Streamlining internationalization strategies for the Department of Education at a Mid-Atlantic State University: context and recommendations
Date
2002
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This Educational Leadership Portfolio (ELP) provides recommendations on internationalization strategies for the Department of Education (DoE) at a Mid-Atlantic State University (MASU). These recommendations are based on the premises that most U.S. institutions of higher education are responding to global challenges and pressures to internationalize their programs, curricula, and degree offerings. Findings of this portfolio demonstrate that a given DoE has the capacity to build on internationalization practices parallel to university-wide strategies while adhering to its own specific goals. ☐ Artifacts illustrate the efforts I made to develop these recommendations. Efforts began with conducting literature and policy reviews on the topic. I also conducted an organizational review of a sponsoring agency as an illustrative example of how international partners might differ from U.S. higher education institutions in their approach of considering what constitutes a reliable institution for international students. Understanding these nuances will save U.S. higher education institutions time and money because principles of customer service and stakeholder engagement are a priori present in the U.S. higher education system (Lapovsky, 2019). Similarly, when U.S. higher education institutions engage with international sponsors, they need to understand that successful partnerships are a result of accepting and understanding the norms and principles of operation as seen by the sponsors. Sometimes (as discussed in Appendix D) international institutional partners have different management mechanisms than U.S. counterparts. ☐ Next, I developed a program evaluation plan for an international professional development program currently administered by MASU. Although conducting a longitudinal study for programs like this will be a challenge, recommendations provided in the artifact can be considered in the context of similar customized programs that the Department of Education can initiate with other global partners. I then conducted a comparative analysis of written strategic institutional plans of MASU’s comparator institutions or Schools/ Departments of Education to analyze how internationalization is articulated in those plans and what specific initiatives serve as a sign of success for those institutions. Finally, through conducting a faculty survey I was able to identify the perceptions of the DoE faculty towards different aspects of internationalization and identify the areas of interest for further internationalization. ☐ As a result, I developed four recommendations that the Department of Education at MASU can consider to potentially streamline efforts in internationalization. These recommendations include forming a faculty task force; expanding on communication and interaction with institutional partners and volunteer ambassadors to expand on domestic internship opportunities in international education; conducting educational seminars for faculty and staff to explain the benefits of internationalization; and capitalizing on the Department’s domestic and international reputation by promoting its programs to international students and scholars. These recommendations, if implemented in whole or in part, can serve as a solid ground for continuous internationalization of the Department of Education at MASU. The University already demonstrated strong commitment to internationalization by incorporating internationalization strategies and initiatives in the Strategic Plan and participation in the American Council on Education (ACE) Internationalization Laboratory for the 2019-2020 cycle. Because ACE Internationalization Lab focuses on strategies developed for institutions rather than individual departments, recommendations of this ELP focus on the DoE’s capacity and articulated interest in internationalization and how those fit with institutional mandate for internationalization.
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Keywords
Curriculum internationalization, Faculty perception on internationalization, Higher education internationalization, Internationalization of higher education, Internationalization strategies