedo, Tineke Rayen, Tine BonnDanny Wildemeersch, Alexis Oviedo, Tineke Rayen, Tine Bonn

arens, Miao Zhaoarens, Miao ZhaoKatholieke Universiteit LeuvenKatholieke Universiteit Leuven

(Belgium)(Belgium)

Purpose

• Internationalization of higher education in Europe, in the light of globalization;

• Intercultural education: from numeric to comprehensive inclusion

Content1. Internationalization of higher

education in Europe;2. Changes on higher education: an

international perspective3. Conclusion

Part 1 Internationalization of Higher Education in

Europe• Definition, rationales and strategies of

internationalization -Knight (1993) described internationalization of higher education as “the process of integrating an international/ intercultural dimension into the teaching, research and service function of the institution”

-Van der Wende (1997) extended it to include “any systematic, sustained efforts aimed at making higher education responsive to the requirements and challenges related to the globalization of societies, economy and labor market”

-Four groups of rationales underlying the trend of internationalization (Knight, 1997)politicaleconomicacademiccultural/ social

-six strategies for internationalization (Back, Davis & Olsen, 1996)1) international student programmes;2) international student support services;3) offshore delivery of education and international delivery of distance education;

4) internationalization of teaching (curriculum)5) international technical assistance and training (short courses and customized training)6) internationalization in research

2. Educational policies within the EU in the light of global

competition

• Bologna process -Three main goals:1) international competitiveness2) mobility3) employability

-Future development:1) “bachelor/ master” structure2) quality assurance3) accreditation4) transparency

• Lisbon strategy: “Becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion”

• Main characteristics of Europe and its higher education in the perception of non-European students (ACA report, 2006)-more accessible than the US-safest place-cultural heritage and artistic offer

-English is not the mother tongue (major disadvantage)-Bologna measures are a good but not the best means to enhance Europe’s attractiveness: an information portal, Europe-wide rankings and financial support for non-European students are more essential.

Part 2 Changes on Higher Education: an

international perspective

• Introduction• Experiences of “Us”• Experiences of “The Other”

Introduction• Two paralleled programmes: the case of the K.U Leu

ven• Master in Educational Sciences: a Dutch taught progr

amme for mainly Belgian students (2 years, 120 ECTS, 250 students)

• Master in Educational Studies: an English taught programme for mainly foreign students (1 year, 60 ECTS, some 50 students, many Chinese): the curriculum is a selection of subjects from the Dutch taught programme (lecturers present twice)

• Motivations: internationalisation, generate income, attract talented people, survival strategy

• Some observations: relatively poor quality of teaching and learning, and linguistic competence, little attempt to adapt the curriculum and the teaching methods; worlds apart: very little opportunities for intercultural contact

Experiences of “Us”

Experiences of “The Other”

• International students have to learn a variety of competing and sometimes contradictory values rules and even roles. (Depreeuw, 2005)

• “People preferently enjoy to interact harmoniously with people of “like“ values, interests and racial appearance.(McDevit, 1996)

Experiences of “The Other”

• The First year: the confrontation gives excitment, it is a honey moon, with very positive expectations

• Second year: The students are dissatisfied, disappointed with the host context, there is a rejection of the host culture, accentuation of the own ethnic identity. It is a status loss and status change.

• Third year: reorientation and reintegration.

Experiences of “The Other”

• Adaptation process as a foreing students are better in students after 25 years old (75% of the total population studied, younger than 25, just 40% of the total (Depreeuw, 2005)

• How much the old minority culture is valued and how the majority culture is welcomed? The more the differences between the majority and the minority gropus (race, physical appearence, etc) the more the members of the minority group will resist give up their identity) (Depreeuw, 2005)

• “The greater the contrast between the individual home culture and the host culture, the greater the severity of culture shock reaction.” (Arthur, 2004)

Part 3 Discussion• Problem statement:

There is formal internationalization and poor interculturalization.

• Experiences at other universities;• Lessons learned from positive and ne

gative experiences

Part 4 Principles, models and practices of intercultural

HEd• Numeric and comprehensive policies and p

ractices.- Numeric: from a monocultural university to a multicultural university- Comprehensive: from a multicultural university to an intercultural university

Numeric and Comprehensive Practices and Policies

• The framework: numeric and comprehensive practices and policies NUMERIC & COMPREHENSIVE TABLE FREIBURG.doc

• Going strange – Staying strange-philosophical considerations on the limitations of intercultural pedagogical practices

Going strange – staying strange? (Rudi Visker)

• Final vocabularies• Multiculturalism &

Transculturalism

• Thank you for your attention and your collaboration.

• Danke schön• Grazie• Gracias• Merci• Dankuwel