Between promises and pitfalls: the impact of mobility on the internationalization of higher education

ABSTRACT

The study presented in this article aims at understanding the relevance of mobility initiatives to the internationalisation efforts of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). By building upon relevant literature, 17 propositions related to this contribution were identified. Empirical evidence from a concrete case of a European university was then used to evaluate those propositions. Data was collected from individual interviews to 19 outgoing faculty and from focus groups with 32 incoming students, resulting in the identification of the promises and pitfalls of mobility. The study concludes that HEIs must define clear strategies and carefully manage their mobility activities to maximise the potential benefits for internationalisation. Based on this main implication, it presents a set of managerial recommendations that may be relevant for those involved in administering or promoting international mobility programmes at universities, governments or international organisations, and for researchers in higher education.

KEYWORDS:

• Higher education
• internationalisation
• student mobility
• faculty mobility
• education
• globalisation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gonçalo Paiva Dias

Gonçalo Paiva Dias is associate professor at the School of Technology and Management of Águeda (ESTGA) and full researcher at the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP) at the University of Aveiro. He held several positions at the University, including Vice Rector, Dean of ESTGA, and Director of the degree in Information Technology. He is a member of the International Editorial Review Board of the International Journal of Electronic Government Research (IJEGR), the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Information Systems Engineering & Management (JISEM), and the Scientific Committee of the Iberian Journal of Systems and Information Technology (RISTI). He publishes regularly on the subjects of e-government, information systems and technologies, and higher education.

Belem Barbosa

Belem Barbosa received her PhD in Business and Management Studies - specialisation in Marketing and Strategy from the University of Porto, Portugal. She is Adjunct Professor at the University of Aveiro, being currently programme director of the MSc in Marketing. She is a member of GOVCOPP, the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy. Her research interests lie primarily in the area of consumer behaviour, including word-of-mouth communication, internet marketing and sustainability marketing. She is also interested in internationalisation of higher education, including mobility and internationalisation at home.

Claudia Amaral Santos

Claudia Amaral Santos has a PhD in Linguistics/Terminology from the University of Aveiro and NOVA Social School of Sciences and Humanities. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Aveiro, where she coordinates the Languages and Social Sciences team and International Mobility programmes in her Department. She is a member of the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy (GOVCOPP) and a collaborator at the Research Unit on Languages, Literatures and Cultures (CLLC). Her main research interests are focused on education and internationalisation, employability, innovation and sustainability.

Margarida M. Pinheiro

Margarida M. Pinheiro is an adjunct professor at the Institute of Accounting and Administration, University of Aveiro (ISCA-UA) and an integrated researcher at the Research Centre Didactics and Technology in Education of Trainers (CIDTFF). She received a Ph.D. in social sciences. Her research has been disseminated through a variety of channels, including conferences, international peer-reviewed journals, books and book chapters. Also, she has been presenting communications, including by invitation, in several international and national conferences. Her primary research interests are in education, namely in learning and teaching methodologies in higher education and related areas of human and social behaviour. More recently she has been researching internationalisation of universities, namely on teacher mobility and student mobility.

Dora Simões

Dora Simões is Adjunct Professor in computer science area and member of the DigiMedia - Digital Media and Interaction Centre, at University of Aveiro, Portugal. She received her PhD in Informatics Engineering from University of Porto, Portugal, in 2008. Between 2011 and 2017, she integrated the committee to support the Tutoring Programme of the University of Aveiro (PT-UA). She published two books by IGI Global: Handbook of Research on Digital Natives Engaging in Higher Education and Smart Marketing with Internet of Things, having several other publications in books and international and national scientific journals. Her current research interests include organisational information and knowledge management systems, relationship marketing and collaborative virtual networks, and digital technologies in education.

Sandra Filipe

Sandra Filipe has a PhD in Marketing from the ISCTE Business School - University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE –IUL). She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Aveiro (ISCA-UA) and director of the short-cycle higher technical course (TESP) in Sales Management and Marketing. She is a member of the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy (GOVCOPP). Her main research interests are focused on consumer behaviour, relationship marketing, corporate social responsibility, tourism, higher education, among others