Doing internationalisation in higher education

Background:
Globally, the concept of 'internationalisation' in higher education (HE) is high on the agenda, and Scottish universities are no exception. The internationalisation of higher education is considered a global phenomenon that is understood differently in the literature, in practice, and among HE institutions in different countries (Knight, 2015). Consequently, it is possible that Scottish HE also has its own unique approach to internationalisation. Additionally, institutional policies in higher education, such as those related to globalisation and internationalisation, influence educators' practices. To comprehend the notion of internationalisation in Scottish HE, this study considers educators' perspectives. Educators who teach and conduct research in HE were approached for this study because there is a gap in the literature regarding educators' perspectives (Daniels, 2013; Bedenlier and Zawacki-Richter, 2015; Johnstone and Proctor, 2018), and few, if any, studies have been conducted in Scottish HE from the educators' point of view. This gap in the literature is considered problematic since educators are the ones who 'do' internationalisation in higher education, by implementing and applying institutional policies, including internationalisation policy. Therefore, this paper focuses on a specific aspect of my doctoral research, which aims to explore the role that Scottish educators play (or would like to play) in developing and implementing internationalisation.

Method:
To capture the everyday experiences and understandings (Denzin and Lincoln, 2011) of educators who teach and research in HE, a qualitative method was chosen for this study. Ulrich Beck's Cosmopolitanism (Beck, 2007; Beck and Sznaider, 2010) was used as an analytic framework to explore the research question, as there is also a lack of theorising on internationalisation. The study selected three universities in Scotland to cover a wide range of their published institutional strategies on internationalisation, taking into account the institution's size, geographical location, and category. A total of 15 educators (5 from each university) participated and contributed to the study. In-depth interviews were conducted to collect data and gather educators' perspectives based on their lived experiences and understandings while teaching and researching in HE. The data collected from the interviews were analysed to understand how educators conceptualise and implement internationalisation in Scottish HE.

Results:
Internationalisation can have different meanings for different stakeholders. From an economic perspective, it can refer to expanding overseas student markets to increase fee income, while for others it can involve developing culturally sensitive curricula in collaboration with marginalised communities and creating opportunities for students and lecturers to learn from cultural diversity in the classroom. The findings from this study suggest that the understanding of the notion of 'internationalisation' at the institutional level differs between educators and senior management. Furthermore, the educators' experiences and understandings revealed different perspectives on internationalisation. These perspectives aligned with Knight's (2004) Activity Dimension, and some educators also emphasised the Competency Dimension. The study identified that the presence of different cultures can be a challenging aspect of internationalisation, but teaching international students enhances the educators' practice and makes it more enjoyable. Therefore, culture becomes a significant focus in internationalisation, viewed in various ways. Educators also recognise the importance of culture in the development and practice of internationalisation.

Implications:
These findings indicate a divergence of views regarding the concept of internationalisation and the impact of the cultural context of the institution. Although the study focused on educators' perspectives, the findings suggest implications for various stakeholders in HE. Internationalisation in HE serves multiple purposes, including benefiting society as a whole and meeting the needs of businesses, employers, and students. Educators who teach and conduct research in HE play a vital role and possess insider knowledge that is not fully utilised by HEIs. If this insider knowledge is applied, HEIs could develop a culturally responsive framework for internationalisation policy. It is believed that this study will contribute to the development of institutional strategic policies that incorporate educators' perspectives in constructing an internationalised university.