Internationalisation of Higher Education in South East Asia: a Perspective from the Marco Polo Project

Dr. Rafaela Caballero Andaluz (Project coordinator) Dr. Rupert Beinhauer & Dr. Thilagavathi Shanmuganathan (Editors) BOOK REVIEW CONTENTS CONTENTS INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT CONTENTS Internationalisation of Higher Education in Southeast Asia: A Perspective from the Marco Polo Project INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT Marco Polo Project Consortium INCOMA (Spain) University of Seville (Spain) Heriot-Watt University (United Kingdom) FH Joanneum (Austria) Naresuan University (Thailand) Prince of Songkla University (Thailand) Hanoi University (Vietnam) Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology (Vietnam) Universiti Sains Malaysia (Malaysia) Universiti Malaya (Malaysia) INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT CONTENTS Internationalisation of Higher Education in Southeast Asia: A Perspective from the Marco Polo Project Dr.rupert Beinhauer & Dr. thilagavathi Shanmuganathan (eDitorS) Seville 2020 Dr. rafaela CaBallero anDaluz (projeCt CoorDinator) INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT CONTENTS All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced recorded or transmitted by any means without the express written permission of Editorial Universidad de Sevilla (the publisher). © EDITORIAL UNIVERSIDAD DE SEVILLA 2020 c/ Porvenir, 27 - 41013 Sevilla Tlf. 954 487 447; 954 487 451 - Fax 954 487 443 Email: [email protected] Web: <https://www.editorial.us.es> © Rafaela CaballeRo andaluz, pRojeCt CooRdinatoR 2020 © RupeRt beinhaueR and thilagavathi Shanmuganathan, editoRS 2020 © foR the authoR’S textS 2020 ISBNe: 978-84-472-2942-0 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12795/9788447229420 Design & Interactive electronic publishing: Dosgraphic, S.L. ([email protected]) Collection: Textos institucionales publiShing Committee: José Beltrán Fortes (Director, Universidad de Sevilla Press) Araceli López Serena (Subdirector) Concepción Barrero Rodríguez Rafael Fernández Chacón María Gracia García Martín Ana Ilundáin Larrañeta María del Pópulo Pablo-Romero Gil-Delgado Manuel Padilla Cruz Marta Palenque Sánchez María Eugenia Petit-Breuilh Sepúlveda José-Leonardo Ruiz Sánchez Antonio Tejedor Cabrera Disclaimer: The information set out and views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained herein. INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT Digital edition of the printed edition 2019 7 Contents foRewoRd ..................................................................................................... 9 intRoduCtion into inteRnationaliSation of higheR eduCation .................... 11 Rupert Beinhauer and Thilagavathi Shanmuganathan double degRee pRogRammeS: an inteRnationaliSation StRategy ................. 19 Patricia Nora Riget, Thilagavathi Shanmuganathan, Yong Zulina Zubairi and Woo Wai Sheng peRCeption of inteRnationaliSation in higheR eduCation: the aSian vaRiant – a CaSe Study of univeRSiti malaya ........................ 37 Thilagavathi Shanmuganathan, Yong Zulina Zubairi, Patricia Nora Riget and Woo Wai Sheng inteRnationaliSation at home by deSign, univeRSiti SainS malaySia Style ............................................................................................ 45 Narimah Samat, Salasiah Che Lah, Hasuria Che Omar, Aizat Hisham Ahmad and Puteri Nurul Atiqah Bandira inteRnationaliSation of thai higheR eduCation: the CaSe of pRinCe of Songkla univeRSity ................................................................................ 55 Ana Maria Pavel and Suphitcha Ek-Uru inteRnationaliSation at home and mobility to pRomote pSu StudentS’ inteRnational CompetenCy ......................................................... 73 Suphitcha Ek-Uru and Ana Maria Pavel inteRnationaliSation of thai higheR eduCation: a CaSe of naReSuan univeRSity .............................................................................. 91 Gregory Alan Smith and Chakrit Fuangprang INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT 8 CONTENTS inteRnational CoopeRation towaRdS inteRnationaliSation at the poStS and teleCommuniCationS inStitute of teChnology (ptit) ....................... 101 Dang The Ngoc, Pham Van Su, Nguyen Minh Phuong, Nguyen Thi Thu Nga and Pham Nguyen Hoang Hai itaCentRo: StRategieS foR inteRnationaliSation ........................................ 117 Pham Bich Ngoc and Dang Thi Phuong Thao a Qualitative Review of the CuRRent StatuS of inteRnationaliSation of Six univeRSitieS in malaySia, thailand and vietnam ............................ 133 Rupert Beinhauer, Thilagavathi Shanmuganathan and Waltraud Jelinek-Krickl INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT 9 CONTENTS Foreword As the leading partner in the EU-funded Marco Polo Project, the University of Seville is proud to publish this work, Internationalisation of Higher Education in Southeast Asia: A Perspective from the Marco Polo Project. The publication contains essential contributions to the ongoing Higher Education internationalisation debate, but from a new and challenging perspective – that of Southeast Asia. In this collection, ten articles examine the history, the present-day reality and the beckoning future of internationalisation, seeking to make it and our understanding of the challenges and opportunities that internationalisation in Higher Education entails the rule and not the exception. Before proceeding any further, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the authors – indeed all collaborators named, and anonymous –, who have contributed to this publication and the project as a whole. Internationalisation benefits everyone. Internationalisation facilitates the transfer of knowledge through student and staff mobility. Internationalisation promotes understanding of the other at an interpersonal level, as well as at an inter-institutional one. Internationalisation is the optimisation of HE resources on a global scale. Yet internationalisation is not merely a trendy buzzword. Universities have to prepare themselves both culturally and administratively for it. As internationalisation gathers momentum, we must optimise our actions and our processes in order to maximise the results. Both regionally and intercontinentally, university internationalisation enriches us intellectually, personally and, at a societal level, economically. As the Marco Polo Project draws to an end, the whole Consortium can look back proudly at its achievements. These achievements are reflected here in these stimulating, thought-provoking, papers that we are sure will bear witness to the intense internationalising effort that all Consortium members have made. INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MARCO POLO PROJECT 16 CONTENTS reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerp INTRODUCTION INTO INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerp INTRODUCTION INTO INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION promoting research. HEIs formulated strategies and policies that would integrate the multicultural, multilingual and global perspectives within the education system while recognising the need to learn from other established HEs across the globe. Thus, came the need for international partnerships and collaboration which saw the need for international student exchange and enhancing staff experience. The collaborations allowed the HEIs to go through the following: (1) identify the roles and functions of each level of the institution and how best to integrate international activities across universities, (2) recognise the ecosystems within the institution and how the existing education system should adapt to the world-wide trends in order to meet the growing global competition, (3) create niche areas that match global needs and expand the curricula to include new areas of research through knowledge sharing and expand the curricula to facilitate international education, and (4) engage a sense of flexibility towards adaptation of particular strategies by the institution, and provide capacity development training at all levels of management to ensure sustainability. These initiatives show the diversity of steering and management policies with respect to internationalisation and globalisation. 3. THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF THE ERASMUS+ MARCO POLO The Erasmus+ Marco Polo programme is funded by the European Union to foster international cooperation agreements and networks of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The aim of the project is to improve and build the capacities of HEIs in the Asian region particularly in 3 partner countries – Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, through teaching, learning and research. The impact is seen through the close cooperation of the HEIs particularly in establishing new contacts for student mobility and staff experience as well as research collaborations. In establishing a partnership, the gains are not a one-way track where knowledge flows from European partners to the Asian partners. In fact, the European partners learn the strong sentiments towards the conservation of local identities that are steeped in multicultural and multilingual establishments, and the preference for hierarchical decision-making as they work towards incorporating these systems developed by the Asian partners. On the other hand, the Asian partners soften the rigidity of their complex education systems to embrace internationalisation of their education system. RRupRr upperRpR rpd reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerp INTRODUCTION INTO INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION RRupRr upperRpR rpd reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerp INTRODUCTION INTO INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION 17 CONTENTS reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerp INTRODUCTION INTO INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION 4. THE SCOPE OF THIS BOOK This book is aimed at showcasing some of the internationalisation policies and strategies adopted by several HEIs in the Asian region. The concept and process of establishing internationalisation at various levels of the HE are discussed at length and such details are pertinent for other HEIs that are in the process of moving towards the global internationalisation landscape. The chapters are arranged in the alphabetical order of the partner countries, starting with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The subsequent chapter discusses the concept of internationalisation, issues and challenges that is based on a survey carried out during the mobility programme. This data-driven chapter captures a case study of six south-east Asian universities and how staff from various levels of the institution perceive internationalisation, it aims at summarising the findings of this publication and to voice recommendations for internationalisation in the region. 5. REFERENCES Aiken, L., & Clotfelter, C. (1997). Buying the Best: Cost Escalation in Elite Higher Education. Contemporary Sociology. Altbach, P. (2015). Higher Education and the WTO: Globalization Run Amok. International Higher Education. Arum, S., & Water, J. (1992). The need for a definition of international education in U.S universities. In S. Arum, & J. Water, Bridges to the future: strategies for internationalizing higher education. Brandenburg, U., & De Wit, H. (2011). Has international education lost its way? Chronicle of Higher education, 15. Curaj, A., Matei, L., Pricopie, R., Salmi, J., & Scott, P. (2015). The European Higher Education Area: Between Critical Reflections and Future Policies. Hahn, K., & Hahn, K. (2004). Integrative Konzepte und Strategien. In K. Hahn, & K. Hahn, Die Internationalisierung der deutschen Hochschulen. Jiang, N., & Carpenter, V. (2014). A Case Study of Emerging Challenges and Reflections on Internationalization of Higher Education. International Education Studies, 7(9), 56-68. Jibeen, T., & Khan, M. (1. 12 2015). Internationalization of Higher Education: Potential Benefits and Costs. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 4, 196. Knight, J. (1999). A Time of Turbulence and Transformation for Internationalisation. CBIE Research, 14. — (2002). Trade in higher education services: The implications of GATS. The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, UK. — (1. 3 2004). Internationalization Remodeled: Definition, Approaches, and Rationales. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8(1), 5-31. RRupRr upperRpR rpd reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerp INTRODUCTION INTO INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 18 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerp INTRODUCTION INTO INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION Knight, J. (2015). Updating the Definition of Internationalization. International higher education, 33. Salmon, G. (2005). Flying not flapping: a strategic framework for e-learning and pedagogical innovation in higher education institutions. Research in Learning Technology. Söderqvist, M. (2002). Internationalisation and Its Management at Higher Education Institutions: Applying Conceptual, Content, and Discourse Analysis. Helsinki School of Economics. — (2007). Internationalisation and its management at higher-education institutions: Applying conceptual, content and discourse analysis. Soliman, S., Anchor, J., & Taylor, D. (3. 8 2019). The international strategies of universities: deliberate or emergent? Studies in Higher Education, 44(8), 1413-1424. Teichler, U. (2004). The changing debate on internationalisation of higher education. Higher Education. Thimme, C. (2013). Internationalisierungsstrategien von Fachhochschulen. DAAD. van Vught, F., van der Wende, M., & Westerheijden, D. (2002). Globalisation and Internationalisation: Policy Agendas Compared. In F. van Vught, M. van der Wende, D. Westerheijden, J. Enders, & O. Fulton (Hrsg.), Higher Education in a Globalising World: International Trends and Mutual Observations A Festschrift in Honour of Ulrich Teichler (S. 103-120). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. Yemini, M. (2015). Internationalisation discourse hits the tipping point: A new definition is needed. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education. Yemini, M., & Sagie, N. (2016). Research on internationalisation in higher education – exploratory analysis. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education. RRupRr upperRpR rpd reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerp INTRODUCTION INTO INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION 19 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy Double degree programmes: An internationalisation strategy patriCia nora riget, thilagavathi Shanmuganathan, Yong zulina zuBairi anD Woo Wai Sheng Universiti Malaya 1. INTRODUCTION In today’s era of rapid globalisation, global competitiveness, and the commodification of education, internationalisation has become an indispensable and critical agenda for all higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide. Internationalisation, depending on the strategies used or cooperation activities undertaken, brings diverse and important benefits to HEIs, particularly in the Asian regions and elsewhere. Nevertheless, in general, internationalisation helps HEIs to stay relevant at both the national and international levels, and also to grow in a sustainable manner. Among the various activities that HEIs can use as their internationalisation strategies include student and staff mobility, recruiting of international students and scholars, developing of international academic programmes, implementing international research projects, setting up of branch campuses, franchising education programmes, etc. (Knight, 2012: 22). The selection of strategies depends mainly on the internationalisation agenda, preferred partners and available resources of the university while the initiation process of the partnership can be undertaken by the central management, faculties or individuals. International joint, double and consecutive degree programmes can be initiated by any faculty, centre or department within the University in line with the internationalisation strategy. This initiative involves both the teaching/learning process as well as the sharing of new knowledge 20 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy between and among partner institutions/countries. In addition, it also offers many benefits to individuals, institutions and both national and regional education systems (Knight, 2011). At the individual level, participating in a programme that offers two degrees from two universities located in different countries is seen as an opportunity to enhance one’s employability prospects and career path (idem). In addition, a programme that includes international mobility provides the participants with international study experience, more specifically, international and intercultural knowledge, skills, and values (Knight, 2012). At the institutional level, by deliberately collaborating with partners of equal or greater status, the institution can increase its reputation and ranking as an international university. Offering a degree programme with an international partner is also a way for the institution to ensure that its study programmes are on par with the international standards. Besides, considering that these programmes are usually an expansion of the student exchange programmes, the collaboration can also ensure a steady flow of inbound students from partner institutions under the student exchange agreement. At the national level, Santiago et al. (2008) affirmed that many countries benefit from the knowledge transfers by their graduate students who were abroad. This article presents two undergraduate double degree programme offered by the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya (UM) for two of its Bachelor degree programmes: German and French Language. These double degree programmes are in partnership with Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HWTG), Germany (for the German programme) and the Institut National des Langues et Civilisation Orientales (INALCO), Paris (for the French programme) and both have been recognised officially by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education in February 2018. After a brief presentation of Universiti Malaya and its internationalisation agenda, this article will discuss the undergraduate double degree programme by describing its background, process of implementation and the outcomes. The article concludes with future plans for the two academic collaborations. 2. INTERNATIONALISATION AGENDA OF UNIVERSITI MALAYA Founded in 1905, Universiti Malaya (UM) is the oldest public university and also the premier Research University1 (RU) in Malaysia. It is a compre- 1. Presently, there are 5 research universities in Malaysia, namely Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 21 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy hensive university with multidisciplinary focus, from Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Law, Medicine and Business, that houses more than 25,000 students and 1,800 academic staff (in over 20 faculties, institutes, academies and research centres). With the vision statement “To be an internationally renowned institution of higher learning in research, innovation, publication and teaching” and the mission statement “To advance knowledge and learning through quality research and education for the nation and for humanity” UM is fully aware of the importance of internationalisation in achieving its goal to be recognised as a globally influential and preferred University. As a matter of fact, “Internationalisation and Branding” is one of the 7 Thrusts in UM’s Strategic Plan of 2016-20202 and in which the overarching goal of this thrust is to make UM “The Preferred Partner” for any national or international partnership or collaboration. Internationalisation is indeed one of the critical agendas in Malaysia’s higher education transformation with an end target of becoming an international hub of higher education excellence by 2020 (Malaysia Blueprint 2015-2025). The first policy document which discusses the need and the role of different sectors or parties involved for internationalisation of Malaysian higher education is the “Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education 2011” published by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. In fact, it is an operational policy, which aims at accelerating the inflow of international students to 150,000 in 2015 and 200,000 by 2020. Thus, all public and private higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Malaysia are recommended to draw up their own internationalisation agenda. At Universiti Malaya, the strategies to promote internationalisation covers six critical sectors namely: student mobility, staff mobility, academic programme, research and development, governance and autonomy, social integration and community engagement. Collaboration with other reputable higher education institutions in the area of academic programmes is one of the ways that Universiti Malaya has promoted its internationalisation agenda. UM offers currently around Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). These research universities are required to focus primarily on research and innovation activities, driven by highly competent academics and competitive student admissions. In addition, they are also expected to explore their intellectual capacity and become models of Malaysian universities in conducting research activities aimed at knowledge advancement (Nooraini Mohamad Sheriff & Noordini Abdullah, 2017) 2. This Plan incorporates specific Goals and leading Strategies and Action Plans, which are aimed at achieving greater collaboration with world-renowned institutions of higher learning, higher impact on research and outputs, and achieving financial sustainability. The Action Plans are driven by UM’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 22 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 100 bachelor degree programmes, 180 masters’ programmes and 4 doctoral programmes in its 13 faculties, 3 academic centres and 2 academies. In terms of dual/joint degrees, Universiti Malaya currently offers 2 dual Bachelors, 8 dual/double Masters and 25 dual PhDs. The dual Bachelors are in the areas of Languages and Linguistics at UM and tourism management and didactic/intercultural studies in the partner universities while the dual Masters are in the areas of Science, Engineering, Medicine, Law and Sport Science. As for the dual PhDs, they are also mainly in the areas of Science, Engineering and Medicine. 3. THE DOUBLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES 3.1. The background The Bachelor of German Language and Linguistics and the Bachelor of French Language and Linguistics were first offered at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (FLL), Universiti Malaya in the academic year 1998/1999. Initially, the main objective of the Bachelor degree in foreign languages with specialisation in French, German, Spanish, Italian or Japanese was to produce local graduates who are not only proficient in the respective foreign language but are also able to demonstrate linguistic knowledge of the said language. However, during the curriculum review exercise of the bachelor degree programmes conducted during the academic year 2009/2010, the question of benchmarking the graduates’ proficiency in the foreign language to the international standard and also the opportunity for students’ mobility to the countries where the respective language is spoken was brought up by the university. In fact, this question was also brought up in anticipation of the publication of the National Graduate Employability Blueprint 2012-2017 in which is stated that the objective of Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) is “to ensure that IHL graduates possess the core attributes within the profession and therefore employable both locally and globally” (NGEB 2012-2017: 30). In other words, Malaysian IHLs should produce graduates who are able to compete not only in the local job market but also in the international job market. It is a well-known fact today that foreign languages greatly benefit students and provide a competitive edge for career choices. Student exchange programme was seen as an untapped resource for a faculty which deals mainly with the teaching and learning of languages and linguistics. Thus, in order to develop its international outlook, inter national teaching staff were hired to ensure its foreign language programmes were taught by qualified native speaker language teachers. Activities included urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 23 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy organising language and cultural activities where various foreign embassies in Malaysia were invited to participate. As a result, the idea of looking for potential partner institutions with the prospect of signing a Memorandum of Academic Cooperation (MoA) that would enable students and staff (teaching/research) go on the exchange programme was mooted by the Faculty. 