In recent decades, the leading trend,The internationalization of higher education has become an emphasis on the development of globalization processes. It involved not only individual universities or organizations, but also entire states. This is not surprising, since the internationalization of the education system can yield significant benefits. And not only in the form of an influx of foreign students. This process gives a serious impetus to the development of both the higher education system of the whole state and a single institution of higher education, which wants to be competitive.
The concept of internationalization of education
It appeared relatively recently - at the endthe last century, but quickly enough became the main characteristic of the integration processes taking place in this sphere. It was based on various ideas of international cooperation in the field of education, most of which have already been implemented as a different kind of programs.
It can be said that internationalizationeducation is a process, the essence of which is the active introduction of the international component in all the functional areas of the university. That is, it affects not only educational activities, but also research, and even administrative. The authors of articles on internationalization emphasize its connection with all the functions of the educational process and note the existence of a complex character of this influence.
Forms of cooperation
It should be noted that the internationalization of education is a process that includes a variety of formats for international interaction:
- mobility with an educational purpose: this includes not only students and teaching staff, but also representatives of the university administration;
- the introduction of such types of mobility, both institutional and programmatic, on the basis of various training tools;
- compilation of updated educational standards on the basis of samples of the international level and their inclusion in the curricula of universities;
- creation of various forms of long-term partnership in the institutional sphere of education.
Considering all these types of internationalcooperation, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the internationalization of education is a process that encompasses not only external forms in the form of study abroad. This is also a complex internal transformation. It covers all types of activities of higher education institutions and directs them towards international cooperation.
Implementation strategies
To date, the world practice has developed differentStrategies that develop on the basis of such a trend as the internationalization of the educational process. Depending on the motives for implementation, they can be formed into four groups.
- The strategy of a coherent approach is based onlong-term international cooperation. It is realized by increasing the mobility of both students and teachers, exchange programs, partnership agreements. The fundamental position of this strategy is not competition, but cooperation.
- A strategy that supports the migration offoreign specialists and gifted students. The host country, striving to improve its competitiveness, creates a number of conditions for them: academic scholarships, a simplified visa regime and immigration norms.
- Profitable strategy.It is also based on attracting qualified specialists with the only difference that there are no benefits and education is provided on a fee basis. The influx of foreign students allows you to organize universities business.
- Advanced capabilities strategy.Called to encourage the receipt of education abroad or in domestic universities that provide such services. The levers of implementation here are activities aimed at supporting the mobility of both students and scholars, teachers and civil servants.
Levels of internationalization management
Today, it becomes obvious that even global processes need regulation, and that it includes not only specific enterprises or organizations, but also the state itself.
What has been said fully applies to the phenomena that reflect the current tendency of the internationalization of education. There are three main levels of management:
- state;
- regional;
- high school.
Each has its own strategy andmanagement tools. The state, forming a strategy for the development of this process, must take into account not only the trends of the existing foreign experience, but also the specificity of its cultural environment, the potential of higher education institutions, their material base. At this level, tools and norms are created that allow universities to effectively develop towards internationalization.
The regional level is called upon to formulatesay, "on the spot" those conditions and infrastructure that will not only allow dynamic development of educational institutions and other related institutions, but also create comfortable conditions for foreign students.
The most precise tools for managing the process of internationalization in education can be reflected precisely at the level of the educational institution.
Management Tools
They can be developed in a complex or implemented at different levels of management separately.
- Invitation to international cooperationexperts. The direction of their activities can be different: as an expert in educational programs or participation in the development of the institution's development strategy.
- The development of such an element as internationalcompetence. This tool refers not only to the teaching staff, but also to all who will somehow be involved in the educational process.
- Formation of institutional partnership with advanced foreign educational centers.
- Inclusion in the activities of a professional association or network for the promotion of an educational institution in the international educational market.
- Participation of the university in international rankings.
- Development of various educational projects jointly with other educational institutions of the country and abroad.
- Development and implementation of research programs with foreign partners.
- Conducting international accreditation. Certification of the quality of education on the basis of world standards.
The presented list can be continued, since the internationalization of education is a process of development that constantly opens up new and diverse forms of cooperation.
Management Efficiency Factors
Here two groups of factors play a role:internal and external. The first includes the potential of a higher education institution: material and technical equipment, the level of development of teaching staff, etc.
The second is implemented at the state level.It covers political and socio-economic conditions. In the first case, the decisive role is played by the policy implemented in the field of education. Today, it is acquiring a clearer focus and offers new effective tools for the realization of internationalization.
Accounting for socio-economic conditions is based on demographic, geographic, and economic data, which must also be taken into account when developing and implementing an education development strategy.
Internal development resources
At the level of the university, the success of internationalization is determined by its capabilities:
- level of proficiency in a foreign language;
- the presence of high-quality specialized programs that will allow the university to find its sphere and offer educational services there;
- cooperation with foreign higher education institutions;
- availability of international experience.
An important place here is the presence of an adequate development strategy and the desire to follow it.
Role in the development of world processes
Current trends, reflecting the directiondevelopment of the modern world, are encouraged to pay attention to the ratio of such processes as globalization and the internationalization of education. Both are in some way related. A bright and ambiguous trend that characterizes modern transformations, globalization affects almost all spheres of human life, including education.
In itself, this concept is used by someresearchers to characterize globalization, which is presented as the process of internationalization of various areas of life: economic, technological, cultural, commercial, etc.
This allows globalization to be defined asthe root cause and foundation of the transformation of learning systems. Therefore, the internationalization of education is an important component of the development of global processes, which includes not only various educational institutions, but also entire states.
Internationalization as a factor of development
It is from these positions that it is proposed to consider this process, since in this way it can be represented as an effective tool stimulating the achievement of such goals:
- the growth of the level of teaching;
- development of various forms of research work;
- the ability to select and use the best examples of international experience;
- increase in the number of competitive advantages of the university both in the domestic market and in the external - international.
These are general directions for the development of an educational institution that wants to find its place in the global educational process.
They must be specified and displayed instrategic directions of development of the university, which are determined on the basis of potential. Here you also need to concretize your idea of a place in the global system, to establish that it will be: world level, industry level or, possibly, regional.
