Giorgio Marinoni, Manager of HE and Internationalization of the International Association of Universities

Hilligje van’t Land, Secretary General of the International Association of Universities

Internationalization of higher education developed almost everywhere in the world, but at different speeds and in different forms. It were mainly HEIs based in the Western world which started this process.  The concept of internationalization has also mainly been theorized and debated by Western scholars, even up to today. Since the beginning, geographic inequalities were evident in the process of internationalization, from its theoretical conception to its practical application.

The model of internationalization based on an economic rational and focused mainly, if not exclusively, on student mobility (especially the attraction of international students), and on competitive research is intrinsically unequal. Student mobility benefits only 2% of the global student population and competitive research favours HEIs with more resources.

The model of internationalization based on an economic rational and focused mainly, if not exclusively, on student mobility (especially the attraction of international students), and on competitive research is intrinsically unequal. Student mobility benefits only 2% of the global student population.

The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting this model of internationalization by slowing down or even completely putting student mobility on hold. If this comes with real challenges to a model that fuels many HE systems around the world also financially, it also offers a great opportunity for higher education institutions to tackle the intrinsic inequalities of the model.  New strategies are being considered, debated and developed that focus more on other internationalization activities such as internationalization of the curriculum/at home (IoC/IaH), which can provide global learning outcomes and benefits to all students. IoC/IaH require less yet different resources than student mobility.  Indeed, it requires innovative efforts from the entire academic community, new strategic direction at leadership level and willingness of professors to revisit and rethink the course content and methodology used to deliver it. At the same time, IoC/IaH do not bring the immediate advantages (in particular financial, but not only) that the attraction of international students brings and might not receive the attention and support that national governments put in promoting the attraction of international students.

The COVID-19 pandemic also reminded society of the value proposition of knowledge systems and the importance of university research; a global challenge such as a pandemic cannot be solved with national or local solutions, but needs global cooperation in research. However, despite this, even in the search for a solution to the pandemic, a competitive model of research is still prevalent; instead of joining forces, countries and researchers all over the world are involved in a race to be the first to develop a vaccine. The shortcomings of such a model are evident (multiplication of efforts, waste of resources and time) and strengthen existing inequalities among countries and HEIs with different resources.  Again, countries and HEIs with better resources are better equipped to win any such race.

Although exposed to external pressure, at the end it will be the higher education community which will decide the fate of internationalization in these COVID-19 times.  By focusing on the development of global learning outcomes for all students with special emphasis on the implementation of IoC/IaH and on global cooperation in research the higher education community is offered a great opportunity to correct the existing inequalities and make internationalization more equal, ethical and fair.