Case study: Driving internationalisation on a University and Department level
Francesca Torlone, Luca Verzichelli, University of Siena
Internationalisation of higher education is meant in terms of strategies and activities that are carried out to integrate an international and intercultural dimension into:
1) Didactics and degree programmes (Bachelor, Master, PhD);
2) Policies and Global labour market;
3) Research programmes and activities.
These features are now at the core of the project of USIena, a traditional mid-sized European University dating back to 1240. USIena counts today over 18.000 students, enrolled in a broad range of degree courses. 20 BA and MA degrees are fully offered in English, in a wide disciplinary range. Others are partially offered in English. It is about one third of the overall teaching offer. The largest part of the 23 PhD Programs offered in Siena (most of them run in collaboration with other Tuscan universities and international partnership) are also taught in English.
A few figures illustrate the international linkages between UNISI and the global dimension:
• more than 400 active Erasmus partnerships;
• more than 500 Erasmus mobility scholarships for outgoing students and trainees per year;
• more than 800 Incoming students and staff per year;
• more than 250 partnerships with Universities in Europe, Africa, Latin America, Canada, Russia, Japan, Middle East, USA, and Vietnam.
But the real challenge of internationalisation has just begun as USIena plans to increase its links with high-level HEIs from Europe, North America and Asia. Cooperation activities in Africa and Latin America have started.
The new set of tools of internationalisation @ home includes
• an online system of international enrolment,
• new services for international students and
• a new plan of web-based strategic communication called International Faculty, designed to increase the quality and the number of visiting researchers and adjunct professors.
After a short presentation of these comprehensive figures, the presentation will focus on the case study of the Department Education, human sciences and intercultural communication (DSFUCI), one of the most internationalized and proactive of the 15 departments of USIena. DISFUCI has been working at all levels of internationalisation: Didactics and degree programmes for Students and Professionals
· For Students
§ Leading Teco research activity (on behalf of ANVUR) we worked at developing and implementing study programmes for the first Bologna cycle in the field of education (Bachelor degree programme in Sciences of education and training, CdL-L19). In two years we have been working with 27 degree courses all over Italy and define core contents based on the 5 Dublin Decriptors as to fix disciplinary and transversal learning outcomes students are expected to achieve at the end of their university study 2
§ Common core contents of a degree course make related programmes comparable, compatible and transparent supporting common recognition of ECTS, ease international mobility among students (in/out), enhance employability
§ Students mobility and exchanges are being designed and implemented in a virtual modality (Winter Schools with UE and extra-UE universities: AUI-Morocco, Canada, Estonia, Florida, Messico, New York, Perù, Ungheria)
· For Professionals
§ International VET activities for professionals working in prison, public security, health settings, SMEs, businesses and social services
· For University Staff (in/out, visiting professors/researchers in a virtual modality)
· As to the degree programmes. Evolving degree programmes for each of the three Bologna cycles towards teaching and learning with an international and intercultural dimension. We are one of the few Sciences of education degree programmes in Italy having Radicalisation prevention issues dealt with in some courses and university activities (international laboratories, seminars, restricted working groups).
That makes degree courses in line with actual and future labour market challenges and help graduates accessing the EU and global labour market
Policies and Global labour market
· Core contents and common ways of recognition of disciplinary and transversal learning outcomes support professional international mobility and prepare graduates for globalization of working practices and cross-cultural environments once students look for a traineeship or a job around Europe
· Core knowledge, skills and competences might help in tracking higher education and VET graduate across the European Union in order to monitor and tackle continued skills mismatch in Member States as recommended by the EGTI initiative. The University of Siena took part in a restricted seminar on that
Research programmes, activities, cooperation
· Internationalised research programmes on specific issues relevant in a global perspective, ie HE tracking for students employability, radicalization, micro-radicalisation, multi-ethnical communities development (ie Foreward project)
· Research activities are being implemented via a strong and regular international cooperation with EU and international research institutions (ie Regale project)
Challenges for the future are in terms of:
· Reinforcing Teco approach among degree programmes within the University of Siena that may increase quality and attractiveness of HE teaching offerings due to the learning outcomes approach adopted
· Monitoring the quality of HE offers in order to support an adequate skills supply for our students in relation to the international labour market’ demands
· Following up the EGTI initiative to track our students employability indicators
· Strengthening and enlarging international cooperation to improve and innovate international didactics and research also in their quality as well as continuously transform internationalization itself