3.2. The process The process on how UM implemented the double degree programme covers 5 stages: (i) selection of partner institution, (ii) preparation and signing of the agreement, (iii) implementation of the activities, (iv) monitoring and (v) evaluation of the cooperation. 3.2.1. Selection of partner institution When selecting international partner institutions, faculties or centers of responsibility at UM have to adhere to a few criteria which have been set up by the top management team of the university. One of the important criteria is the academic standing of the potential partner university in the world ranking or the reputation of the institution in a subject area. Nonetheless, another important criteria which the respective faculty can take into consideration when selecting its partner institution is the benefits that the students as well as the university can gain from the cooperation. Thus, the cooperation with the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO), Paris and with Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HTWG), Germany was seen to bring UM the gains in terms of academic expertise and also postgraduate training. Shown below is how the department has justified the choice of these two institutions as partners for the double degree programme option currently offered to the French and German programme students at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya in the working paper for both cooperation. INALCO has an established worldwide reputation, and is the French institution corresponding to SOAS in London. It deals with no fewer than 93 different languages, which compares to 11 in the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics. It will be greatly to the University’s advantage to be in a position to gain from the experience of INALCO and to share their academic knowledge and professional expertise. Considering that most of the French universities are not taking part in the world ranking exercise, thus the ranking criteria cannot be used urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 24 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy to justify its selection but instead the emphasis was on the reputation of INALCO in the area of language studies. Likewise, the selection of HTWG was not done due to its world ranking but to its vast experience in offering career-oriented higher degrees in the area of technical and professional fields as stated below: HTWG was founded in 1906 through a private initiative. Today, the Hochschule Konstanz University of Applied Sciences offers career-oriented higher education at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels in 20 technical and professional fields including Engineering, Architecture, Computer Science, Business Administration and the highly competitive fields of Applied Communication and Culture, Management and Technology, and Communications Design. Currently HTWG has formal partnerships and student and staff exchange programs with 56 higher education institutions in 28 countries. It will be greatly to the University’s advantage to gain from the experience of HTWG in terms of student exchange and to share their academic knowledge and professional expertise. The main reason why the department decided to initiate the double degree programme with INALCO and HTWG is the need to provide more career options for graduates from the French and German programmes. This is realised through the additional degree from the two partner institutions. Indeed, upon successfully completing the 2 study programmes, UM students participating in the double degree programme with INALCO will be awarded 2 degrees: Bachelor of Languages and Linguistics (French Language) from UM and Bachelor of Languages, Cultures and Societies with specialisation in Didactics in French as a Foreign Language (FLE) and Indonesian – Malay from INALCO. As for the students in the double degree programme with HTWG, they will be awarded the Bachelor of Languages and Linguistics (German Language) from UM and Bachelor in Business German and Tourism Management (WDT) from Konstanz University of Applied Sciences. Having a degree from a European institution will also facilitate these students’ application to pursue their studies at the Master level in any of the IHL in these two countries. In terms of administrative requirement at the university level, once the future partner has been identified, the agreement will need to be drafted and a letter of intention to be addressed to the Director of IRO, UM would need to be prepared to inform the University Management that the department/faculty will initiate a partnership. Only when this is done, the actual process of preparation of the agreement can be initiated. In addition, once the agreement has been signed, the department has to also prepare a proposal or working paper for the purpose of obtaining the urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 25 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy approval from the Vice Chancellor and the university management for the student exchange programme. 3.2.2. Preparation and signing of the agreement Part of the preparation process of the agreement includes the negotiation of the details of the intended activities within the student exchange programme. The negotiation stage is a very crucial stage as this is also the time when both parties will try to establish the ground rules in relation to the cooperation. If necessary, the Head of the department that offer the degree programmes or person in charge of the cooperation would also need to do a site visit so as to ensure that the facilities that are to be offered at the host university are indeed available as stated in the agreement. As such, prior to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding the first stage in the creation of a formal agreement in which the document sets out the points of agreement (the intended common lines of action) of the parties for the purposes of the agreement between UM and INALCO, the Head of the Asian and European Languages Department and the Deputy Dean for Undergraduates of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics visited INALCO in July 2012. A Memorandum of Agreement sets out the ground rules for the cooperate effort of the parties wishing to work together on a project.As for the contents in the Students Exchange Agreement between UM and its two partner universities (INALCO & HTWG), among the important points discussed included: (1) the study level for exchange, (2) duration and content of the programmes, (3) issuance of the degree, (4) conditions for the access to the programme, (5) responsibilities of respective partners during the implementation stage, and (6) obligations of the students. 3.2.3. Study level for exchange Both double degree programmes, UM & INALCO and UM & HTWG decided to establish and develop the cooperation in the framework of their Bachelor degree programmes (Mal. Ijazah Sarjana Muda). For the UM-INALCO exchange programme, students of the Bachelor of Languages and Linguistics (French) and for the UM-HTWG programme, students of the Bachelor of Languages and Linguistics (German) were given the opportunity to apply. More specifically, for the double degree with INALCO, students urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 32 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy department for record purposes. In addition, these students are also invited to share their experience at sharing sessions organised by the department during the Orientation Week or any other functions organised by the French/German Division. 3.4.1. Evaluation of the cooperation The officers-in-charge of the cooperation from both parties prepare a yearly report which are shared and discussed during site visit meetings. At the institution level, the department is required to submit to the International Relation Office (IRO) a report on activities conducted under the agreement every 6 month. These reports are crucial for decision making process prior to the renewal of the agreement. Likewise, all reports on activities conducted under the agreement are also presented at the department and faculty meetings. 3.5. The outcomes The first batch of two students participating in the double degree with INALCO was sent to INALCO, Paris in 2013. From 2013 until 2019, a total number of six students have successfully completed the double degree programme. Out of the six students, one has successfully completing his Master in French as a foreign language in INALCO while another one is still pursuing her Master degree studies, also in INALCO. At the same time, UM has also received three Master students from INALCO to do their internship in UM via the student exchange programme. These interns have not only helped the department with the teaching of the language proficiency courses on the French programme but also with the preparation of the candidates for the double degree programme. In return, the lecturers on the French programme assist these interns with the preparation of their Master dissertation particularly when their research topic is related to the teaching and learning of French language in Malaysia. As for the double degree with HTWG, the first batch of three students were sent to HTWG, Konstanz, Germany in 2013. From 2013 until 2019, a total number of thirteen students have participated in the double degree programme. Out of the 13 students, one has completed her Master in Tourism Management in Germany while two have stayed back and found jobs in Europe. During the same period, UM has received 27 students from HTWG for the one semester Malay Language and Culture Course at the Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics under the student exchange programme in the urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 33 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy Agreement for Academic Cooperation. Table 2 below shows in detail the statistics of the inbound and outbound students under the student exchange programmes of which the figures for outbound represent the numbers of students participating in the two doubles degree programmes: Table 2. Number of inbound and outbound students under the student exchange programme agreement (SEPA) with INALCO and HTWG. Partner university Types of mobility Session 2011/12 Session 2013/14 Session 2014/15 Session 2015/16 Session 2016/17 Session 2017/18 Session 2018/19 Total INALCO, France Inbound 1001100 3 Outbound 0211020 6 HTWG, Germany Inbound 005585427 Outbound 032123213 It is important to note that the actual number of students in the mobility programme is determined yearly by mutual agreement with the understanding that an equal number of students (according to the total number of semesters) from both institutions have gone for the exchange during the whole duration of the agreement3. Looking at the figures presented in table 2 above, one can observe that the number of exchanges for HTWG is balanced while the one for INALCO is unfortunately not so. However, this has not stopped both partners from planning other cooperative activities which will involve a wider range of participants, not only just students but also teaching and research staff. In relation to this, one teaching staff from the French Division spent her 9 months sabbatical leave in INALCO conducting research and also teaching on the Malay-In- donesian programme in 2016 while another teaching staff was partially sponsored by INALCO to present a paper at its colloquium on Southeast Asian languages in 2017. The benefits from the double degree programme is not only in terms of international mobility and qualification for UM students but also in the form of improvement to the curriculum of the French and German programme respectively. The need to keep up close cooperation with regard to the matching of courses content between the first three (3) years in UM and the first two (2) years in INALCO as well as between the first three (3) years in UM and the one (1) year in HTWG has necessitated 3. For the mobility programme with HTWG, 2 students from HTWG enrolling for one semester each is equivalent to one student from UM for one year. urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 34 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy the two programmes to structure its language skills courses around the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) levels. In addition, the input from INALCO and HTWG, particularly in relation to the courses offered in these two programmes has helped to ensure that these two programmes are of quality and on par with the international standard. Indeed, the feedback from these two partners are also taken into account during the last curriculum review exercise of the bachelor degree programmes. For example, to enhance students’ proficiency level in the target language, courses such as Writing, Speaking and Reading Skills in French/German courses were added in the programme electives in addition to the core French/German language proficiency courses. Similarly, French/German for Tourism and French/German for Business courses were also added in the programme electives following the 2014 curriculum review exercise. 4. CONCLUSION Considering the outcomes presented above, the undergraduate double degree programmes with Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO), Paris, France and with Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HTWG), Germany is an effective example of the successful implementation of internationalisation strategy at Universiti Malaya, especially at a faculty level. For the faculty, sustaining the double degree programme remains the top priority for its cooperation with the two international partners whilst continuously looking at diversifying the cooperation activities and also expanding the cooperation network, i.e. with other faculties in the partner university. In this regard, during the last meeting between the faculty management team and the representatives from HTWG, Konstanz, both parties have agreed to explore more collaborations in research, publication, postgraduate supervision and other activities such as deemed appropriate by mutual consent. In addition, as part of its new agenda of internationalisation, Konstanz is planning to expand collaborations with UM in culture and languages, business and management, social sciences and economics, computer science, information technology and engineering, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. As for the collaboration with INALCO, future collaborations will include joint research and publications as well as post-graduate supervision. As shown by the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (FLL) experience with the success of its double degree programmes, it is necessary to choose reliable partners to collaborate with for mutual interests and benefits as both sides can maintain a more long-term and sustainable urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 35 CONTENTS urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy relationship4. Besides FLL’s experience with its partnership with both INALCO and HTWG is also an example of how faculties can play an active and vital role in the process of internationalisation of a university via the “bottom-up” approach. Nonetheless, so as to ensure that the initiative remains a success, the faculty which hosts the agreement/partnership should be empowered to make decisions in relation to the future directions of the cooperation while the university oversee the internationalisation agenda. In the case of these double degrees, the faculty has been instrumental in all the stages of the collaboration, from the initiation to the implementation and the evaluation of the various activities conducted. 5. REFERENCES Knight, J. (2011). Doubts and Dilemmas with Double Degree Programs. RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal. — (2012). Student mobility and internationalization: Trends and tribulations. Research in Comparative and International Education. — (2015). Five Truths about Internationalization. International Higher Education. Ministry of Education Malaysia (MoE) (2015). Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education). Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) (2012). The National Graduate Employability Blueprint 2012-2017. Mohamad Sheriff, N., & Abdullah, N. (kein Datum). The National Higher Education Strategic Plan Beyond 2020 aims. Santiago, P., Tremblay, K., Basri, E., & Arnal, E. (2009). Cuadernos del CENDES. Cuadernos del CENDES, 26, 189-192. Universiti Malaya (2019). UM Strategic Plan of 2016-2020. Von <http://portal.um. edu.my/doc/canseleri/ppsg_upload/pelan%20strategik/UM%20Strategic%20 Plan_2016-2020_07052018.pdf> abgerufen. — (2019). Vision and Mission. Von <https://www.um.edu.my/about-um/visionmission> abgerufen. 4. The MoU and MoA between UM and INALCO were first signed in January 2012 for a duration of five (5) years and were renewed in December 2017 for another five (5) years. As for the MoU on Academic Cooperation between UM and HWTG, it was first signed in August 2012 for a period of three (3) years and was renewed for the first time on 5 September 2016. The second renewal is expected in June/July 2019. urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 36 CONTENTS reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA urrRuiur pPRr RugprP reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRu rpd aPP aru Seppg DOUbLE DEGREE PROGRAMMES: AN INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGy 37 CONTENTS reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA Perception of Internationalisation in Higher Education: The Asian Variant – A Case Study of Universiti Malaya thilagavathi Shanmuganathan, Yong zulina zuBairi, patriCia nora riget anD Woo Wai Sheng Universiti Malaya 1. INTRODUCTION Bargerstock et al. (2017) describes Internationalisation as a process: Internationalisation is conceptualised as a process where cross-cultural challenges are addressed, deliberative pedagogies are developed, and curriculum and the broader higher education experience is enriched to encourage individual and collective agency and engagement with the complex challenges facing society (Bargerstock et al., 2017). This comprehensive definition stresses on the dynamic processes which allows for many and varied interpretations, motivations, and outcomes related to this process. In this case, our interest is to elucidate the integration of internal processes from the perspectives of university administrators at various offices. The ‘integration’ is also echoed by Knight (2005) for ‘an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of post-secondary education (Knight, 2014) to imply participation of all levels of the organisation from the policy makers to administrators at the offices that manages internationalisation at the HEI. 38 CONTENTS reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA Internationalisation in higher education has garnered a lot of interest since the early 1990s and research on various aspects of the concept, processes, challenges and policies have been conducted (Söderqvist, 2001, 2002; Jiang & Carpenter, 2013; Yemini & Sagie, 2015) and Internationalisation at home (IaH) (Kehm, 2011). Internationalisation is a criteria in the world-university rankings and it is stated explicitly in the HEIs mission statements, making it an important area of necessary research. However, research on internationalisation processes is still lacking in terms of the potential long term effect of these developments on HEIs, and the outlook of middle management administrators whose core function is to seek out international partnerships in any form of collaboration. An interdisciplinary discussion on internationalisation in HE in terms of the evolution of the structures, functions, management, policy and practitioners, and funding is necessary (also Wihlborg & Robson, 2018). Essentially, it is becoming a flourishing industry where the commercialisation of HE is an important phenomenon not only in Anglo-Saxon countries but also in Asia, East-Asia and the Asia-Pacific regions, almost like an internationalisation ‘tsunami’ which brings about a whole range of political under currents. While it is difficult to wage ignorance of these associated challenges, we should not neglect the importance of key players in the initiatives to internationalise academia, and the issues and challenges faced by the middle management at the operational level, and consequently the academicians or practitioners in all forms of partnerships. The objective of the current paper is, thus to provide insight on the perceptions and elements of HEI internationalisation and how middle management view the advantages and challenges, partnerships and recruitment of staff and students in the internationalisation activities. The Asian variant is an intentional term used to indicate that there are similar others to the Universiti Malaya (UM) case study of internationalisation that involves several central offices. The paper maps out the internationalisation at UM, followed by a discussion on the elements of internationalisation, barriers and the need to improve structures and systems to enhance internationalisation. This study provides in-depth critical analysis of internationalisation that may lead to recommendations and proposes a framework for navigating diverse tensions and responsibilities implicit in an internationalisation imperative. 2. INTERNATIONALISATION AT UM Universiti Malaya is the oldest public university in Malaysia. It is more than 100 years old and is described as a comprehensive research-intensive reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA 39 CONTENTS reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA public university. UM offers a wide range of programs (from Sciences, Arts and Humanities) for both undergraduate and postgraduate students in its 12 faculties, 3 academic centers and 2 academies. As of 2019, it has about 30,000 students with about 13,000 postgraduates while the remaining are undergraduates. It is the top university in the country and is ranked 70th in the QS World University rankings for 2020. Like any other university, UM has a general strategic plan in which internationalisation is one of the many components. The management sees proper governance as an important aspect of management and has set up several structures of governance to promote internationalisation. In the year 2016, the university created a new job designation, Associate Vice Chancellor (International), whereby the main role of the post-holder is to drive the internationalisation agenda at the university level. The structure for internationalisation at UM is given in figure 1. Here, the internationalisation team covers areas in marketing, students experience and research. Three dedicated offices at the central level are set up to manage mobility, partnerships and international marketing and they are known as the International Relations Office, International Students Center and Marketing and Recruitment Centre. Marketing and Recruitment Centre (MRC) Coordinator @ Academic/ Non-Academic Responsibility Centre International Relations Office International Student Centre (ISC) Coordinator @ Academic Responsibility Centre International Relations Office Deputy Dean Science & Non-Science Deputy Dean (Research) / Deputy Director (Academic Responsibility Centre) International Relations Office Research (International) Associate Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Marketing and Branding Student Mobility Associate Vice Chancellor (International) Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International) Vice Chancellor Figure 1. Internationalisation Team at the Institutional Level. 