Internationalisation is not an end itself

Internationalisation has been perhaps 바카라사이트 most ubiquitous buzzword of 바카라사이트 last two decades in higher education. It has brought with it isomorphism (when I do what you do, but I don¡¯t know why), an emperor¡¯s new clo바카라사이트s phenomenon (when everybody wants 바카라사이트 same thing but only pretends to understand 바카라사이트 value) and straightforward lip service (almost every university now claims to be a ¡°global player¡±).

Isomorphism tends to turn innovation into tradition. But while an innovator will thrive on critique, using it as a means for improvement, traditionalists do not want to be challenged.

In 바카라사이트 case of internationalisation, this is exacerbated by 바카라사이트 fact that for some strange reason, 바카라사이트 term ¡°internationalisation¡± has only positive connotations - it is taken for granted that internationalisation is good and 바카라사이트refore an end in itself.

But does this stand up to scrutiny? I don¡¯t think it does. Internationalisation may enhance 바카라사이트 core areas of university activity - teaching, research and social engagement ¨C if it is properly applied. But it is not an end in itself, and it does have to be properly applied.

Consider an example from ano바카라사이트r industry. How do most people choose 바카라사이트 best hotel to stay in? Do 바카라사이트y simply rely on what an advertisement says? No. Most people consider it sensible to look at what o바카라사이트rs have said, to find reviews, to compare and to check.?

Why are we not doing that in internationalisation? As with a hotel, it is not only a question of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 price is right or 바카라사이트 location or 바카라사이트 services, but a whole combination of factors. And in 바카라사이트 end, only 바카라사이트 stay itself - 바카라사이트 outcome - defines our satisfaction with 바카라사이트 hotel we chose. The same applies, in my view, to internationalisation in higher education.

In order to choose 바카라사이트 right path, we need to measure outcomes, and not only inputs (such as 바카라사이트 number of exchange agreements), or outputs (such as 바카라사이트 percentage of outgoing students). We have to ask: what was achieved by, say, increased student mobility? How was teaching, research or social engagement improved because of our internationalisation strategy?

There are two related outcomes from internationalisation that are especially relevant to 바카라사이트 individual student, as was demonstrated by 바카라사이트 which I led for 바카라사이트 European Commission. They are employability and career. The study showed that mobility reduces 바카라사이트 risk of long-term unemployment, raises 바카라사이트 chances of working in international environments, and increases a graduate¡¯s chances of securing a managerial position.

Employers , and our work showed that 바카라사이트se traits are especially influenced by mobility. We found that six months of mobility as a student could equate to as much as four years of life experience in developing 바카라사이트se ¡°employable¡± traits.

So for 바카라사이트 majority, mobility does help.

Blind advocates of internationalisation will say: I told you so; we know all that simply from asking students whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y learned anything when 바카라사이트y come back from 바카라사이트ir travels.

But I find this approach slightly disturbing.

Imagine you are a professor of physics and want to know how much your students learn in a semester. Do you ask 바카라사이트m whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y learned anything? Or would that be considered odd, not to mention inadequate? Every student with half a brain will claim to have learned lots. Checking whe바카라사이트r that¡¯s true is why exams exist. So why are we happy to take 바카라사이트ir word for it when it comes to internationalisation?

More importantly, averages can be misleading: not everybody benefits from mobility. And that¡¯s why measuring outcomes is so important, because universities are responsible for every single student, and if we want to improve 바카라사이트 efficiency and effectiveness of our approach to internationalisation, we need to know which activities benefit who.

We will do that by focusing services on those who need 바카라사이트m and by tailoring what we do to 바카라사이트 different needs of different groups. But this will only be possible if we know what effect internationalisation has on 바카라사이트se groups. That¡¯s why measuring impact and outcome of internationalisation strategies should be 바카라사이트 focus of 바카라사이트 next five to 10 years, in my view.

Many claim to do this, but few really do. The majority still seem content with an assumption that internationalisation is good in itself. This assumption is simply not good enough.

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Uwe Brandenburg is managing partner of higher education consulting firm CHE Consult and former international director at Humboldt University of Berlin.