Essay On Internationalization In Higher Education

Internationalization is a modern phenomenon experienced by higher educational institutions globally. More students and scholars are travelling away from their home countries to seek out educational experiences elsewhere. Marginson (2010) explains “higher education is nested in national government everywhere, and shaped by patterns of social investment. At the same time the cross-border or global dimension of activity is growing, especially in relation to knowledge” (p. 6962). Furthermore the ubiquity of the Internet is making academic exchange much more accessible, even for those living in the developing world. Although utilities like electricity are not yet guaranteed in developing countries, increased access to mobile devices is making the Internet and all of the possibilities inherent for exchange available to people all over the world.

UNESCO and OECD (2005) provide an aptly-timed definition of internationalization in tertiary institutions as “higher education that takes

Toward this end, the “Mysore Statement” from the Association of Indian Universities was adopted in 2001 (Mitra, 2010). This agreement addresses several facets of internationalization. The issues covered range from the understanding that increased international cooperation will become a more pressing necessity in the future to an agreed-upon indication that this cooperation with other higher education institutions will only serve to increase the quality of teaching, learning, and research, and also that international cooperation cannot be an act undertaken by only India’s universities because governmental support will also be necessary to ensure good working relationships and adequate resources (Knight, 2006; Mitra, 2010). While the objective of India’s institutions toward greater internationalization is clear, so too is the need for policy-level governmental supports to bring this change to