3. METHODOLOGY This paper is data-driven and qualitative in nature. Students on the mobility program were assigned the task of conducting interviews with key reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA 40 CONTENTS reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA respondents from the International Office. A total of six (6) respondents responded to nine interview questions conducted in April 2019, and all the respondents are administrators working in three different offices. The areas under the jurisdiction of the administrators are as follows: (1) Internationalisation of academic programs. (2) Mobility of students. (3) Research collaborations. (4) Partnerships and global networks. (5) International staff and capacity building. (6) Internationalisation of academic programs. The interview questions touched on topics such as the meaning of internationalisation, international partnership, international students, internationalisation of national students, internationalisation of staff and internationalisation of academic programs. Each interview lasted between 45 minutes and one (1) hour. The responses were audio-recorded, transcribed, analysed and presented here. As this is a qualitative study, the results of the interview are presented in prose. 4. RESULTS 4.1. Defining Internationalisation The administrators were first asked to define internationalisation and the advantages of the phenomenon. Internationalisation of universities is indeed a complex matter as this phenomenon could be defined along these lines: importance (as add on or as central activity), focus (broad focus or geographic focus), emphasis (on research and/or on teaching), approach (mobility and/or at home) and/or direction (incoming / outgoing). It was observed from the data that there is a general consensus among the respondents on its definition whereby internationalisation is seen as a beneficial process for all stakeholders at the university: (1) […] a lot of cross-fertilisation of ideas, resources and to leverage on strengths of other players (2) It is a process to help the ‘university grow’. Internationalisation helps the university to grow and to transcend national borders. The exchange is beneficial to both partner universities and generates win-win situations. In the long run Internationalisation saves money and can generate income. It also contributes to several Key reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA 41 CONTENTS reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA Performance Index (KPIs) in areas such as research projects and funding, publications, student/staff mobility, conferences, agreements, etc. and with that to the ranking of the university. It is interesting to note that whilst describing the definition, one respondent observed the need for internationalisation to break cultural barriers and in preparation for this, intercultural competency, having an open-minded mindset when communicating with people from different cultural background and embracing diversity is immensely necessary, (3) […] culture, language, speaking, traditions, culture all sort of things. And being in that internationalisation environment, you should be open and exposed to those sorts of thing. That will break the barrier of society to society in that concern. (4) […] it’s the understanding of the diversities and also the differences between and among different people from different background. A general understanding of what constitutes internationalisation is important as UM has not deliberated on an operational definition of what constitutes internationalisation. As administrators are the conduit to several major activities across the university, it is necessary to first understand the operational definition of internationalisation in order to be able to reach out to academicians and management to participate in all forms of international activities and manage the communication with various partners at all levels. Thus, understanding internationalisation from within the Institution and what internal perspectives are necessary would be of great importance in the dissemination of information or in the elicitation of information. 4.2. Internationalisation of academic programs There is a general consensus and awareness on what constitutes the internationalisation of academic programs. The university aims to develop curricula that would include future trends, with cutting edge modern content, covering the full scope of a study including ethical considerations, which are attractive to students around the globe and their respective employers. Advanced forms of cooperation like e-learning formats or dual and joint degrees are offered together with several international partners. The Curricula is also revised at regular intervals to ensure that courses are not redundant and to include more international programs, (1) […] what we have done is, we have internationalised our own programs. reulrgrvrreu SerpmRgrprrerpP rPpg aRlupr aRuruRuP urrRuiur pPRr Rugpr rpd aPP aru Seppg PERCEPTION OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ASIAN VARIANT – A CASE STUDy OF UNIVERSITI MALAyA 48 CONTENTS prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE and international students at a Korean university: a buddy program and a culture and language-exchange program. In that study, the intercultural development, behaviours and interactions of the students involved were measured using surveys. Furthermore, interviews are conducted to explore the motivations for, and experiences with, internationalisation-at-home initiatives. Findings indicated that there are a positive and direct effect on Korean students’ interaction with international students, and a positive and indirect effect on their intercultural competence. Another study was conducted by Trinh and Conner (2019), for example, used a qualitative case study employing Kahu’s (2013) model of student engagement (SE) to investigate SE in internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC). That study focussed on the perspectives of 23 Vietnamese students taking an internationalised program in a Vietnamese university. The findings indicated that SE in IoC varied according to diverse internal and external factors. For example, it revealed that the students are aware of the benefits of their engagement in the program, acknowledged the strengths and weaknesses of the program and have desire to act as partners in the program. Furthermore, IoC can develop potential partnership between students and their lecturers as well as other institutional bodies, in both the formal and informal curriculum. The findings suggested that students are potential resources to cultivate diversity and inclusion in IoC because their engagement can offer multiple insights and possibilities to enhance IoC (Trinh & Conner, 2019). In the study conducted by Troisi et al., 2014) in the United States, for example, used quantitative survey to compare study-abroad and internationalisation-at-home initiatives in nine U.S. public research universities. In that study, internationalisation-at-home initiatives included international or global coursework, interactions with international students in and out of class, and voluntary global or international noncurricular activities. The findings indicated that internationalisation-at-home initiatives had more perceived benefits among students than did study-abroad ones in regard to the development of global, international, and intercultural competencies. Based on studies undertaken in few countries such as United States and Vietnam, internationalisation at home brings positive impact to the local students. Further studies are needed to focus of specific benefit gained by the local students. 3. METHODOLOGY The study adopted case study method which aimed to investigate intercultural awareness experienced from internationalisation at home for students prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE 49 CONTENTS prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE working closely with international students in mobility programs at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). USM was established in 1969, has become one of the research universities in Malaysia. Total number of enrolment is 32,152 where 21,441 are undergraduates and 10,715 are postgraduates’ students. At present, undergraduates, postgraduates and mobility international students are 3,310, who come from 78 countries worldwide. International Mobility and Career Centre (IMCC) were established for local and international students from partner institutions to pursue quality higher education through various mobility programmes. Through these programmes students will gain soft skills and acquire knowledge and experience to be able to compete in the global market and can stand shoulder to shoulder as the future global human resources through various programmes at home and abroad. There are various opportunities to gain intercultural competency at USM. This included the USM International (USMi), KAWAN and USM student buddy program. The USM International (USMi) is the International students of USM, which includes students from throughout the world who strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all USMites. This initiative is to ensure USMi members to be proud of their home countries and to share their cultures with the USM community. USMi aims to provide a safe space for International and Malaysian students of USM to interact, unleash their creativity, and share their cultural identities. KAWAN or in Malay means friend is a new volunteer initiative set up to facilitate and assist postgraduate international students in the process of applying as well as pursuing their academic pursuits at USM. Its member may be student from any school in USM, he/she will be responsible for providing individualised aid for applicants who are interested in pursuing their study in USM. Finally, the USM Student Buddies aims to make a lifelong friendship with International Students and bring them towards the student life in Malaysia and also, venture around Malaysia through various kinds of activities. The Buddies will ensure and assist international students in acclimatising to their new environment and surrounding. They aim to motivate and assist international students to build a cohesive university culture whilst being USM’s ambassador. They encourage interaction and exchanges of opinion between international students and local students in order to help build and expand social networks that transcend borders, countries and continents. This study will focus on students’ buddy programs involved in two mobility programmes namely Malay Studies Credit Transfer (PROPERBM) program offered to students from China Universities and English Language Studies program offered to Kyoto University of Foreign Studies (KUFSP), prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE 50 CONTENTS prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE Japan offered by School of Humanities, USM. The reasons for choosing these two programs are the mobility program have been going on for more than one year and will be offered every year. Thus, the programs are stable and run every year. 4. CASE STUDY 1: MALAY STUDIES CREDIT TRANSFER PROGRAM (PROPERBM) PROPERBM is a credit transfer program offered to students from universities in China that offered Malay studies program. The program aims to teach Malay Language with cultural, tradition, arts and co-curriculum activities. The first cohort started their study in September 2018 where 27 students from Yunan Minzu University, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies dan Hainan College of Foreign Studies registered for this program. In September 2019, another 60 students from 4 difference universities registered. There are from Yunan Minzu University, Communication University of China, Xi’an University of Foreign Studies, and Guanxi University for Nationalities. In order to assist, Chinese students adapted to cope with living in Malaysia, student buddies were appointed. A total of 15 students was appointed for both academic years. In this study student buddies were interviewed to investigate intercultural competencies obtained while working with international students. Prior to joining the program, the students’ buddies do not have conversation skills in Chinese. From the analysis, it was found that although students have not been to China, they started to learn about cultural and language learned while working closely with Chinese students (refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2). For example, students’ buddies agreed that by getting involved with these students, they learned the uniqueness of Chinese culture. International students had taught them to use simple mandarin such as to greet people. In addition, they learned to pronounce certain words correctly were taught by international students. One of the student buddy agreed although she haven’t have chance to visit China, she got the opportunities to know China better when helping these students. The International students also brought gift from their countries and shared with local students. The advantage of having student buddies for PROPERBM, is the length of stay for Chinese students are one semester or two semester. The interaction and thrust can be developed and nurture. They learned traditional dance together. This program is succeeded to ensure incoming students learnt about language, culture and lifestyle while there were in USM. USM students also managed to learn language, culture and tradition from Chinese students. prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE 51 CONTENTS prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE Figure 1. Field visit by students from Universiti Sains Malaysia and PROPERBM. Figure 2. Outdoor activity provided conducive students interaction. 5. CASE STUDY 2: KYOTO UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN STUDIES ENGLISH PROGRAM (KUFS) KUFS program is developed for Kyoto University of Foreign Studies where the students came for 5 weeks to learn English Language. At the end of the course, they will take TOIEB test and the result will be brought back to their home university. Two groups of students (one group came in February) and the second group came in August every year since 2016. prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE 52 CONTENTS prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE For every cohort, there were two buddies were appointed to work closely with KUFS students. Based on interview with buddies, they were already being exposed to Japanese language and culture through course taken from School of Language, Literacy and Translations. Although the program gave opportunities for them to use Japanese with KUFS students, they seldom use it, since the program aimed to enhance English proficiency among Japanese students. They learned Japanese cultural and food, and language. One of the buddies who already graduated mentioned she learned to cultural difference which gave her confidence while seeking for job. Figure 3 shows learning cultural activity also helped students to gain confidence. The findings from the two mobility programmes offered by School of Humanities, local students enjoyed working with international students (Figure 2). Furthermore, they gained intercultural experience and try to adapt with language and cultural differences. One of the main challenges was language where they overcame it by using apps installed in their smart phone. Figure 3. Learning traditional dance as a way of understanding cultural. 6. CONCLUSION Internationalisation in higher education has focussed on mobility, curriculum development and internationalisation at home. In-bound or out-bound mobility provide opportunity for students involved to gain global experience and intercultural knowledge. Students who were unable to participate in prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE 53 CONTENTS prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE mobility program should take advantage of internationalisation at home which provide prospect of gaining global and intercultural experience. 7. REFERENCES Avila, J. G. (2005). The Internationalisation of Higher Education: A Paradigm for Global Citizenry. Journal of Studies in International Education, 9(2), 121-136. Baldassar, L., & McKenzie, L. (10. 2 2016). Beyond “Just Being There”: Teaching Internationalization at Home in Two Qualitative Methods Units. Teaching Sociology, 44(2), 84-95. Beelen, J., & Jones, E. (2015). Redefining Internationalization at Home. In J. Beelen, & E. Jones, The European Higher Education Area. Chen, Y., & Kraklow, D. (2015). Taiwanese College Students’ Motivation and Engagement for English Learning in the Context of Internationalization at Home: A Comparison of Students in EMI and Non-EMI Programs. Journal of Studies in International Education. Cra ˘ciun, D. (2018). National Policies for Higher Education Internationalization: A Global Comparative Perspective. In D. Cra ˘ciun, A. Curaj, L. Deca, & R. Pricopie (Hrsg.), European Higher Education Area: The Impact of Past and Future Policies (S. 95-106). Cham: Springer International Publishing. Eisenchlas, S., & Trevaskes, S. (2003). Internationalisation at Home: Some Principles and Practices. In S. Eisenchlas, & S. Trevaskes. Hassan, B. (2019). Higher education internationalisation and immigration – Malaysiakini, 26 May 2019) accessed date 22 Oct 2019 from: <https://www. malaysiakini.com/news/477415>. Huedo, M. L. (2009). Internationalisation at home; the case of a Spanish University. In J. Beelen, A. Boddington, B. Bruns, M. Glogar, & C. Machado, Guide of Good Practices Tempus Corinthiam (S. 177-184). Tempus European Commision. Jon, J.-E. (2013). Realizing Internationalization at Home in Korean Higher Education: Promoting Domestic Students’ Interaction with International Students and Intercultural Competence. Journal of Studies in International Education, 455-470. Kahu, E. R. (2013). Framing student engagement in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 38, 758-773. Knight, J. (1. 9 2001). Monitoring the Quality and Progress of Internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education – J STUD INT EDUC, 5, 228-243. — (kein Datum). Higher Education in Turmoil The Changing World of Internationalization Higher Education in Turmoil Higher Education in Turmoil The Changing World of Internationalization. Leask, B. (2013). Internationalizing the Curriculum in the Disciplines – Imaging New Possibilities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 17(2), 103-118. prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 54 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE Nilsson, B. (2003). Internationalisation at Home From a Swedish Perspective: The Case of Malmö. Journal of Studies in International Education. Shaftel, J., & Ahluwalia, R. (2007). International Educational Experience and Intercultural Competence. Soria, K., & Troisi, J. (21. 8 2013). Internationalization at Home Alternatives to Study Abroad: Implications for Students’ Development of Global, International, and Intercultural Competencies. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(3), 261-280. Tham, S., & Kam, A. (2008). Internationalising higher education: Comparing the challenges of different higher education institutions in Malaysia. Asia Pacific Journal of Education. Trinh, A., & Conner, L. (18. 11 2018). Student Engagement in Internationalization of the Curriculum: Vietnamese Domestic Students’ Perspectives. Journal of Studies in International Education, 23(1), 154-170. Williams, R. D. & Lee, A. (2015). Internationalising Higher Education: Critical Collaborations across the Curriculum. 1st ed. Rotterdam: Sense Publisher. Yershova, Y., DeJaeghere, J., & Mestenhauser, J. (2000). Thinking not a Usual: Adding the Intercultural Perspective. Journal of Studies in International Education. prRumre SrmrrP SrlrSure iep lreP erSRRur iep PmrRP ruarr euSerm remrd rpd uRrpRu pRRRl rrurre urpduRr INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME by DESIGN, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAySIA STyLE 55 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy Internationalisation of Thai Higher Education: The Case of Prince of Songkla University ana maria pavel anD SuphitCha ek-uru Prince of Songkla University 1. INTRODUCTION Prince of Songkla University (PSU) is a public Thai university established in 1967 as the first university in southern Thailand, with the guiding principle “Our Soul is for the Benefit of Mankind.” PSU is a leading research university committed to academic excellence, reputable research and innovation, with five campuses located in Hat Yai, Pattani, Phuket, Surat Thani, and Trang. It is one of the nine national research universities, top ten comprehensive university in Thailand and the 156th in Asia by 2019 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking. PSU has more than 500 agreements for academic cooperation with institutions worldwide, including collaboration with many International Agencies. In the academic year 2018, PSU campuses houses 37,623 students, inclusive of international students from 59 nations, 2,310 academic staff, and offers 146 Bachelors, 111 Masters and 53 Doctorate degrees. Since its establishment more than 50 years ago, PSU worked towards fulfilling its vision of producing internationally recognised graduates, actively engaging in providing services to community and taking a leading role in the preservation and enhancement of national heritage in arts and culture. At present, PSU is in the process of implementing an active 56 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy internationalisation strategy, following the national policy drafted by the Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC), Thailand. A challenging task for drafting a national policy is to go along with the right definition, which can be comprehensive and also practical for integrating the international dimension into higher education system and value. As we know, Jane Knight’s initial definition of internationalisation was widely used for decades to help shape policies and bring about good practices in the education sector: Internationalisation is the process of integrating an international/intercultural dimension into the teaching, research and service functions of the institution (Knight, 1994). Moreover, the world of education nowadays is strongly interconnected embracing the “global integration of higher education” concept as explained by Dirk Van Damme: An international regulatory framework is needed to transcend the eroded national policy contexts and to some extent to steer the global integration of the higher education systems (Van Damme, 2001). The global dimension was also adopted by Jane Knight in her revised definition of internationalisation, in order for it “to be understood at the national and sector level, as well as at the institutional level,” as the Updated Definition of Internationalisation: Internationalisation at the national, sector, and institutional levels is defined as the process of integrating an international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of postsecondary education (Knight, 2003). Jibeen and Khan (2015) state that the internationalisation of higher education is “a means to improve the quality of education”, and that “the support of global research and curriculum with international content are considered to be the benefits of internationalisation of higher education”. The positive aspects of internationalisation, as they affirm, include improved academic quality, internationally oriented students and staff, diversify and enhanced learning environment for the benefit of domestic students, the University, and the nation, and it helps producing graduates internationally knowledgeable and cross-culturally sensitive. They advocate that “the higher education institutions are essential actors in creating well-balanced and constructive internationalisation strategies, and they must advocate for policy change at governmental level.” rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 57 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy In Thailand, the Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC) is “the central body to monitor and facilitate the overall education internationalisation process” and “none is in the better position than the Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) to assume this role. With its influence on national education policies, some control over budget, and network across ministries, agencies, and governments, OHEC has perfect tools and mechanisms for the task” (Kanjananiyot & Chaitiamwong, 2018). One key element of internationalisation as emphasised by OHEC is the global aspect, which was incorporated into the national policy for the internationalisation of Thai higher education institutions with the vision of “fulfilling the quality of global citizenship” (Bureau of International Cooperation Strategy, 2018). Following this new national policy as its guideline, PSU is in the process of revisiting its own vision and mission, in order to prepare graduates to become “global citizens” with multicultural understanding and capable to compete in the international job market. The new road towards the internationalisation of higher education in Thailand, as defined by the Office of the Higher Education Commission and closely followed by PSU, is detailed in the following part of this paper. 