Webinar: Major trends in International Education in the Americas
Rhonda Friesen, University of Manitoba’s International Office, arranged for colleagues to participate in the CBIE/IAU webinar event featuring Eva Egron-Polak’s presentation of the IAU 3rd global Survey Report, conducted in 2009: “Internationalization of Higher Education: Global Trends, Regional Perspectives (full details below).
Internationalization of HE: Global Trends, Regional Perspectives
Out of many observations made about the findings, the following seemed particularly interesting:
Despite student mobility being given a high priority by respondents, actual student mobility remains low and there are major imbalances in the system between receiving and sending students.
The challenges are as diverse as the contexts in which different universities work (goals, motivations etc. differ, and there are unequal capacities)
We need to pursue benefits for all not just the mobile.
Co-operation might minimize risks.
It will be important to reconceptualize Internationalization in higher education NOT as aid, and NOT as trade, but rather take it beyond both to improve the quality of higher education
I participated in a local panel discussion following the webinar with David Strangeland Associate Dean Asper School of Business, Peter Dueck, Executive Director Enrolment Services, and David Mandzuk, Education. From the presentation and our discussion, I realized that it will be important to distinguish between international students who come as a fee-paying and possibly revenue-generating students and those students who come as part of reciprocal exchanges with partner universities elsewhere under cooperation agreements which waive fees for student exchange.
The questions motivating my research–What does it mean to be transnationally literate? and How can we build global democracy?– do not yet seem to be part of the internationalization agendas of those who framed the questions for the survey or of those who answered it. Nonetheless, the evidence provided by the surveys is useful for generating further thought on these questions.
Preparing for the webinar and panel I took advantage of a Facebook note posted by NAFSA Graduate Students 3 Questions with Ross Hudson and Eva Egron-Polak Monday Oct 18,2010.
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=163028377048912
The webinar featured Eva Egron-Polak, Secretary General of the International Association of Universities (IAU), who gave an overview of the 3rd IAU Global Survey Report, published in September 2010. The survey covers institutions in 115 countries, the largest internationalization study of its kind.
Internationalization of Higher Education: Global Trends, Regional Perspectives
http://www.iau-aiu.net/internationalization/pdf/Key_results_2009.pdf
Order the full report. (pdf)
http://www.iau-aiu.net/internationalization/pdf/Internationalisation_Order_Form_2010.pdf
International Association of Universities
http://www.iau-aiu.net/internationalization/index.html
Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE)
http://www.cbie.ca/index_e.htm
The Office of International Relations hosted the Joint Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and the International Association of Universities (IAU) Webinar on Friday, March 18, 2011. My thanks to Rhonda Friesen for organizing this event and pulling together the panel.
Diana Brydon 
