âOne of the main problems is that internationalisation has become an end in itself,â complains Aalto University researcher and the writer of the critical Huippuyliopisto blog in the cover article Tuulan viemÀÀ of the latest Aino magazine.
In my work, I often speak on behalf of internationalisation, but I am also bothered by the fact that internationalisation is often seen as an end in itself. Unjustified enthusiasm for internationalisation is enough for those who already believe in it, but we should be able to present others with arguments.
Almost all higher education institutions in the world aim at internationalisation. In Finland, internationalisation objectives are also set for higher education institutions and their achievement is rewarded with additional funding. This means, for example, pursuing an increasing number of international degree students and exchange students, encouraging students to participate in student exchange, hiring international researchers and integrating studies which support internationalisation in degrees.
But why? I have heard quite a number of response attempts to this question in various seminars. The most common argument for internationalisation is that working life has become international and employees must therefore have the capacity to act in an international environment. On the other hand, internationalisation is believed to improve the quality of teaching and research, as well as to bring benefits to the economy. However, it is slightly worrying that many rectors and directors do not seem to have a very clear picture of the internationalisation objectives.
Why would internationalisation result in quality? Why cannot we develop quality on our own in this promised land of high-quality education? Are international students and researchers better than us? Do workplaces really even need international expertise?
International competence is not knowledge about languages and cultures Â
In my opinion, one of the most important aspects is that the most important objective of higher education is to teach students to improve their thinking. The purpose of education is not only to adopt certain contents, but to learn to review issues from different perspectives and to question the prevailing practices.
It is extremely difficult to teach these skills. International expertise is one of the most effective ways to teach them because it exposes to new perspectives. Along with international experiences, we develop an understanding as to which matters could be different and how they could be done. In the international environment, you are forced to operate in a new way, and therefore you also adopt new ways of thinking.
Essentially, this is the same idea as in participatory teaching methods or student-centred learning, which are basic things in pedagogy today. âIt’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting,â said the founder of Habitat for Humanity Millard Fuller.
I myself would rather live in a country where everyone who decides on my affairs would have international experience. No matter if their work is in any way related to internationality. International expertise is often perceived as language or cultural awareness, which is mainly useful in international assignments. That is one aspect, but international expertise is also much more.
A recent report of think tank Demos Helsinki, Piilotettu osaaminen, states: âEmployers do not pay attention to international expertise in the recruitment process â but appreciate the very characteristics which are considered to be related to the international expertise.â âHalf of the Finnish employers connects international expertise particularly or very strongly with such characteristics as an interest towards new issues, empathy, persistence, self-esteem, confidence and reliability. Many of these characteristics were included in the most important recruitment criteria of the Finnish employers.â
I have grouped the areas of international competence for example as follows:
-
Attitudes (e.g. openness to new perspectives, flexibility and competence to question prevailing ways of thinking)
-
Knowledge (e.g. knowledge of different cultures, operating environments and international systems)
-
Skills (e.g. communication and teamwork skills, the ability to recognise and analyse cultural differences, adaptability)
In addition to these quite obvious areas of international competence, it also seems that employees who have gained international experience generally perform better in their duties (The QS Global Employer Survey 2011).
This does not directly lead to the conclusion that international experience would result in better employment opportunities or career prospects. Studies rather show that employers are often not able to look for or identify strengths related to internationalisation. However, it may provide plenty of expertise that we have not even thought about.
No benefits of internationalisation without interaction
âIn addition to international mobility, the international expertise of students who will soon transfer to the working life is also created more and more through hobbies, entertainment and interaction in peer groupsâ, says the report of Demos Helsinki. Thus, the accumulation of international expertise does not necessarily require student exchange.
However, it should be quite obvious that the international expertise of local students does not develop by itself, no matter how many foreigners study in the same institution. Many higher education institutions have arrangements where international students mainly take different courses than the locals, live in their own premises and hang out in their own groups on their leisure time or in international events arranged separately for international students.
That is why it is important that the objectives of internationalisation are considered. Just increasing the number of international students does not produce an international perspective if the everyday life at the university cannot be gradually changed so that international students are seen, heard and full members of the community in everything. The increasing of interaction and integration is the next major internationalisation challenge in higher education institutions all over the world.
Hanna Sauli
AYY’s Specialist, International Affairs