2. THAI NATIONAL POLICY FOR INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION The Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC) of Thailand, has made its continuous effort to promote the internationalisation of higher education since 1990, when it was addressed in the First Long-Range Plan on Higher Education (1990-2004). (Bureau of International Cooperation Strategy, 2018) Later on, OHEC pushed the internationalisation forward under the Seventh National Development Plan (1992-1996), emphasising on internationalisation and regionalisation. (Kanjananiyot & Chaitiamwong, 2018) Afterwards, OHEC formulated the Second 15-Year Long Range Plan on Higher Education (2008-2022) with a view to providing recommendations on directions for higher education development with diversity and differences that are responsive to the country’s development. The key theme of the Long Range Plan sets the right directions for higher education development, lessen duplication, upgrade quality, and enhance efficiency (Bureau of International Cooperation Strategy, 2018). Following the plan, the OHEC has encouraged higher education institutions to embrace the internationalisation in their missions, to work in close collaboration with many leading institutions around the globe, as a rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 64 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy the number of Erasmus+ programs at PSU is constantly increasing and involves multiple disciplines. Currently, PSU has a record of successful participation in 15 Erasmus+ programs, which concern capacity building, increase internationalisation capabilities, curriculum development, and modernisation of governance, management and functioning of HEIs. One of the outstanding examples of PSU participation in Erasmus+ programs is the “Participatory and Integrative Support for Agricultural Initiative” (PISAI) project, for which the PSU Faculty of Natural Resources is the coordinator, the only one to coordinate an Erasmus+ program in Thailand. The main project’s objectives are to improve the Agricultural Education in Thailand as an efficient channel for agricultural production that contributes to the food security and high-quality food for global consumption. This will be achieved through cooperation on a Double Degree Master Program, which emphasises on the sustainable agriculture, between four leading HEIs in agriculture in Thailand – Chiang Mai University, Kasetsart University, Khon Kaen University, and Prince of Songkla University – with the cooperation of four HEIs in Europe: Ceska Zemedelska Univerzita V Praze, Czech Republic; Kobenhavns Universitet, Denmark; Helsingin Yliopisto, Finland; and Montpellier SupAgro, France. The implementation and consequences of the project will greatly contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals by developing capacities in the Thai HEIs in agriculture to address the “Sufficiency Economy”, a new concept developed by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and proved effective by the Thai Ministry of Agriculture, to integrate agricultural production and social and environmental sustainability. The second example of a highly-beneficial Erasmus+ project at PSU is “Furthering International Relations Capacities and Intercultural Engagement to Nurture Campus Diversity and to Support Internationalisation at Home” (FRIENDS). This project is coordinated by Varna University of Management, Bulgaria, and, at PSU, the main International Affairs Office is in charge of this scheme. The FRIENDS project is built around the concept of Internationalisation at Home (IaH) that reframes the traditional perceptions of HE internationalisation in the five partner countries (PC) involved in the project, namely Bhutan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. The notion of IaH is based on the assumption that for various reasons the largest part of universities’ student body will always remain non-mobile and therefore deprived from access to global knowledge and skills. The project’s chief goal is to develop PC HEIs students’ global competence through the integration of intercultural dimensions into universities’ formal and informal curriculum. The project shifts HEIs’ rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 65 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy focus from outbound to virtual mobility and on-campus intercultural engagement for the benefits of non-mobile students’ employability and global outlook. This project marks a milestone in the implementation of IaH at PSU, since until now the university did not emphasise on this aspect of internationalisation. Therefore, after joining the workshops and sharing sessions under FRIENDS project, University understood the importance of IaH and adopted it as one of its main internationalisation strategies together with the mobility scheme. Best Practice: Active Member of several International Networks As Kanjananiyot and Chaitiamwong (2018) revealed, OHEC strategies for internationalisation of higher education also involve initiating or expanding existing bilateral and multilateral programs, such as Thailand-Austria relations that led to the setup of the ASEA-UNINET (ASEAN-European Academic University Network) for multilateral cooperation between Asia and the European Union; and University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific-UMAP, a multilateral form of exchanges since 1996 to identify and overcome impediments to university mobility, and to develop and maintain a system for granting and recognising academic credit. Moreover, since the ASEAN integration in 2015 with the national dream of becoming regional education hub, several exchange programs and efforts were seen, for example, ASEAN International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Program, promoting student mobility with credit transfer in the ASEAN region as part of the harmonisation of higher education in Southeast Asia (Kanjananiyot & Chaitiamwong, 2018). In this direction, PSU also increased its involvement in international networking and joined one new educational network each year since 2015. Thus, currently, PSU is actively engaged in various activities, from student exchanges to Presidents’ forums, from leadership conclaves to shadowing programs, and is a member of 16 international networks: • AUN: ASEAN University Network. • EACC: East Asia Academic Cooperation Council. • ASEA-UNINET: ASEAN-European Academic University Network. • ASAIHL: The Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning. • IMT-GT UNINET: Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle University Network. • ProSPER.Net: The network for the Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research. rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 66 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy • UMAP: University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific. • AsiaEngage: formed by ATNEU, AUN USR&S, and member universities. • ALNC: Asian Learning Network Council. • SATU: Southeast Asia and Taiwanese Universities. • TGUC: Thailand-Germany Universities Consortium: KU, PSU, KKU, MFU, and CMU, Thailand; & Fraunhofer IFF, Germany. • THOHUN: Thailand One Health University Network. • UNTA: University Network for Tropical Agriculture. • AUAP: Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific. • IAU: International Association of Universities. • SUN Thailand: Sustainable University Network of Thailand. 3.1.2. Goal 2: Promote Internationalisation of the Curriculum In order to reach this goal, PSU has planned four main actions: build up expertise and take a leading role in areas of study consistent with the inherent potential of university’s locality; integrate and apply knowledge based on practical experiences to teaching in order to instill intellectual wisdom, virtue, competency and international world-view vision in graduates; encourage the development of more International and English programs to attract more international students to PSU and support PSU students to study abroad; and develop collaborative degree programs, such as Joint and Dual degrees, with partner universities. Best Practice: International and English programs at PSU PSU is a comprehensive university, offering various programs of study from Bachelor to Doctoral level. At present, all Master’s (111) and Ph.D. (53) programs offered at PSU have been made available for and can accommodate foreign students on a Research- and Thesis-based scheme. This represents a significant progress for curriculum’s internationalisation at PSU since the academic year 2015 when only 11 Master’s and 8 Ph.D. degrees were designated as international or English programs. Moreover, the University offers five more Bachelor’s degrees as international programs comparing with 2015. This was also pushed forward through making one of PSU campuses, namely Phuket Campus, to be University’s “International Campus.” rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 67 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy Bachelor’s Master’s Doctoral 16 BA 111 MA 53 Doctoral 180 Programmes open for foreign students Figure 5. PSU Programs open for International Students in 2019. 3.1.3. Goal 3: Students and Staff’s Global Proficiency There are four main actions to be followed under this goal: encourage and increase international educational opportunities for students; deeper the engagement of staff in international activities; promote English proficiency development of students and staff; and foster community networking among PSU Thai and international students and staff. Best Practice: Student Exchange PSU developed new joint cooperation and intensified its current partnerships in order to allow its students and staff to join various short exchange programs (one week to three months) and long exchange programs (one semester to two years), as well as internships through University’s networks. University actively collaborates and establishes MoUs with potential worldwide universities with the intention to increase the opportunities for PSU students to go abroad and gain international experience. In 2015, PSU students went for exchange to 21 universities in 5 Asian countries and to 3 universities in 3 European countries. At present, PSU students go for exchange to many worldwide universities in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam, as well as in Austria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Spain and the UK. rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 68 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy Best Practice: Compulsory English Assessment for Exit Examination If in the past only the PSU English or International programs required their graduates to pass an English exit exam, since 2016, PSU demands all its graduates to pass the English Assessment as part of compulsory exit examination before receiving their degree. This was introduced in order to encourage University’s students to be able to communicate in English via speaking and writing and have good English abilities for their future studies and working career, which also meets the University’s policy of producing internationally recognised graduate as global citizens. In order to support the increase of English proficiency and obtaining good results for the exit examination, PSU provides the Tell Me More online portal to all its students. Tell Me More is an online English training program used in more than 10,000 universities around the world, for improving English skills at all levels, from the beginning to advance. It covers listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students can study anywhere, anytime via internet. The program has a tool for tracking the advancement of the studies via the Academic Achievement Test. Apart from supporting students’ good English skills, PSU also provides the Tell Me More program to all its lecturers and staff to promote the University’s internationalisation and an international atmosphere at its campuses. 3.1.4. Goal 4: Support International Students Recruitment To support the recruitment of international students, PSU has planned three main actions: improve University’s visibility by enhancing marketing strategies to potential international students; support PSU participation in International Education Fairs; attract, admit, and retain high quality degree-seeking international undergraduate and graduate students. Best Practice: Full-time International Students at PSU The dynamic promotion of PSU via participation in international educational fairs, the new branding strategy and presentations at targeted partner institutions, helped attract more full-time international students in all five campuses, at present having 713 international students from 59 countries around the world. Therefore, we can see that since PSU implemented its new internationalisation strategy in 2015, the number of full-time international students significantly increased as represented in Figure 6. rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 69 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy Best Practice: PSU Thai Cultural Camp The PSU Thai Cultural Camp has been specially designed to allow students and staff from partner international universities to learn more about Thailand, its culture, language, and traditions. Since camp’s inception in 2014, the number of participating students and institutions continuously increased (Table 1), thanks to the new cooperative projects especially with institutions from Southeast Asia and Europe. Except from increasing the number of inbound students at PSU, this bigger participation also helps promoting the University around the world and creating two-way communication with diverse universities, institutions and regions. Table 1. International Students joining PSU Thai Cultural Camp. Year Students Institutions Countries 2014 26 9 Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, P.R. China, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam. 2015 35 12 Cambodia, Myanmar, P.R. China, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam. 2016 39 14 Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, P.R. China, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam. 2017 53 22 Cambodia, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Myanmar, Oman, P.R. China, Singapore, Taiwan, UK, Vietnam. 2018 62 19 Brunei, Cambodia, China, Germany, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, UK, Vietnam 2012 800 Students Linear (Students) Full-Time International Students at PSU 700 600 500 307 434 458 544 581 711 713 400 300 200 100 02013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Figure 6. Full-time International Students at PSU. rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 70 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 3.1.5. Goal 5: Increase International Research In order to reach this goal, PSU implements three main actions: boost the integration of research into international activities; promote and support faculty’s participation in international activities and joint research; and promote and support study abroad programs for faculty and researchers. Best Practice: PSU as a National Research University PSU, as one of the nine national research universities in Thailand, has the strong policy of supporting university’s research and creating new researchers via its graduate programs. By designing targeted thesis topics, the university ensures that the knowledge from researches or innovations is in accordance with university’s strategy for solving community or social issues and for developing a complete research-oriented university. Therefore, PSU has created a research promotion policy that effectively clarifies the direction and support of the Graduate School. The university, together with its faculties and related organisations in all its five campuses, facilitates internal, national and international collaborations among researchers, who are working in the same or similar fields, in order to form a research cluster and enact the above university policy. For this objective, a budget is set to support the related university staff and the research network, which is organised into three distinct categories, namely “Discipline of Excellence”, “Center of Excellence”, and “Research Center.” The Discipline of Excellence (DoE) is an academic program at the department or faculty that has deeply specialised expertise, professors or researchers with works or products accepted at the international academic level. One example is the Discipline of Excellence in Pharmacy under the PSU Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The faculty continuously received support from 2003 to 2021. The project (2017-2021), defines the goals of graduate education and research quality to step into the national level of excellence, by developing an International Pharmacy Doctoral degree program, to attract foreign students and foreign Post-doctoral researchers, having foreign teachers as co-teachers, and increasing the number of researchers. The expected result from the implementation of this project towards excellence in Pharmacy is a National Research University Program to help push the Pharmaceutical research to international excellence level. A Center of Excellence (CoE) is defined as a research center that consists of a group of researchers with five or more experts publishing rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 71 CONTENTS rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy international works with the goal of achieving excellence in specific areas. The center produces works or products that have been developed in the country and published in international journals; creates innovations that can register intellectual property or works that can be utilised; creates a new generation of researchers, alongside supporting thesis work for graduate students; and receives support from external organisations. For example, the Natural Product Research Center of Excellence is focusing on increasing researchers’ potential in the development of natural products. It seeks to increase the quality and number of the academic works, as well as to strengthen research in graduate studies, in order to create integrated research that will lead to clinical and commercial uses. Other objectives are to develop and expand commercially for the domestic industry, and establishing networks and research collaborations with departments inside and outside the university, in both public and private sectors. The vision of the center is to be a center for researching the development of natural products in the region, which promotes self-reliance uses in the local communities, which will also support the ASEAN Community. A Research Center (RC) is described as a research-focused center that consists of a group of researchers with five or more experts who are committed, with a clear plan, to conducting research in one area. The researchers coordinate their efforts to produce works or products developed in the country and published in international journals, create innovations that can register intellectual property or works that can be utilised, and create a new generation of researchers. One example of research center at Prince of Songkla University is the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics Research, which was established in December 2004 by a group of PSU Molecular biologists. Considering the rapid changes in biological research that needs to use the information technology, the center prepared personnel with skills in mathematics and computing as well as in the biological sciences. It is well equipped with comprehensive wet-lab facilities in molecular biology and genomics, and necessary computational infrastructure to support research and teaching in bioinformatics and computational biology. The center also offers M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics. Being one of the National Research Universities, and offering full support and outstanding facilities at international standards for research works, PSU became an important research point in Southeast Asia, attracting more collaborative international research and academic linkages that also foster increased productivity and innovation in Thailand. rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 72 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 4. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the process of internationalisation at Prince of Songkla University has been greatly intensified during the last few years and follows closely the national policy on internationalisation as it has been drafted by the Office of the Higher Education Commission of Thailand, to facilitate the expansion of international cooperation and improve the quality of education and research to be in line with the international standards. University’s Strategic Plan for Internationalisation focuses on five main goals: increase international engagement, promote internationalisation of curriculum, develop students and staff’s global competency, support international students’ recruitment, and boost international research. The paper comprises eight best practices of PSU in boosting its internationalisation process, such as University’s participation in Erasmus+ programs, member of educational international networks, student exchange with global partner universities, English proficiency requirement for all graduates, and strong support for joint international research. We believe that these good practices for internationalisation at PSU can bring inspiration to other educational institutions that are now on the road of globalisation. 5. REFERENCES Bureau of International Cooperation Strategy, Office of the Higher Education Commission of Thailand (2018). Directory of Coordinators for International Affairs in Thai Higher Education Institutions. — (2018). Preliminary Guidelines on Internationalization (IZN): Fulfilling the quality of Global Citizenship. Jibeen, T., & Khan, M. A. (2015). Internationalization of higher education: Potential benefits and costs. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 4(4), 196-199. Kanjananiyot, P. & Chaitiamwong, C. (2018). Thailand’s Higher Education Internationalization in Practice Voice of a Stakeholder. Retrieved from: <http://www. fulbrightthai.org/knowledge/thailands-higher-education-internationalisation- practice-voice-stakeholder/> (published on Feb. 26, 2018). Knight, J. (1994). Internationalization: Elements and checkpoints. Ottawa: Canadian Bureau for International Education Research. — (2015). Updating the Definition of Internationalization. International higher education, 33. Van Damme, D. (2001). Higher education in the Age of Globalisation: The need for a new regulatory framework for recognition, quality assurance and accreditation, Introductory Paper for the UNESCO Expert Meeting, Paris, 10-11 September 2001 rpr mrRur urvpl rpd SRueurier pAARRR INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PRINCE OF SONGkLA UNIVERSITy 73 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy Internationalisation at Home and Mobility to Promote PSU Students’ International Competency SuphitCha ek-uru anD ana maria pavel Prince of Songkla University 1. INTRODUCTION ABOUT PSU Prince of Songkla University (PSU), an autonomous public university in southern Thailand, is one of the nine national research universities, top ten comprehensive universities in Thailand and the 156th in Asia by 2019 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking. Established in 1967, it has five campuses located in Hat Yai, Pattani, Phuket, Surat Thani, and Trang, and more than 500 agreements for academic cooperation with institutions worldwide. PSU campuses house over 35,000 students, inclusive of international students from more than 50 nations, and offers over 140 Bachelor’s, 100 Master’s and 70 Doctorate degrees; including 15 international Bachelor’s degrees and all graduate programs being designed to accommodate international students. For more than 50 years since its establishment, PSU worked towards fulfilling its vision of producing internationally recognised graduates, actively engaging in providing services to the community and taking a leading role in the preservation and enhancement of the national heritage in arts and culture. Currently, PSU is implementing an active Internationalisation policy, including a dynamic Internationalisation at Home (IaH) strategy, in order to ensure the quality of its graduates as tomorrow’s global citizens. 