From internationalisation to global perspectives

Abstract

Over the past decade, many universities have re-evaluated their roles and approaches towards learning in the context of a globalised society. Some institutions have responded to globalisation by marketing themselves more effectively internationally. Others have responded by promoting ideas such as graduates as global citizens or by focusing on specific challenges associated with globalisation, such as sustainable development. Using UK examples, this article reviews the different ways in which universities are responding to globalisation. It will suggest that a framework of global perspectives, based on initiatives developed at Bournemouth University, can play a role in challenging orthodoxies about internationalisation and globalisation in higher education. Through the experiences of UK higher education in engineering, it will discuss the challenges and rewards of pursuing global perspectives as a response to globalisation.

Keywords:

• globalisation
• global citizenship
• higher education
• internationalisation
• sustainable development

Acknowledgements

I am indebted to Hiroyuki Takagi for permission to make reference to the examples from University College London, which come from his doctoral research on the internationalisation of the undergraduate curriculum.