Panel 6: Internationalisation and Transnationalisation of Higher Education – A Chance for Africa and African Universities?
Panel organiser: Stefanie Baumert (University of Leipzig, Germany)
Contact: stefanie.baumert@uni-leipzig.de
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Current global discussions on universities are dominated by perceptions of crisis. Rising student numbers, shrinking state resources, lack of efficiency as well as changing expectations of students are some of the challenges universities are facing worldwide. In such a situation of uncertainty, a strategic question especially for African universities is whether this crisis can be met best through strategies of either transnationalisation or nationalisation. While there are African systems of higher education which are eager to connect with the rest of the world and to catch up with excellent international top-level research, others are oriented towards the inner development of the national society focussing on local problems. Processes of transnationalisation in the context of higher education shall be understood as widespread border crossing phenomena and activities. The panel invites contributions from researchers and practitioners alike, especially representatives from African universities and continental scientific bodies on concrete transnational projects which are accompanied by an exchange of ideas and the adaptation of foreign elements into local contexts. Of particular interest are analyses dealing with the current internationalisation approaches at institutional levels. Among them are the increase in international mobility, international partnerships, consortia and research networks as well as in joint teaching and research. Key questions addressed by the panel are: What do we actually mean when we talk about internationalisation and transnationalisation in higher education and what are the mechanisms and instruments at stake? Where do we see current challenges and dangers? What are the lessons learnt so far and what could be regarded best practice in this respect? And: What may be the benefits and chances of these processes for African universities (e.g. brain drain vs. brain circulation)? |