80 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy Thailand, there have been terrorist activities going on, that’s why it’s been sort of discouraging foreign lecturers to come and work here. But actually, if you come or you visit our University, you would feel free and safe, because there is nothing happening here. But the rumour has been spread over the years and we are trying to correct this kind of rumours, so we will be able to attract more foreign lecturers to come. We still need more foreign lecturers (Interviewee No.1). We provide funding for our students, but I will say that one difficulty with the Thai students to get the scholarships is the language. They can speak English, but not well enough to communicate. I think this is our problem because most things are written and taught in Thai. So, what we need to come back and take a look at, our problem, and try to solve it, is to force our students to study more in language communication (Interviewee No.2). For the Thai students I have to say, that actually they need to be able to speak English, or other languages or have the experience, but they are really shy. There are groups of students that never ever gone abroad because they are shy, they are afraid, but there’s a group of students, who have to go. So, what we do is: we have programs, we give them funds, scholarships for sending them abroad (Interviewee No.3). Therefore, PSU has adopted in the past year the concept of Internationalisation at Home as one of its main focuses for Internationalisation to nurture students and staff’s competences and leverage the challenges caused by budget constraint, location unattractiveness and to develop the international competence of local students and staff. 3. DEFINING INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME (IAH) AND MOBILITY 3.1. Internationalisation at Home (IaH) Nowadays, Internationalisation at Home (IaH) is more and more cited and debated in higher education establishments. However, as Beelen and Jones (2015) mention, there is a constant introduction of new terms and definitions of the Internationalisation of higher education, and, therefore, “the importance of clarifying the concept of ‘Internationalisation at home’ overrides the urge to limit the number of definitions.” Also, since students participating in mobilities “will continue to make up a relatively small proportion of the student body, Internationalisation at home is a convenient term to designate Internationalisation activity aimed at the whole student body.” Therefore, they propose the following new definition: SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 81 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy Internationalisation at Home is the purposeful integration of international and intercultural dimensions into the formal and informal curriculum for all students, within domestic learning environments (Beelen & Jones, 2015). This definition emphasises the role of Internationalisation for all students in all programs, inclusive of virtual mobility, and the learning environment may be extended to work with local communities or engage with international students domestically. It can also include virtual mobility and online learning. Therefore, IaH concerns both the formal and informal curriculum, and enhances the international and multicultural awareness, skills and attitudes of all students, no matter if they take part in mobility programs. Furthermore, as Agnew and Kahn (2014) show, “the goal of IaH is [also] to redefine classrooms and campuses into common spaces that intentionally promote intercultural, international, and global/earning.” This is necessary for providing students with important global skills required and expected by the international job market. Student mobility programs are still involved, but institutions should also take action in terms of renewing their curricula and co-curricular programs to prepare all its students for the twenty-first century. Consequently, the authors highlight that: Internationalisation-at-Home is a comprehensive model for curricular and co-curricular learning that aims to ensure that all students have opportunities to engage in global, international, and intercultural learning in classrooms and across campuses (Agnew & Kahn, 2014). The description stresses the idea that redefining the classrooms and campuses as environments intentionally designed to promote intercultural and global learning, will help “bringing the world to the home campus and the home campus to the world.” This is important since “IaH cannot only encourage constant integration of cultural differences but must also allow for programs that re-create “home” and are comfort zones.” Thus, institutions should aid all students to feel at home, this can be done via “buddy” programs, and also by designing intentional encounters across curricular and co-curricular activities, which also provide all students with the opportunity to develop their global competencies. An important role in the successful implementation of the IaH strategy, inclusive of Curriculum’s Internationalisation, belongs to faculty members, who have to see and advocate for global learning beyond their classroom and must connect students’ international and local intercultural experiences to classroom learning. By implementing this, students are encouraged SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 82 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy to adopt new ways of thinking and can understand and act on issues of global significance. However, “designing opportunities for all students to develop global competencies requires a multilevel framework whereby global learning outcomes are embedded in individual courses as well as in programs that span curricular and co-curricular areas, and are on campus and off” (Agnew & Kahn, 2014). Therefore, universities must design, provide, and assess multilevel curricular and co-curricular activities, in order to offer the chance to all students to boost their global knowledge and engagement. Moreover, the engagement between domestic and international students by participating in curricular and extra-curricular can lead to their beneficial experiences (Jon, 2013). The IaH implementation also requires that faculty members and administrators to work jointly to create international learning experiences for all students and helping them to clearly understand that the IaH is necessary to bring about the organisational change. PSU has acknowledged the IaH through activities and services offered by its International Affairs Office (IAO) service center for incoming and outgoing of both students and staff, as well as for the local students and staff, as it was highlighted by the interviewees. For instance, the university offers language courses for its staff, especially for the supporting staff. Moreover, translation services are offered if needed and there are rooms for video conferencing. We provide a training program for supporting staff. We developed a program with the language center outside. We have volunteers to join the program. The university provides funds for our staff to get language training, so that they will improve their English proficiency. We have done this project for two years now. So, we have seen changes occurring to our staff especially supporting staff. They are more confident to speak the language than before (Interviewee No.1) International Affairs Office has a foreigner whose job is actually to teach English to staff. So, he sets up a curriculum and the staff can pick to study. In each faculty they also have to have training for all the staff. And we have a program called “Tell me more”, which can be accessed online to learn (Interviewee No.3) In addition, IAO is the central unit for incoming and outgoing students. The IAO, supported by international relations departments in each faculty, provides different services: a well-established buddy system, cultural events, English courses. Besides that, the IAO serves as support unit for housing and transportation and manages the scholarships. SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 83 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy In terms of each faculty we each have international relations departments that help international students to get used to the environment. Not only studying but also to be able to blend with Thai students. So, we organise activities, maybe do a field trip if you have sufficient students (Interviewee No.1) In the past we tend to give scholarships for students, especially for students in the ASEAN community, we give them scholarships and to students from Middle East, but for European students, they tend to have their own funding (Interviewee No.3). We do have the international affairs department. One of the things this department has to do is to look after international students. And also, in the program, we try to provide, like cultural and traditional learning for them, about Thailand. For example, going to the countryside, traveling in local, rural areas to learn how people live there (Interviewee No.5). As a strategic priority for the higher education institutions around the world, IaH is also contemplated at Thai universities, in order to provide a bigger number of students with intercultural understanding and necessary global employment skills. In addition, Jon (2013) stated that IaH can facilitate and promote Internationalisation for the less popular countries as a study abroad destination as it is cost-effective for the local students, address equity for international education and both domestic and international students can build a meaningful relationship and realise meaningful Internationalisation among them. In view of this development, PSU also defined an Action Plan for Internationalisation at Home (2020-2022) as described in the following part of this paper. 3.1.1. PSU Internationalisation at home PSU is in the process of implementing and improving its own Internationalisation at Home strategy, especially with the focus on: (1) Internationalisation of its curriculum PSU missions is to build academic leadership; innovation; globally-rec- ognised graduates with academic and professional competence equipped with 21st century practical skills; and develop the university into a society of learning based on a multi-cultural background. Therefore, the University develops curricula that are able to accept international students by increasing the number of English programs and by being a part of the ASEAN University Network that allows ASEAN students from the networking university to study at PSU with a special fee and credit transfer. SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 84 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy Moreover, International accreditation is encouraged within the University, especially those in business programs. Otherwise, it is difficult to attract international students and staff to the University since the curriculum is not equivalent to the International standard. The interviewees also mentioned similar improvements that while the university is already enriching courses with international content, a strong need for an orientation on international standards, including the need for internationally recognised accreditations is perceived. At our faculty, we are trying to get the AACSB accreditation. Once we have that, it will make our Management courses and accounting courses accredited at the international level. If you study at PSU business school, it is similar to studying at University of Los Angeles or the other big-name schools around the world (Interviewee No.1). Internationalisation for universities is building up standards, up to the level of others. So, what we do is for example in my faculty starting to get the AACSB standard, to have it in the future and also needing to develop our systems, to make sure they accept us and other places. If we don’t have these accreditations who is coming to study here? This is what we are doing; we need to lift our standards (Interviewee No.3). Currently, all Master’s (116) and Ph.D. (75) programs at PSU can accommodate international students both on a Research- and Thesis-based scheme, which is a big step forward since 2015 when there were fewer than 19 programs that could accommodate international students. Moreover, PSU Phuket campus is considered our university’s International Campus, offering almost all its programs in English language. In addition, on each campus, there are programs of study that can accommodate foreign students while a number of 15 Bachelor’s degrees are also offered in English. (2) Enhancing international research collaboration and expanding participation in global academic networks PSU has driven the institution towards becoming a research-oriented uni - versity. Moreover, the University has also set up a research fund, Disciplines of Excellence and designed graduate study programs in accordance with the research mission since 2013. Since 2009 PSU provides support to help researchers publish in international publications. Accordingly, PSU has been selected to be one of the nine National Research Universities in Thailand. These factors have been well implemented as the interviewees mentioned “Internationalisation in R&D is mostly supported through conference and publication support.” Conference participation is SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 85 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy fully financed by the university and successful international publications are rewarded financially. Research collaboration is usually started by individual professors. Research grants are used to support the Internationalisation strategy. We have the research fund for faculty members, if they can have joint research with faculty members overseas, they can get funding. For this you have to have a partner in a different university, not in the country. If you can work with anyone on that you can get funding from university. And also, the faculty supports it. So, you can get double funding. The problem is that how to find researchers that you can do the work together (Interviewee No.2). There’s a lot of funding going around in terms of international conferences and so on. So, if you write your research papers and so on, they fund you to go to conferences, they fund you to exchange your knowledge at conferences around the world, not only in Asia. We have lecturers going to Europe, to America and PSU fully funds this to improve the credentials of the university and strengthen the position of the University (Interviewee No.4). Academic staff, they always have conferences abroad that they attend. They will go under the department. Like, if they are under the accounting department they will go as a group to like to present their research or attend a conference (Interviewee No.5). (3) Increasing the number of international students and staff and creating Internationalisation at-home activities to embrace students’ global citizenship Currently, PSU has 767 international students (in 2019). According to PSU strategy, the University has to increase both international students and staff therefore, it established the International Students Association (ISA). The ISA is fully sponsored by the Student Development and Alumni Affairs. ISA aims to create a pleasant and comfortable environment for the international students at PSU, who are part of this student organisation. The organisation has the policy to encourage opportunities for students to participate in activities that best suit their skills and interests, such as campus-based activities and faculty-based activities (volunteering, arts, and culture performances, athlete and sport, and academic groups). The ISA has monthly activities such as International Students Farewell Party, PSU Campuses trip, and Sports Fiesta. In the past year, PSU extended its Internationalisation strategy to feature IaH, which led to additional activities. For example, PSU International Affairs Office has organised an SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 86 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy International Sport’s Day in cooperation with the International Relations Club (Thai students club), ISA, and University’s Sports Complex. The activity consisted of folk sports arranged by representatives of international students who coordinated traditional games from their countries and who exchanged experiences with Thai students who coordinated Thai folk sports. This activity allowed students to interact and experience the multicultural sports atmosphere. Furthermore, PSU coordinates a Grow Global Campaign aimed at organising intercultural activities among all PSU students. Incoming short-time students are hosted by the Thai students as Thai Buddy who volunteer to help in exchange for intercultural experiences. One change is that, in the past, Thai Buddies had to take care of the visiting students, but this coming year the visiting students must also create cultural workshops to present their culture to the domestic students. Besides, under this campaign, IAO organizes coaching activities to educate the student associations at faculty level to develop IaH activities within their Faculty, and the IAO will support the necessary funds to organize these activities. Apart from the incoming student’s, PSU intends to increase the number of international staff. The staff is recruited and supervised by their own faculty. In addition, IAO offers support for comfort of living, such as providing Mobile Immigration Assistance on campus. The assistance is offered at PSU to make more convenient and facilitate the immigration process for our foreign staff and also international students. Moreover, the foreign staff is invited to yearly meetings and friendly gatherings, named Social Evenings, for them to have to opportunity to provide feedback on PSU’s services and to socialise among themselves. During the Social Evenings executives from related faculties are also invited to participate in the event in order to facilitate their interaction with PSU international employees. The strategy and activities mentioned above can be successfully implemented only if the administrative team understands IaH well. Therefore, the IAO is organising workshops on IaH policy and on the theory and practices for IaH, for the administrative staff to fully support the IaH activities for students and employees. 3.1.2. PSU Mobility Even though, PSU intends to develop the IaH in order to overcome the challenges and nurture student’s and staff’s global competency, the University is yet focused on mobility or cross-border activities since it is still the main strategy for the Internationalisation of the institution. SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 87 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy (1) Intensifying students and staff mobility Even as Thailand is considered a prime travel location because of its infrastructure and its position in the centre of the ASEAN area, the international student intake is currently still relatively low. The main inhibitors are the missing English language courses and the limited amount of international scholarships. A high ranking, high-quality teaching and international accreditation are the main arguments to attract international students. Moreover, the student’s recruitment depends on the field of study and language proficiency, and, then, the incoming students are matched with faculties, which try to find corresponding courses. The interviewees also indicate the importance of mobility. In terms of teaching and the quality of our education we have to follow not only government regulation to quality assurance, but also make sure that our courses that are being offered here have a high standard. And also, especially recently for this school, at our faculty of management sciences we are trying to get the AACSB accreditation, which is the accreditation that has been accepted internationally. So, we are trying to get that accreditation to promote our faculty, to build up reputation and of course to attract foreign lecturers and students (Interviewee No.1). We need to divide the students into two groups. One group from developing countries and one group from developed countries. For developed countries we don’t have any problems, they can support themselves or they have a lot of funds in their own country, so they can come. But the other group, we want to bring more Internationalisation to our university, so we have to give them scholarships (Interviewee No.3). Moreover, for the recruitment of outgoing students, grants and scholarships from the university are also provided. There are also dual degree programs that have already been established and students can apply for financial support for international internships from the University. But in terms of university structure we have the international relations main office and we have the staff to take care of all international students. To do maybe a field trip or a potluck (Interviewee No.1). We have different programs for them. Students would like to improve their English we offer a course with the foreign institute in ASEAN countries. They get to spend their money either, but not the full cost. But partial subsidies (Interviewee No.2). For the Thai students I have to say, that actually that they need to be able to speak English, or other languages or have the experience, but they are SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 88 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy really shy. There are groups of students that never ever gone abroad because they are shy, they are afraid, but there’s a group of students, who have to go. So, what we do is, we have programs, we give them funds, scholarships for sending them abroad (Interviewee No.3). If the lecturers have some program, they can launch this program and recruit some suitable students, to join the program and be representatives of the faculty, in exchange programs abroad. And we have some budget provided for them, for airplane costs, or accommodation costs. But not for living costs (Interviewee No.5). The staffs and faculty members are supported as well when going for conferences or presentations of publications or when working on establishing an MOU with a joint partner. Moreover, teaching exchange is also supported and encouraged. In addition, the staff are encouraged to foster foreign language competency and can receive financial rewards. You are going to go to a conference or do a publication and seminar overseas. We have a budget for our staff to support and to go overseas (Interviewee No.1). It is being tried in Phuket campus. On this campus what they do is, if you have passed certain tests, English tests you get extra pay, and if not, you get a little bit lower. If you can show that you are an expert, or that you have good English proficiency, or Chinese proficiency, or international experiences they will give you a little bit higher payment. To motivate people to improve (Interviewee No.3). The IAO is the main responsible bureau to support all international activities in the University, also collaboratively with other bodies like PSU Research and Development Office (RDO), Faculties and Campuses to support them. Moreover, IAO intensifies PSU’s international collaboration by embracing more International Networks to promote global exchange, joint activities and collaborative research. PSU has 15 successful participations under Erasmus+ programs that concern capacity building, increase Internationalisation capabilities, curriculum development, and modernisation of governance, management and functioning of HEIs. The University is a member of 16 international networks such as ASEAN University Network (AUN), ASEAN-European Academic University Network (ASEA-UNINET), and Thailand-Germany Universities Consortium (TGUC): KU, PSU, KKU, MFU, and CMU, Thailand; & Fraunhofer IFF, Germany. My program that I work with, we have networks with a few universities in England, a few in China, a few in Taiwan. So, we send students to these SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 89 CONTENTS SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy universities, and then they will send students back here. As well also with Austria and also in Germany we have exchange programs and we send students there and then they send students here, to us as well. But I’m not really sure if that’s part of the faculty it’s mostly part of our program specifically. So yeah, those are the networks that I know of. The ones in Austria, the ones in Germany, and the ones in England. Then also a few in China and Taiwan (Interviewee No.4). 