Quality Council Webinar: Internationalisation of HEI - a Driver for Quality?

 The Quality Council hosted a webinar titled Internationalisation of HEI - a Driver for Quality? on January 28, 2021.

Please find video recordings of Presentations and Panel Discussions below. Presentations are also available as pdf files below.

Traditionally, internationalisation of HEI has been defined as the integration of an international/ intercultural dimension into all the activities of a university, including teaching, research and service functions (OECD, 1999). This may entail one or more of the following: international engagement of faculty (both in research and teaching); available and accessible international study programmes; the presence and integration of international students and faculty within the institution; and units such as student housing and student organisations where all groups have equal rights. In shaping international studies it is important to build on the diverse knowledge that student groups bring with them and seek to develop a multicultural learning community where an attempt is made to mobilise diverse student groups for participation.

The webinar explored whether the internationalisation of Icelandic HEIs can increase the quality of  their educational activities, with a special focus on newly created opportunities at a European level and the need to serve the growing multicultural population at home.

 

Presentations

 

1. Internationalisation of HEI – What do we mean? (starts at 8:28)  Download PDF

Elspeth Jones, Emerita Professor, Internationalisation in Higher Education, Leeds Beckett University, UK

2. Cooperation across borders, languages and disciplines: European Universities – Relevant and high-quality higher education. (starts at 36:11)  Download PDF

Harpa Sif Arnarsdóttir, Policy Officer, European Commission, DG Education and Culture

3. Internationalisation at home – Support for a multicultural learning community. (starts at 58:19)  Download PDF

Brynja E. Halldórsdóttir, Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of Iceland

4. International bench learning: A case study from Finland. (starts at 1:21:02)  Download PDF

Anna Grönlund, Head of Internationalization & Higher Education Policy, Jyväskylä University, Finland

5. Growing potential of internationalization in quality improvement of higher education. Perspectives from the European Students' Union. (starts at 1:41:07)  Download PDF

Pegi Pavletic, Executive Committee Member at the European Students' Union

 

Panel and discussion: How do we strengthen educational development towards internationalisation of university curriculum?

 

Panel Chair: Guðrún Geirsdóttir Director for the Centre of Teaching and Learning, University of Iceland

Panelists:

1. Þórunn Bjarnadóttir, Director of Intercultural Education, Global Programs & Strategy Alliance, University of Minnesota
2. Sigurður Halldórsson, Programme Director for NAIP, Icelandic University of the Arts
3. Auðbjörg Björnsdóttir, Director for the Centre of Teaching and Learning, University of Akureyri
4. Marion Dellinger, PhD Student, Dept. of Aquaculture & Fish Biology - Hólar University and University of Iceland

 

Posted on 7 Jan 2021.