The Importance of Internationalization of the Higher Education Processes

Por: Folusho Ojutalayo, Ph.D.

This article will focus on the benefits of such internationalisation and explaining how higher education institutions can turn current challenges into opportunities.  Si quieres que te entiendan, necesitas entender primero.

There’s no doubt that the internationalization of higher education processes has evolved over the years. This article will focus on the benefits of such internationalisation and explaining how higher education institutions can turn current challenges into opportunities

Jane Knight emphasised in her 2013 article that 25 years ago no one would have thought that the internationalization of education could serve as the catalyst for the existence of big recruitment businesses currently generating millions of dollars. We cannot overemphasize the benefits of cross-cultural values and of student and faculty exchanges, as well as the merits this brings to globalization. In order to avoid academic biases, it must be said that the original concept of helping students from developing countries complete a degree in another country in order for them to later return home and, thus, contribute to their national development, is a practice now gradually fading at an alarming rate, as it has turned this original concept into a brain-drain race (Lee, Maldonado-Maldonado, and Rhoades 2006).

NBS/NBU has already made a strategic move in this direction, since the School is located in Central America and is already making inroads into North America and Europe. Of course, it is impossible to predict the future, but the experience acquired since the inception of the Business School would serve as an invaluable tool for further international development.

One important factor that could serve as an impediment to higher education institutions is the issue of foreign accreditation. Yet, again, NBS/NBU has long addressed this unique and cogent factor. Furthermore, technology has a fundamental role to play in the higher education internationalisation process, especially in the areas of Social Media, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Whether we like it or not, the International language of business transaction is English and this must be highly factored into one’s Curriculum.

Looking at a crystal ball and daring to predict the future of NBU/NBS, we believe that within the next couple of years this institution shall be competing within the top 50- 100 International Business Schools in the world.

References:

Jane Knight (2013) The changing landscape of higher education internationalisation – for better or worse?, Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 17:3, 84-90, DOI: 10.1080/13603108.2012.753957.Lee, J. J., A. Maldonado-Maldonado, and G. Rhoades 2006. “The Political Economy of International Student Flows: Patterns, Ideas, and Propositions.” In Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, edited by J. C. Smart, 545–590. Dordrecht: Springer

Este artículo pertenece a la tercera edición de la revista NBS UPDATE, publicado en noviembre del 2019. Para leer el artículo original visita el sitio oficial de NBS UPDATE o haz click aquí >>>http://nbsupdate.com/