4. CONCLUSION To conclude, the Internationalisation at Home process at Prince of Songkla University has been recently initiated and involves at home Internationalisation and mobility following the two pillars of Internationalisation. This leads to the new Action Plan scheduled from 2020-2022. The Plan emphases on these two pillars that include three main activities for the IaH and one main activity for mobility. For IaH, it aims to internationalise the formal curriculum; to allow PSU staff have an insight into IaH concept; to provide activities and services supporting and nurturing international and intercultural competencies of local students; to create Internationalisation environment on campus; and to create the opportunity for domestic students and staff to develop their English skills. However, mobility activities are remaining one of the Internationalisation strategies of the University. Moreover, PSU is aiming to support international accreditation, join more networks through network partners and partner universities, in order to overcome the destination challenges and attract international students and staff. 5. REFERENCES Agnew, M., & Kahn, H. (2014). Internationalization-at-Home: Grounded Practices to Promote Intercultural, International, and Global Learning. Metropolitan Universities. Beelen, J., & Jones, E. (2015). Redefining Internationalization at Home. In J. Beelen, & E. Jones, The European Higher Education Area. — (2015, December 4). Defining ‘internationalisation at home’. Retrieved from: <https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20151202144353164>. Bureau of International Cooperation Strategy, Office of the Higher Education Commission of Thailand (2018). Preliminary Guidelines on Internationalization (IZN): Fulfilling the quality of Global Citizenship. Retrieved from: <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qYgWXaa8cMo8MmnElfjrctdc__7e6Yhb/ view>. Hudzik, J. (2011). Comprehensive internationalization: From concept to action. SRueurier pAARRR rpd rpr mrRur urvpl INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME AND MObILITy TO PROMOTE PSU STUDENTS’ INTERNATIONAL COMPETENCy 96 CONTENTS gRpgPRr rlrp Smure rpd ierARur rRrpguRrpg INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE OF NARESUAN UNIVERSITy gRpgPRr rlrp Smure rpd ierARur rRrpguRrpg INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE OF NARESUAN UNIVERSITy Globalisation continues to shape contemporary higher education institutions worldwide through the exchange of information and the development of professional or social contacts evoked as a result of internationalisation, fostering global connections, and strengthening academic leadership. In order to insure communities are prepared to meet the challenges of globalisation, internationalisation must take place, higher educational institutions must ready themselves to get involved in a more progressive manner to meet the demands of the markets. The University is enthusiastic about elevating the skillsets of students, faculty staff, university lectures, and the local communities by ensuring that all have access to developmental programs that are designed to meet the needs of willing participants. Table 2. International Programs. Level International Programs BBA Human Resource Management BBA Tourism Management BBA International Business Management BBA English for Business Communications M.Sc Health Security Financing and Management M.Sc Health Systems and Management Ph.D. Health Systems and Policies Ph.D. Health Systems Management Table 3. Bilingual Programs. Level Bilingual Programs M.Sc Renewable Energy M.Sc Theoretical Physics Ph.D. Renewable Energy Ph.D. Theoretical Physics 3. THAI ENVIRONMENT The process of increasing involvement in the improvement of a better quality of life is the essential goal of programs and strategies that have been instituted by the University. These practices, which have been installed 97 CONTENTS gRpgPRr rlrp Smure rpd ierARur rRrpguRrpg INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE OF NARESUAN UNIVERSITy into the framework of NU policies, are in accordance with the policies established by the Thai government. The underlying strategies are to promote international educational programs, faculty and student exchange, collaborative research, curriculum development, joint-program in cooperative education scheme through encouraging government policy and regional agreements on trade and services under the Free Trade Area (FTA) Agreement. Thailand has participated in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) which is one of the multilateral trade agreements negotiated by more than a hundred countries that are now under the auspices of the World Trade Organisations (WTO) covering all types of trade in services except those supplied in the exercise of governmental authority. As such, education is one of service whose trade is subject one of the GATS’ provisions. It is well-accepted by countries that education is largely a public service. Therefore, foreign education services should be viewed as complementary to government education but not as a replacement. Naresuan University, as a learning organisation, is continually enhancing the capabilities to internationalise by augmenting international experiences through (1) the development of shared international ideas; (2) programs that have been implemented to assist leaders; (3) agendas designed to ensure that their representatives, lectures, students and administrators are aware of and are equipped to handle the challenging task of being an international higher educational institution. The Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC) of Thailand, has continuously promoted those concepts that support the beliefs that propagate Internationalisation models of Higher Education since its introduction 1990. Thailand’s Higher Education Development Plan was formulated and integrated into the successive Five-Year National Economic and Social Development Plan, interfacing educational activities to the economic, social and cultural goals of national development when it was first addressed in the First Long-Range Plan on Higher Education (1990-2004). Subsequently in 2108, (The Bureau of International Cooperation Strategy) OHEC successfully forwarded the internationalisation concepts through to approval under the Seventh National Development Plan (1992-1996). A strategy emphasising the rapid movement of globalisation, international collaborative relationships among nations that are highly valued regarding internationalisation and regionalisation. (Chinnawong, & Wattanakornsiri, 2018). OHEC formulated a strategic proposal to solidify permanent guidelines through the Second 15-Year Long Rang Plan, which was able to give a more concrete direction for higher education 98 CONTENTS gRpgPRr rlrp Smure rpd ierARur rRrpguRrpg INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE OF NARESUAN UNIVERSITy gRpgPRr rlrp Smure rpd ierARur rRrpguRrpg INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE OF NARESUAN UNIVERSITy development. An academic path provided diversity that was responsive to the country’s development. The key theme of the Long-Range Plan sets the direction for higher education development, lessens duplication, upgrades quality, and enhance efficiency. Naresuan University’s vision and mission statement and policies parallels the present intentions of the government and gives an exceptional insight into of the government’s internationalisation objectives. The desire to acquire education has been increasing at a very high rate over the recent years across the globe. The increasing demand for high quality knowledge in different fields can be contributed to the ever-changing economic world models that have shown to be rather chaotic, yet creating an atmosphere of intense global competition in sectors that have a direct impact of the demands for a workforce that has the appropriate skill and knowledge levels expected of the personnel. Educational systems must reinvent their purposes, their curriculum directives, that were induced by industries which focused on global expansion of products versus the idea of internationalisation which focuses on developing nation’s economies as well as global economic development. Internationalisation of higher education intuitions is seen as a means to improve the educational quality in a highly competitive world and it cannot take place in the absence of globalisation. It is however a fulcrum that allows lesser affluent nations and areas of the world to begin to produce sustainable economic growth and cultural stability. As pointed out by Welle-Strand & Thune (2003: 11), for institutions of higher learning, internationalisation is becoming a significant strategy in developing higher standards in educational practices, schemes and procedures which play a key role in educational standards. The purpose and meaning of internationalisation varies from institution to institution. Four approaches have been distinguished with reference by Welch (1996: 79): (1) Process Approach: Under this approach, internationalisation integrates a global dimension or into the principal functions of the institution or organisation. Integrating and incorporating are common terms used to characterise this approach. This process requires wide range of activities and procedures. (2) Activity Approach: This approach describes internationalisation based on categories like student exchange, curriculum advancements, etc. (3) Competency Approach: Under this approach, internationalisation is viewed from different perspectives including skills, knowledge 99 CONTENTS gRpgPRr rlrp Smure rpd ierARur rRrpguRrpg INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE OF NARESUAN UNIVERSITy in students and staff. The focus is on human dimension, learning organisation activities. (4) Organisational Approach: The focus of this approach is developing a tradition in the institution that supports global perspectives. It has a close link to the Process Approach. The mix of ideas across cultures creates diversity, in and of ideas. The inclusion of Internationalisations concepts, not globalisation builds on the hearts of diverse cultures working together to create sufficiency in the ‘what we do’ and ‘how we perform’ the act that help us create a better quality of life for others and ourselves. People from different nationalities learn through exchange of ideas and can provide new sources that benefit all concerned. People have been able to learn diverse cultural values and their interactions strengthened through different educational forums (Kapur & McHale, 2005: 111). The education industry has ventured into the internationalisation arena through a variety of academic alliances and collaborations. Integrated programs-bilingual and international curriculums ensure that students are adequately prepared to work in global workplace. The internationalisation of the Higher Educational Institutions in Thailand is a holistic vision of human development needed to empower the most disadvantaged, to achieve greater social equity by challenging classic growth patterns. An announcement of the Ministry of Education (presently developed as Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation) enacted on May 11, 2007 indicating that each cooperative agreement has to be agreed upon by the resolution of a university council and reported to the ministry in order that it could have proper records of cooperation with overseas higher education institutions and that necessary support may be offered to strengthen such a linkage. Naresuan University has not only bound to this announcement but recently encouraged each of the Faculties/Schools/Colleges to come up with a framework of cooperation whenever they decide to establish academic/research/mobility linkages with any international university. The framework at first posed difficulties to faculties as it required that planned of activities, sources of funding, strengths of the partner be clearly spelled out; they later found out that the framework greatly assisted them in 1) identifying the right person to hold responsibility in proposed activities, 2) following up if what was proposed was timely delivered as planned, and 3) preparing required financial arrangements to support each activity and possibly reached out for monetary assistantships from external granting agencies. 100 CONTENTS gRpgPRr rlrp Smure rpd ierARur rRrpguRrpg INTERNATIONALISATION OF THAI HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE OF NARESUAN UNIVERSITy These steps may look cumbersome but the university has also empowered Faculties/Schools/Colleges by giving authorities to Deans and Directors to be able to affix their signatures on memoranda of understanding on the university’s behalf. However, each of the agreements is still required to pass administration process; i.e., the University Administrative Committee and subsequently the University Council taking approximately one-month timeframe to fulfil the process. This significantly increases the percentage of active and inactive agreements of Naresuan University 51% of the former in 2019 (145 MoUs with 30 higher education institutions) after exercising this requirement for couple years. This efficiently responds with the triple Is policy of the university in thriving for internationalisation, integration, and innovation to push Naresuan University forward in educational arena. 4. REFERENCES Chinnawong, T., & Wattanakornsiri, A. (2018). Trend of Higher Education Development in ASEAN Region and Thailand in the Future. Kapur, D., & McHale, J. (2005). Give us your best and brightest: The global hunt for talent and its impact on the developing world. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development. Welle-Strand, A., & Thune, T. (2003). E-learning policies, practices and challenges in two Norwegian organisations. Evaluation and program planning, 26(2), 185-192. Welch, D. E., & Welch, L. S. (1996). The Internationalisation Process and Networks: A Strategic Management Perspective. Journal of International Marketing, 4(3), 11-28. Retrieved from: <https://doi.org/10.1177/1069031X9600400303>. drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 101 CONTENTS International Cooperation towards Internationalisation at the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology (PTIT) Dang the ngoC, pham van Su, nguYen minh phuong, nguYen thi thu nga anD pham nguYen hoang hai Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology 1. CONTEXT OF HEIS INTERNATIONALISATION In recent years, internationalisation of higher education has been considered as one of the key factors for the development and innovation. It is understood as the cooperation with international universities and recognition of qualifications in the process of educating students (Barnet et al., 2010). Also, it is considered as the process of integrating international, cross-cultural or global dimension into the common goals, functions or delivery of higher education (Knight, 2004). Internationalisation in higher education is not only an individual purpose but it is also an important drive for the development of tertiary education towards a system in line with international standards to be responsive to the global environment (Zha Qiang, 2016). Therefore, international cooperation plays an important role for major institutional planning and evaluation, helping with institutional development through the enhancement of the human, technical or management of facilities and infrastructure. In Vietnam, internationalisation in education was mentioned about 15 years ago and it is considered as an important task to be implemented for drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 102 CONTENTS the educational reform of the country. As in the Resolution No. 14/2005/ NQ-CP dated November 2nd, 2005 on substantial and comprehensive renewal of Vietnam’s tertiary education in the 2006-2020 period, the Government figured out the following objectives of internationalisation: • To formulate a strategy on international integration, raise the cooperation capability and competitiveness of Vietnam’s tertiary education in the implementation of international treaties and commitments. • To organise teaching and learning in foreign languages, especially in English for the immediate futures; to improve the quality of training and research programs which can attract foreigners; in the world; to reach agreements on equivalent diplomas and training programs with tertiary education institutions in the world; to encourage various forms of high-quality training cooperation, and exchange of lectures and experts with foreign countries; to encourage overseas Vietnamese lecturers to give lectures in Vietnam; to increase the number of foreign students in Vietnam. To encourage study at home under the foreign training programs; to adopt an appropriate consultancy and management mechanism to help Vietnamese students study overseas and choose study disciplines, subject and schools, and achieve good study results and high efficiency. • To create mechanism and favourable conditions for investors and prestigious tertiary education institutions in the world to open international tertiary education institutions in Vietnam or enter into training cooperation with Vietnamese tertiary education institutions. The internationalisation of higher education supports the promotion of quality and an equitable and global learning experience that will enable the integration of Vietnamese higher education sector both regionally and globally and lead to brighter employability prospects for students. Realising its importance, the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training, in coordination with a number of Vietnamese universities, has been developing its first Internationalisation of Higher Education Strategy for 2017-2020, which focuses on the enhancement of university governance, training, research and skills programs. 2. ABOUT PTIT PTIT was founded in 1997. In 2014, PTIT was upgraded to be a member of the Ministry of Information and Communication of Vietnam to contribute to the modernisation and industrialisation of the national society. Since its establishment, PTIT has made continuous efforts to overcome challenges drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 103 CONTENTS of a new university model and nowadays PTIT affirms its status in the domestic and international region through its teaching and research quality. PTIT can be proud of being a second home for more than 25,000 students and 928 lecturers and staff. In terms of education, PTIT offers various academic degrees – Advanced Diploma, Bachelor Degree, Master and PhD degree mainly in the field of ICT. PTIT includes such faculties and divisions as Fundamental Education, Information Technology, Information Security, Telecommunication, Electronics Engineering, Multimedia, Business Administration, Finance and Marketing. However, it is recognised that ICT is considered a cutting-edge field. In terms of research, PTIT has been one of the leaders in creating research products and solutions which are mostly applied into the real network of telecommunication companies. It is a matter of pride that PTIT has 30% of its turnover collected from research outcomes. In terms of international cooperation and collaborations, PTIT has highly focused on the development of its international network not only with renowned universities but also with industry partners such as Nokia or Samsung, through mutually cooperation projects target to lecturers and students. Also, PTIT has contributed a lot to the strong friendship between Vietnam and its neighboring countries such as Laos and Cambodia through the approved JICA and other self-financed projects through 20 short training course to MPT Laos, 9 for Myanmar and 2 for Cambodia. With Erasmus+ program, PTIT in partnership with HANU and two other partners managed to register the VOYAGE: Opportunities for the Young and graduate’s employability in Vietnam in 2015. The Project was launched in early 2016. PTIT commits to work closely with its partners to make the cooperation successful. Among the international cooperation activities at PTIT, MARCO POLO has been a highlight which aims at creating an innovative cooperation framework that will be applied on the 3 Southeast Asian countries participating in the proposal (Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia) and that will foster international cooperation and contribute to increase HEI’s potentials for international cooperation, especially through capacity building activities. MARCO POLO Project description stated that: The Cooperation framework includes a Mobility scheme for Students and Staff as well as experiencing with virtual mobilities to involve other actors who benefit from the Cooperation model. On the other hand, one of the main aspects of the project is the development of strategies to foster international cooperation as a key element within HEI. MARCO POLO underlines the importance of international cooperation but does not limit itself to mobility. Indeed, it highlights the relevance of international cooperation in Teaching, Learning and Research as a tool to allow HEI to increase the drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 104 CONTENTS quality of studies and capacities of staff members, professors, researchers and students. Therefore, one of the project results is the publishing of a best practice manual about International Cooperation in Teaching, Learning and Research. Furthermore, the project also foresees the development and implementation of IRO webpages in Partner Countries (PC). HEI and an international library gateway that will be an internet access point to national and international research sources. It will be a highly cost-efficient and effective mean to get a free access to existing national and international research sources and databases. Finally, MARCO POLO will create a Multi-Regional Network for International Cooperation, which is one leading objective of this proposal. It will serve as a platform for a multi-regional and international dialogue about international cooperation in HE, provide opportunities for finding synergies between its members and strengthen ties. The network will organise 3 international conference, one in each PC. MARCO POLO activities done by PTIT have been considered as the clear proof for factors that foster the international cooperation and internationalisation process. 3. METHODS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INTERNATIONALISATION LIKE MANY OTHER UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD, VIETNAM UNIVERSITIES HAVE CARRIED OUT SEVERAL ACTIVITIES TO IMPLEMENT JOINT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS 3.1. Franchise This is a program in which a reputed institution allows another institution in another country to deliver their program in that country. All issues related to quality assurance such as teaching program, teacher requirements, assessment methods, etc. will be strictly managed by the reputed institution so that it can award qualification for students who complete the training program. 3.2. Double/ joint degree In these arrangements, institutions in different countries mutually recognise their teaching program in the same majors and students from one university can be transferred to finish their training program at the other university. Students receive qualification from their home institution (double degree) or just qualification from foreign partner institution (joint degree). Institutions customise arrangements for the program delivery in order to award the qualifications for each arrangement. drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 105 CONTENTS 3.3. Articulation Articulation agreement between universities from different countries allow students to gain credit of courses offered by partner universities on the basis of their mutual recognition of particular courses/subjects. This arrangement may serve for mobility program in short-time from one month to one semester with non-awarding qualification purpose or long-time period for 1 or 2 years for students who wish to receive the qualification from partner universities. 3.4. Distance Education According to this arrangement, institutions deliver a program to students in different countries through distance and e-learning system. Sometimes, it may include face-to-face meeting to support students or to organise evaluation of examination in the domestic study center. This method seems to be a trend in the era of Internet. However, it reveals some problems related to ownerships of intellectual property rights to course design and material as well as quality assurance of those courses. 4. RESEARCH INTERNATIONALISATION Research universities in South-East Asia (SEA) countries have crucial roles to play in developing differentiated and effective academic systems, and in making it possible for their countries to join the global knowledge society and compete in sophisticated knowledge economies. According to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking 2018 methodology, 60% of the universities’ performance indicators are from the research (see Figure 1), including 30% from research volume, income and reputation and another 30% from citations (i.e., research influence). While research universities in the developing world have not yet achieved the top levels of global rankings, they are steadily improving their reputations and competitiveness on the international stage (Altbach, 2018). There are some good practices in international research, which help SEA universities to enhance their reputations. Firstly, the SEA universities try to achieve reputation for research excellence among its peers. To reach that goal, SEA universities need to have the policies to attract high-quality faculty members, especially world-class professors. They will help the universities to increase both research income and reputations. Thanks to their international relations, the universities can obtain more research projects, especially international projects from drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 112 CONTENTS Prof. Dr. Kuppusamy, upon receiving information from PTIT about sending staff to FEA, UM’s Department under the program of exchanging cadres, lecturers and students under the Marco Polo project, was surprised by the reason why a university specialising in information technology and technology in Vietnam sent a staff to work at the FEA Department. He didn’t see the close relationship between Information Technology and Economics and Administration so he really needed more time for considering. Another reason was that from 1 May to 31 August, 2019, UM started their summer vacation which meant most students and lecturers were away on summer vacation. Therefore, it would be very inconvenient for me to visit this time of year. Furthermore, in early September 2019, there was a huge fire in the FEA Department. The entire building of the department was completely burned down. The lecturers relocated to another area to work temporarily. There was also a limitation in facilities for receiving guests and working there and somehow this would affect the image of FEA faculty in the eyes of the partners. In spite of the contacting process, I was really warmly welcome at UM as soon as I appeared. I met Prof. Dr. Kuppusamy at FEA Department and we agreed on the agenda very quickly. The most important thing is the chance to meet with young researchers, doctors and professors who have admirable open minds and actively involved. At the University of Malaya, I had the following activities: • Participated in the international forum on Cuba and global health care; • Attended a class of Prof. Yong Chen Chen and shared with students about the Vietnamese economy in recent years; • Joined a meeting and talk with Dr. Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub and Dr. Nur Hairani binti Abd Rahman on my research topic “Study of procedural justice affecting the commitment of faculty members to the university from the viewpoint of pseudo-justice”; • Visited UM art museum with Dr. Woo; • Met and discussed with members of the International Relations Office and UM Marco Polo project members; • Attended a seminar on doctoral and PhD studies in Economics and Administration; • Discussed and shared about public administration in Vietnam and Malaysia; • Met with Mr. Prof. Dr. Edmund Terence and Dr. Azmah Binti Haji Othman, Dean and Vice Dean of Economics and Administration Department and exchanged views about the opportunity to publish drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 113 CONTENTS my international science article for the scientific journal Economics and Administration of the University of Malaya, the journal is on the list of Scopus and ISI systems. One more interesting fact I want to mention here is that the University of Malaya has an annual student population of 30,000 students with over 6000 staffs while my PTIT has an annual total student population of about 16,000 but with only about 750 staffs. The partners then greatly appreciated the development potential of PTIT and the overload capacity of the PTIT’s staff and I also have the opportunity to collaborate to publish scientific papers in the scientific journals of the University of Malaya. The lessons learned about the mobility preparation process after the trip: (1) When sending the content of information via email to partner, discussing about where you go to work, which must contain some required information such as introduction of yourself (full name, work unit), training process (University, MSc, PhD…), areas of study, problems will be discussed and shared, relevance to the destination (why do you think your organisation is suitable for your work), what do you want them to help you with, estimated working time, the tentative agenda. This information will make it easier for your agent to contact you, conveniently know why they were introduced to you, and what they can do to help you when they just need to read your email without needing to see the additional details attachments. For attachments you need to give more detailed information related to the content you need to share and discuss or that both parties will work on. Thus, the partner will be prepared in advance, from which the working sessions will be most effective. (2) When you propose a scheduled time to work with a partner, you should find out for yourself in advance whether the time is right for a partner to meet you or not on some of the following aspects. You’d better check if that time coincides with any vacation according to their year (holidays, summer vacation, winter vacation, spring season…). This will help your partner arrange the appropriate time to receive, meet and discuss with you the most effective and appropriate time. During this time or whether your partner is currently experiencing any major incidents (through a representative, news on the partner’s website, news of the partner posted on google…). This will help you have more information about where you are going to work, some information will be drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 114 CONTENTS helpful for you to get friendly and warmly welcome from partners. Besides, knowing about the problems, you will yourself arrange suitable working time for both parties. (3) Each trip will bring new experiences, interesting lessons which can improve ourselves gradually. 7. CONCLUSION Internationalisation in higher education is a key trend of development (Mitra & Borza, 2015), especially when the new knowledge-based economy requires institutions to provide proper skills and knowledge for students to face up new challenges after graduation. Vietnam is a dynamic developing country in internationalisation and its effects can be seen through number of franchise and joint program being implemented. Although there still remain some improvements, it is believed that Vietnam will develop strongly local teaching program with highly international standards. Within the scope of study of this paper, it can also be concluded that research internationalisation must be given an important attention, place and space in the strategic planning of the institution since research internationalisation can bring out a range of benefits from different perspectives (institutional and strategic) and at different levels (faculty, students, research collaborations and academic programs). In addition, teaching exchange and student mobility should be a must in internationalisation process of institutions all over the world as they can certainly bring institutions close together, give chance for mutual understanding, help partners from developing countries to improve their education programs to make them more reliable partners in education business and broaden the education market by promoting the institution’s image and education programs for partners from European and developed countries. 8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our special thanks to Dr. Rupert Beinhauer from FH Joanneum Austria, Dr. Thilagavathi Shanmuganathan from the University of Malaya, survey conductors, content analysis team and mobility participants who have given us the valuable suggestions, guidance and information for this paper. The inputs we received are not only beneficial for the writing but also for our capacity building and reviewing issues related to the topic of HEIs international cooperation and internationalisation. drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 115 CONTENTS 9. REFERENCES Altbach, P. (2008). The complex roles of universities in the period of globalization. — (2013). Advancing the national and global knowledge economy: The role of research universities in developing countries. Studies in Higher Education. — (2015). Higher Education and the WTO: Globalization Run Amok. International Higher Education. Bennett, P., Bergan, S., Cassar, D., Hamilton, M., Soinila, M., Sursock, A., Williams, P. (2010). Quality Assurance in Transnational Higher Education. Brandenburg, U., & De Wit, H. (2011). Has international education lost its way? Chronicle of Higher education, 15. Castro, P., Woodin, J., Lundgren, U., & Byram, M. (2016). Student mobility and internationalisation in higher education: Perspectives from practitioners. Language and Intercultural Communication. Crisan-Mitra, C., Borza, A., & Cris¸an-Mitra, C. (2015). Internationalization in Higher Education. Dennis, M. (2018). A new age in international student mobility. Von University World News. abgerufen Knight, J. (1. 3 2004). Internationalization Remodeled: Definition, Approaches, and Rationales. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8(1), 5-31. Qiang, Z. (6 2003). Internationalization of Higher Education: Towards a Conceptual Framework. Policy Futures in Education, 1(2), 248-270. The World University Rankings. (2017). Methodology World University Ranking. Von <https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/ methodology-world-university-rankings-2018> abgerufen. Wells, A. (2014). International Student Mobility: Approaches, Challenges and Suggestions for Further Research. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences. drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION drpg rep pgPiP uerm vrp SRP pgRrpp mupe ueRPpgP pgRrpp reu reR pgr rpd uerm pgRrpp ePrpg eru INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION AT THE POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGy (PTIT) 117 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION ItaCentro: Strategies for Internationalisation pham BiCh ngoC anD Dang thi phuong thao Hanoi University 1. INTRODUCTION Today, in the context of rapid globalisation, internationalisation has become an indispensable mission for higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide. Not only does internationalisation allow HEIs to appeal and respond to a wider demand, it also ensures the sustainable growth for HEIs. Apart from student mobility, which “is often seen as the ‘face’ of internationalisation”, HEIs may take part in many other activities such as recruiting international students and scholars, developing international academic programs, implementing international research projects, etc. (Knight, 2012: 21). These strategies are normally classified into two categories: ‘At-Home Internationalisation’ which refers to the integration of international dimensions into teaching, learning and research activities, and ‘Cross-border Education’ which focuses on the mobility of professors, students, programs, projects… (idem: 23). The selection of strategies, therefore, depends on the university’s policies, partnerships and avail-able resources. Furthermore, internationalisation activities are now no longer limited to being managed and implemented by international offices. Nowadays, in many HEIs, faculties also play an active and vital role in the process of internationalisation (Cantu, 2013: 6). A combination of these top-down and bottom-up approaches would help to improve the effectiveness of internationalisation, as shown in the case of Hanoi University. 118 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION In Hanoi University, the international cooperation activities are normally coordinated and implemented by the International Office, but also strongly supported by its diverse Faculties and Centers of Culture and Language, which focus on developing cooperation with specific potential partner countries (with Italy, Japan and Korea being the more prominent ones). The staff comprised mainly of deans, professors and graduates of the faculties. Despite not being professionally trained in the field of inter-national cooperation, these staff members have a lot of experience in inter-university cooperation, an in-depth understanding of curriculum development, an outstanding knowledge of different education systems, language and culture, and a strong personal network with their partner universities. Therefore, they are granted certain conditions and flexibility to seek cooperation opportunities and have formed and contributed many valuable initiatives. This paper is going to present about one of these centres, representing the most effective internationalisation effort of Hanoi University: ItaCentro. 2. HANOI UNIVERSITY AND COOPERATION ACTIVITIES Established in 1959 and located in the capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi University (HANU) is known as one of the most prestigious state universities in foreign language teaching and multi-discipline programs delivered in foreign languages at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Apart from 11 majors in European and Asian languages (English, Russian, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese), HANU also offers eight English-medium degree programs in Information Technology, Business Management, Marketing, Multimedia Communication, Accounting, Finance and Banking, International Studies, Tourism Management and one French-medium program in Entrepreneurial Communication. The number of enrolments each year at the university is at an average of 2,500 students. With the mission to provide “high-quality Bachelor and Master level graduates into the labour force who have significant expertise, high foreign language proficiency, and IT literacy, responding to the labour market demands in the country and internationally” (Mission and Vision), HANU is fully aware of the importance of internationalisation and considers it to be one of the institution’s key strategic priorities for development. Taking advantage of its various foreign language expertise, the University has established a wide range of network with embassies in Vietnam and HEIs around the world. Until now, HANU has stipulated and implemented 530 cooperation agreements with 230 partner universities from 28 nations 119 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION (Annual Report Academic Year 2017-2018: 16). These agreements include a series of activities such as teacher and student exchange programs, joint degree programs, double degree programs, PhDs, internships, study tours, joint research programs, etc. While promoting academic mobility is part of its agenda, Hanoi University also hopes to develop the trans-national curriculum, research and technology exchange. Regarding the aspect of student mobility, each year HANU sends approximately 500 students, mostly to Japan, Korea and Italy, and in return welcomes more than 300 students, mainly from Korean, Japanese, Spanish, French and Italian partner universities. Besides exchange students, the University also annually hosts about 700 international students, most of which are from Laos, Palestine, Cuba and Russia under their government scholarships. As for joint programs, HANU currently has 12 active joint degree programs with HEIs in Australia, UK, Austria, Belgium, Japan and Italy. For instance, Master of Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages with Victoria University (which has the highest number of graduates: 2085 graduate students); Bachelor and Master of Business Administration with Latrobe University (1650 graduate students), Master of French Studies with Catholic University of Louvain, Bachelor of Tourism and Leisure Management with IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Bachelor of Applied Accounting with Oxford Brookes University, Master of Japanese studies in Linguistic with Nara Women University, Bachelor of Enterprise Economics and Master of Statistic Science and Insurance with University of Sannio, etc. 3. ITACENTRO 3.1. Overview While HANU consists of many longstanding language departments, the potential of the Italian department at the time – along with opportunities for development – remained largely untapped. Having noticed the similarities between Italian and Vietnamese culture, and the potential of Italy as an affordable and quality education environment compared to other traditional education destination such as the U.K or the U.S, ItaCentro (which stands for the Center of Italian Language, Culture and International Mobility) was founded in 2011 with the initial aim of promoting Italian language learning in Vietnam as well as the learning of Vietnamese culture and language in Italy along with fostering cooperation between HANU and Italian HEIs. One of the primary responsibilities of ItaCentro is managing the mobility process of professor and student with Italian partner universities whilst 120 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION providing paperwork and logistics support. Additionally, ItaCentro also offers interpretation – translation services, education consultancy services and preparatory courses for students wanting to enrol in undergraduate or postgraduate programs in Italy. It also organises on demand Italian language and culture courses in Vietnam and Vietnamese language and culture courses in Italy (in Naples, Turin and Venice). Furthermore, Ita- Centro is also the authorised testing centre for CILS (Certificate of Italian as a Foreign Language) and DITALS (Certificate of Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language). Additionally, the Center has recently assumed the responsibility of coordinating and implementing the Erasmus+ projects for Hanoi University since 2014. Relating to ItaCentro’s history of cooperative activities with Italian partners, the earliest agreements were signed in 2007 with only three universities: University of Siena, University of Palermo and University of Naples “L’Orientale”, which focuses on the mobility of students of the Italian department, visiting professors and interns. The quantity and the quality of cooperation have greatly increased since the founding of ItaCentro. After eight years, the Center has forged well-established partnerships with 30 Italian universities and 9 associations including Italian Confindustria (General Confederation of Italian Industry) and professional institutes. More than 45 agreements have been signed and the cooperative activities are becoming more and more diversified (which now includes academic and non-academic mobility, double degree, joint and PhD programs, internship programs, Erasmus+ Capacity Building projects, etc.). Moreover, the beneficiaries of these cooperative programs are not limited to only students and professors of Italian language but also those from other majors in HANU such as English, International Studies, Information Technology, Finance and Banking, Accounting, Tourism Management, and even those from other Vietnamese partner universities (Electric Power University, Pharmacy University to name a few) due to the expansion of crosscooperation. Therefore, the number of exchange professors and students has been growing over time and so does the number of enrolled Vietnamese students in Italian universities (Figure 1). Since 2012 ItaCentro sends approximately 130 to 150 students and professors on both outbound and degree programs annually, while only 100 students are inbound. What ItaCentro has done so far to obtain these achievements requires a well-thought-out strategy. The leadership at ItaCentro has always believed that a strong command of language is vital not only in the promotion and exchange of culture but also in adapting and integrating to a new culture. Therefore, ItaCentro has always placed great emphasis on the language competency of its outbound students and professors with exchange and 121 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION full-time students requiring a minimum language competency level of A2 and B2 of the CEFR respectively. Moreover, through the process of self-as- sessment, ItaCentro was able to identify the opportunities and challenges that it must face in each stage of its development. This enables ItaCentro to diversify its cooperative activities while still maintaining and expanding its network of key partners. Figure 1. The number of partners, exchange professors and students and enrolled students from 2007 to 2018. 3.2. Stages of Development 3.2.1. Stage I (2007-2009) The collaboration between HANU and Italian HEIs started in 2007 with the first MOUs and MOAs focusing on short Italian language courses and exchange program for students of HANU’s Italian department. The objective during this period was not ambitious: assessing the curriculum of its Bachelor’s degrees and evaluating the students’ adapting capability in an Italian education environment. The agreements were stipulated with three universities: University for Foreigner of Siena, University of Naples “L’Orientale”, and University of Palermo. The choice of cooperation was made based on the expertise on the teaching of Italian language of these partner universities. Indeed, the first one is a famous public university specialising in the teaching of Italian language for foreigners. As for the other two, their undergraduate degree courses in languages are almost identical, which greatly facilitated student mobility and that subsequently 128 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION Messina, etc.) with the intention of introducing and involving them in such international projects. Not only does ItaCentro helps to connect HEIs, Ita- Centro now plays an active role as the coordinator for cooperative projects and agreements and acts as a mentor for other Vietnamese HEIs in developing cooperation and internationalisation. Partner universities now receive support in every phase of the cooperation, from creating the strategy to formulating the type of cooperation as well as the annual assessment. Furthermore, the cooperative ties with Italian partners were taken to another step in the fields of cultural exchanges, professional education and internship through new agreements with General Confederation of Italian Industry, professional institutes and organisation such as Professional Institute “Francesco Datini” (Prato), Professional Institute “Levi Montalcini” (Acqui Terme), Professional Institute “Aldo Moro” di Santa Cesarea Terme for the Made in Italy Project (2016), Confindustria di Toscana, Confindustria di Pesaro, Confindustria di Arezzo, EnAIP Piemonte (National Organisation Acli Professional Education), etc. The most significant achievement in this stage was 18 successful applications for Erasmus+ Programs, including 16 Key Action 1 (Mobility) and 02 Key Action 2 (Capacity Building: Marco Polo and Voyage Project). Due to these new cooperative initiatives, the number of outgoing professors and students in the past three years has increased sharply, about three times higher than the previous stage. There are now about 50 students who are sent on exchange programs to Italy each year through Erasmus+ alone. Figure 12. Almalaurea Conference in Bologna. 129 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION Figure 13. VOYAGE Kick-off meeting at HANU. Figure 14. MARCO POLO training course at Heriot-Watt University. 130 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION Figure 15. VOYAGE training course at NUAE. 3.3. Strategies for future development Further promoting cooperation with Italian HEIs remains one of the top priorities for ItaCentro. However, cooperative activities from this point onward will not be limited just to the exchange of students and professors or joint degree and double degree programs. ItaCentrro is aiming to extend its reach by coordinating joint research projects and enable research staff exchanges in the near future. Furthermore, ItaCentro will enhance the new partnership built up under the framework of Erasmus+ programs through involving and focusing on other South East Asian (SEA) partners in its network with Italian HEIs. By identifying the key strengths and expertise of each Italian partner HEIs, ItaCentro can provide the appropriate recommendation and connections for SEA HEIs who have the necessary conditions to begin internationalisation but lack the foundation and experience in doing so. In fact, for the time being, ItaCentro has supported the Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Malaya in establishing and developing cooperation with University of Palermo (Architecture, Electricity Engineering, Social Sciences), University of Venice Ca’ Foscari (Malay language teaching), University of Parma, University of Cassino (Global Economics, Telecommunication), University of Camerino (Information Technology, Management), 131 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION University of Messina (International Management, Computer Science), etc. At the moment, ItaCentro is also providing these Malaysian HEIs with support in training Italian language teaching staff, formulating language preparatory course and degree program structure and also familiarising and mentoring them in applying for Erasmus+ projects. Lastly, in order to create more favorable opportunities for Vietnamese students to study and work in an international environment, ItaCentro is aiming to develop a national-level project which could lead to a bilateral agreement between Vietnam and Italy on the reciprocal recognition of university qualifications, with the collaboration of NARIC (Vietnamese National Academic Recognition Information Center) and CIMEA (Italian Information Center on Academic Mobility and Equivalence). 4. CONCLUSION Having obtained the achievements above, ItaCentro is considered an effective example of the successful implementation of internationalisation at Hanoi University. By anticipating and keeping up with the current trends of internationalisation, ItaCentro was able to stay ahead of its HANU counterparts in other language departments. Furthermore, continuously expanding the network of cooperation and diversifying cooperative activities is the key to the success of the Center. This allows ItaCentro and HANU a degree of flexibility in the available types of cooperative activities and helps to appeal to a wider range of audience, not just students but also teaching and research staffs, along with working adults and enterprises. Moreover, it is necessary to choose partners with mutual interests and benefits as both sides can maintain a more long-term and sustainable relationship. This is evident in the case of ItaCentro and the Italian partners who have been consistently participating in a variety of joint Erasmus projects ever since. The next step for ItaCentro in the future is to improve the connectivity of other HEIs in the South East Asian regions with not just Italian but also European HEIs. 5. REFERENCES Altbach, P.G., & Knight, J. (2007). The Internationalisation of Higher Education: Motivations and Realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3/4), 290-305. Retrieved from: <http://www.uni-kassel.de/wz1/mahe/ course/module6_3/01_altbach07.pdf>. Cantu, M. P. (2013). Three Effective Strategies of Internationalisation in American Universities. Journal of International Education and Leadership, 3 (3), 1-12. 132 CONTENTS uerm uuie pgPi rpd drpg reu ueRPpg rerP ITACENTRO: STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONALISATION D, N. (2016). Cùng nh˜u’ng ngu’ò’i ba .n Italy Hu’ó’ng Vê ` Ph’o’ng Đông” [Looking toward the East with Italian friends]. Giáo du .c và Thò’i d – a .i. Retrieved from: <https://giaoducthoidai.vn/giao-duc/cung-nhung-nguoi-ban-italy-huong- ve-phuong-dong-2387447.html>. Hanoi University (2017). Voyage platform transfer. Retrieved from: <http://hanu. edu.vn/vn/tin-tuc-su-kien/3820-voyage-platform-transfer.html>. — (2018). Báo cáo tô�ng kê ´t – Na ˘m ho .c 2018-2019 [Annual Report – Academic Year 2017-2018]. — (2019). Vision and Mission. Retrieved from: <http://internationaloffice.hanu. vn/?p=389>. Istituto Francesco Datini di Prato (2016). Accordo con Università di Hanoi [Agreements with the Hanoi University]. Retrieved from: <https://www.datiniprato. edu.it/eventi-e-iniziative/4010-2/>. Knight, J. (2004). Internationalisation remodeled: Definition, approaches, and rationales. Journal of studies in international education, 8(1), 5-31. — (2012). Student Mobility and Internationalisation: trends and tribulations. Research in Comparative and International Education, 7 (1). Retrieved from: <http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2304/rcie.2012.7.1.20>. Progetto Made in Italy. (2016). Come nasce il Progetto made in Italy [How the Made in Italy Project was created]. Retrieved from: <http://www.progettomadeinitaly.it/attivita-preparatorie/attivita-in-vietnam/progetto-made-in-italy/>. RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM 133 CONTENTS A Qualitative Review of the Current Status of Internationalisation of Six Universities in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam rupert Beinhauer FH Joanneum thilagavathi Shanmuganathan Universiti Malaya WaltrauD jelinek-kriCkl FH Joanneum 1. INTRODUCTION Different approaches towards the promotion and implementation of internationalisation have been adopted by the universities contributing to this book. Minna Söderqvist (2002) has elaborated a model describing the stages which HEIs pass on their way to truly internationalise their offers. In this model, the awareness of the need to internationalise, commitment to planning and implementation of different programmes for enhancing the mobility of students constitute the first stage. In this stage internationalisation is still seen as an end for itself. The second stage starts with the awareness of faculty to internationalise in order to pave the way for the internationalisation of curricula based on faculty exchange and cross-border research. This goes hand in hand with gradually introducing English as a medium of instruction (EMI). The third stage is reached upon embracing an internationalisation strategy and forming strategic alliances. RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM 134 CONTENTS Table 1. Söderqvist Model (Söderqvist, 2007). Zero Stage Internationalisation as Marginal Activity • There are some free movers • Internationalisation is an exotic and status phenomenon – some important actors in the organisation travel to conferences • Foreign languages are taught First stage Student Mobility • Awareness of the need to internationalise • Commitment to planning and implementing different programmes enhancing the mobility of students • Creation of international offices to handle the routines of student mobility • Internationalisation is taken as an end in itself • ECTS becomes an important tool to facilitate counselling and the acknowledgement of foreign studies Second stage Curriculum and Research Internationalisation • Awareness of teachers necessary to make internationalisation of the curriculum and research possible • Organising of teacher mobility • Internationalisation taken as a means to enhance the quality of education • Different ways to internationalise the curriculum • Appointment of international coordinators to handle curriculum and research internationalisation Third stage Institutionalisation of Internationalisation • Internationalisation is given a strategy and a structure • Networking both through cheap travel and new ICT; partnerships and strategic alliances • The quality of internationalisation is receiving more attention • Multiculturalism • Appointment of an internationalisation manager Fourth stage Commercialising the Outcomes of Internationalisation • Exporting education services • Franchising education services • Licensing • Joint ventures • Strategic alliances • Creation of organs to promote commercialisation RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM 135 CONTENTS The final stage is reached when educational products are commercialised (Söderqvist, 2002). HEIs all over the world struggle in the attempt to properly define their internationalisation approach and to move through its stages. Depending on the age and experience, location and networks of universities, the process of moving forward in the internationalisation stages can be faster or slower. Most HEIs worldwide have moved beyond what Söderqvist (2002) has defined as the “Zero Stage”, catering for internationalisation as a marginal activity. Leading universities, however, have already arrived at stage four and started to commercialise education to an extent which carries the potential of “creating severe problems for academic institutions and systems in smaller or poorer nations” (Altbach, 2015). Differences in scientific capacity and resources can also be found between educational systems. While in many developed countries the national support systems for research and academic mobility are well developed and programs for the promotion of cutting-edge research exist, this is often still not the case in emerging and developing countries. These countries often lack strong points of contact for cooperation, which can be more easily achieved with other high-performance science systems, making it much more difficult for the respective universities to connect. A possible conflict of objectives arises between cooperation on the one hand and the strengthening of one’s own competitiveness on the other side; between the pursuit of cooperative relationships on the one hand and international supremacy on the other or between hiring bright minds for your own university on the one hand and the support of productive environment in the home countries on the other side. Contradictions can also be found between the political setting of national goals and the internationalisation strategy of an institution or a network. Difficulties in the scientific collaboration can also arise when different ideas of dealing with issues such as IT and data security and the protection of intellectual property come into play. 2. METHODOLOGY Following a methodology developed in scope of a research project by Franco Pasqualin, Friedl, Pölz-Hobusch and Beinhauer in 2017, which will be explained in detail below, the research questions raised for this contribution are: (1) At which stage of the Söderqvist model are the analysed SEA HEI? (2) What are the main issues the universities currently face? (3) Can indications be found for how to continue the internationalisation process of the analysed SEA HEIs? RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM 136 CONTENTS Qualitative research based on an exploratory design was undertaken for the empirical part of this study for a more holistic view regarding internationalisation in the regional higher educational context of three SEA countries: Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. In-depth interviews with experts (international office staff, managers, heads of degree programs/ departments/institutes, research and development staff) were undertaken. For each country 2 universities have been analysed, in each university five interviews (for a total of 30 interviews have been conducted). The content analysis was carried out following the methodology of Mayring (2014) for qualitative data summary and categorisation. Homogeneity and heterogeneity among the different HEIs regarding the internationalisation components have been observed and discussed under the framework of Söderqvist (2002). 2.1. Data collection 30 interviews were conducted by Austrian student interviewers, who have been on short term mobilities in the target countries between June and July 2019 face-to-face at six HEIs in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The surveyed universities are considered important educational hubs in their respective areas. The results analysis was done in the timeframe of July 2019 to October 2019 in Graz (AT). The questionnaire was semi-structured using a predefined interview guideline allowing for open answers. All interviews were recorded after previous agreement. For each of the questions the expected scope of the answer was described in notes. If the first answer of the interviewee did not encompass the full extent expected, the interviewers asked more detailed questions following the guidelines. The interviews were done in English (as the interviewers could not speak the local languages), and took between 20-40 minutes. The following questions have been asked: Table 2. Semi structured questionnaire for experts’ interview. 1. Internationalisation of universities is a complex matter. Could you please explain what the term internationalisation means for you? 2. Internationalisation of higher education institutions requires working international networks. Most often these networks exist between individual researchers and their international colleagues. To make them accessible for the academic community it is necessary to provide support for the development of formal partnerships. Which kind of international partnerships are supported by your university and how? RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM 137 CONTENTS Table 2. Semi structured questionnaire for experts’ interview (cont.). 3. The internationalisation of the student body can be done in two distinct ways: The recruitment of international students (incoming students) and sending of students to international universities (outgoing students). How does your university try to recruit international (exchange) students? 4. How does your university try to support the internationalisation of national students? 5. Internationally active universities have internationally active staff. The internationalisation of staff involves two pillars, the support of individual activities and centralised offers. How does your university try to support individual activities for staff? 6. Which centralised services does your university provide for internationalisation? 7. An internationally active university needs internationally experienced staff. How does your university attract international experienced staff? 8. Degree programs need to be adapted to fit the requirement of internationalisation. How does your university make sure that degree programs are fit for an international audience? 2.2. Content Analysis process The full audio of each interview was transcribed in full texts. The qualitative methodology to summarise the content of the texts derived from the transcriptions was following Mayring (2014) approach. The following steps were taken: (1) each of the statements given by the interviewees was paraphrased in clear sentences; (2) the paraphrases were assigned to specific predefined categories, which have been; (3) developed deductively from research questions, following exactly defined coding rules (table 3); (4) the answers of all interviewees from one university have been sorted according to these categories and rule, and have been generalised; (5) from all generalised statements a reduction has been defined. One example of how a paraphrase is categorised and reduced is presented in table 4; (6) From all reductions in one category a generalisation has been constructed, leading to a summary of answers from all experts from one university per category. These reductions form the main body of the university interviews’ content analysis. RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM 144 CONTENTS Table 5. Stages of HEI Internationalisation (Söderqvist, 2007: 205). Zero Stage Internationalisation as Marginal Activity There are some free movers; Internationalisation is an exotic and status phenomenon; some important actors in the organisation travel to conferences; foreign languages are taught First stage Student Mobility Awareness of the need to internationalise; commitment to planning and implementing different programmes enhancing the mobility of students; creation of international offices to handle the routines of student mobility; Internationalisation is taken as an end in itself; ECTS becomes an important tool to facilitate counselling and the acknowledgement of foreign studies Reviewed HEI in Vietnam Second stage Curriculum and Research Internationalisation Awareness of teachers necessary to make curriculum and research internationalisation possible; organising of teacher mobility; Internationalisation taken as a means to enhance the quality of education; different ways to internationalise the curriculum; appointment of international coordinators to handle curriculum and research internationalisation Reviewed HEI in Thailand Third stage Institutionalisation Internationalisation is given a strategy and a structure; networking both through cheap travel and new ICT; partnerships and strategic alliances; the quality of internationalisation is receiving more attention; multiculturalism; appointment of an internationalisation manager Reviewed HEI In Malaysia Fourth stage Commercialising the Outcomes Exporting education services; franchising education services; licensing; joint ventures; strategic alliances; creation of organs to promote commercialisation RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM 145 CONTENTS revision and professionalization of offers for international students are the current main challenges, with multiculturalism and hiring of more international staff to increase internationalisation at home being the main aims for the near future. The main challenges can be found in defining high quality strategies and structures, forming lasting partnerships and strategic alliances and creating a truly multicultural environment. Meanwhile, HEIs in Malaysia will need to focus on development of international curricula with dual and joint study programs and aiming to internationally commercialise in the future. 5. CONCLUSION The Söderqvist (2007) model can be used to address the raised questions: (1) At which stage of the Söderqvist (2007) model are the analysed SEA HEI? (2) What are the main issues the universities currently face? (3) Can indications be found for how to continue the internationalisation process of the analysed SEA HEIs? allowing for a clear positioning of the analysed HEIs. The challenges defined in the model fit very well to the interview content and thus main issues as well as future tasks can be related from the model to practical use. Recommendations can be clearly based on the model as long as the situation of the respective HEI and their stakeholders are correctly considered. HEIs need to develop proper strategies and structures to cope with internationalising. The communication flow and alignment between the different levels of a university is a complex matter that requires well defined processes and feedback mechanisms. Each of these levels has its own agenda when it comes to internationalisation. The three levels – University/Institutional, Department, Individual – need to communicate intensively. Activities and initiatives owned by individuals produce an impact for the departments and finally for the institution. Feedback systems need to be established to communicate results and financial resources need to be secured to allow for activities to prosper. This process often depends on specific individuals that ensure sustainability (Hahn, 2004). When looking at the different levels of the internationalisation process (see Figure 1), all HEI surveyed have activities on the individual and department level. A clear distinction can be seen on the management level: the further developed on the Söderqvist (2007) stages, the more importance internationalisation receives on the management level. HEIs RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM 146 CONTENTS need enhanced structures to govern the communication between the three different levels. While a reactive approach might still work on a low stage of internationalisation, the requirements of working feedback mechanisms and clear processes gain in importance on higher levels. Using the results at hand HEI with similar profiles can use the same tools to evaluate their levels and to identify key challenges, which might offer some insights of how to continue on the path of internationalisation. 6. REFERENCES Altbach, P. (2015). Higher Education and the WTO: Globalization Run Amok. International Higher Education. Hahn, K., & Hahn, K. (2004). Integrative Konzepte und Strategien. In K. Hahn, & K. Hahn, Die Internationalisierung der deutschen Hochschulen. Mayring, P. (2014). Qualitative Content Analysis Theoretical Foundation, Basic Procedures and Software Solution. Söderqvist, M. (2002). Internationalisation and Its Management at Higher Education Institutions: Applying Conceptual, Content, and Discourse Analysis. Helsinki School of Economics. — (2007). Internationalisation and its management at higher-education institutions: Applying conceptual, content and discourse analysis. University Level Strategy, Mission, Vision, Contracts, Partner Universities Common Processes, Information Exchange. Department Level Incoming and Outgoing Faculty, Staff, Students, Research Projects, Partner Departments in other Universities. Individual Level Individual Mobilities, Cooperation in Research, Paper Writing, International Thesis Support. Internationalisation Each of these levels need to communicate with each other and to fit together. Procedures Results Figure 1. Levels of Internationalisation. RRupRr upuperRpRP reulrgrrrreu SerpmRgrprrerp rpd arlrRrRd JpluppAAARuiAl A QUIALITATIVE TEVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAySIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM These ten collected works reflect the Universities of Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia’s vision of the Internationalisation of Higher Education. Born of the experiences of both teachers and researchers who have taken part in Erasmus+ Programme and Marco Polo Project, the authors present the different initiatives that have been undertaken in their Institutions in order to improve the process of internationalisation. All of this takes place in a global context conditioned by the important role that internationalisation must play in universities’ strategic plans as their response to the challenge of globalisation – a challenge common to all of them. The Marco Polo Project, co-financed by the European Erasmus+ Programme and led by the University of Seville, embraces European, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese universities. High on the list of the Project’s principal aims are the modernisation of International Offices, the promotion of international inter-university cooperation networks and the transfer of knowledge between the institutions that form the project’s consortium. BOOK COVER