Internationationlisation in New Age India : Higher Educational Institutions

Changes in higher education are becoming more visible as time passes. When compared to the system from years ago, it is apparent that the education system has experienced numerous changes to become more scalable, accessible, and technologically inclined towards global standards in order to meet the needs of the worldwide labor market. To establish an atmosphere that will assist students integrate into the global community and to implement policies that will change the dynamic of higher education throughout the world, the internationalization is the key. Huge impetus is now being put on internationalization, with many claiming it as their primary strategic goal. Several Indian higher education institutions are becoming more committed to broadening their global reach as possibilities to attract overseas students, faculty and financing grow. India, China, and the United States have the largest private higher education systems. India has been designated as the “biggest one” among these, with a stake of 21.9% in global private Higher education and enrollments close to 64.3%. Internationalization of higher education is a topic that a variety of groups are interested in for a variety of reasons, including political, socio- cultural, economic, intellectual, and commercial elements.

Forms of Internationalization:

Internationalization attempts to convert diverse forms in both the domestic and international domains might encompass a wide range of projects, including: Student mobility programs or study abroad programs that allow students to encounter diverse cultures and educational systems that enhance intercultural nature and support the aims of making learners global citizens. It encompasses different facets of cross-border education, including academic mobility in different forms. These initiatives not only aid in the development of interculturality and socio-cultural relevance, but also in the establishment of strategic partnerships between Indian and Foreign universities, which help transform the global higher education outlook while keeping everyone more connected. The Higher Education Strategic Partnerships (SPs) will contribute more in the future to improved quality of higher education
through redesigning of academic programmes, curricula, and collaborations in research and
innovation.

Domestic internationalization, “Internationalization at home” has become important as university diversity grows, and students go for higher education overseas. Internationalization at home refers to initiatives on the home campus that promote the internationalization of higher education, such as luring foreign students and international guest lecturers. It may also be regarded as an approach aimed at integrating course content into a common curriculum while Fostering teacher and student participation in a multicultural learning environment. In addition to the formal learning received from the shared programme material, students may benefit from the general experience of working with classmates from different foreign institutions. This will assist address the perception that student mobility is critical to higher education and give possibilities to students who cannot afford to engage in such program without losing the ability to operate successfully in a globalized world.

The globalization of the curricular approach provides a number of advantages, such as,
i) It exposes people to diversity and promotes multicultural acceptance and comprehension.
ii) It strengthens the potential for cross-cultural conversation among faculty and students. presents a subject or field from a larger viewpoint.

Students are more competitive in the global economy as a result of this program. The faculty and students can work on emerging scientific initiatives. Facilitators may be chosen from outside the topic or the university. They will be made up of education, learning, and globalization professionals who can give guidance, counsel, and helpful assistance. The globalization of research has prompted changes in faculty positions at institutions all around the world. Research looked at how women academicians perceived the hurdles, facilitators, and career rewards of working on multinational projects. Thirteen women took part in semi-structured interviews that revealed six key themes. Research collaborations help the university’s goal of knowledge exchange and dissemination. International collaboration has been found to increase research productivity and the impact of their study. Internationalization at SRM University AP The forms of internationalization are worldwide in scope and are usually used by all institutions due to their transformative pedagogy to accomplish their ambitions. At SRM University AP, several initiatives towards internationalization have been taken, as depicted in Figure 1.

Forms of Internationalisation
International
Admission

Summer Immersion
Program

Inbound Mobility

Faculty ExchangeSemester Abroad
Program

Higher Studies
International
University and Industry
Collaborations

Figure 1: Forms of Internationalization at SRM University AP

At SRM University AP, the internationalisation runs through every aspect, for instance, global nfrastructure, international admissions and outreach, hugely flexible curricula of international standards, internationally exposed faculty, international research collaborations, coteaching of courses by faculty from foreign universities, international internships and placements. The students are encouraged to participate in Global Immersion Programs, international internships, Semester Aboard Programs, and Student Exchange Programs, with the aim to give them a global perspective, through our partnerships with Universities, Organizations, and Institutions worldwide. In order to get maximum participation from students/other stake holders. Over 200 students participated in our Global Immersion Programs to Dubai, Malaysia, and Indonesia, where they learned about culture and diversity, and interact with faculty.

International students from various backgrounds, including those from Nepal, Bhutan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and other nations, are now being hosted by the SRM University AP. Now, they make up (3%) of the campus. By implementing numerous outreach activities, providing merit scholarships and more importantly creating a inclusive environment at our campus we aim to broaden the heterogeneity of our university and create a stimulating atmosphere for foreign students. We want to increase the number of foreign admissions to (4%) by the upcoming academic year and (10% ) by 2030 in order to accommodate the enormous quantity of cultural variety that will eventually prevail on campus. Students from the SRM AP have been accepted
into 100+ international internships and research programs across the globe, allowing them to gain hands-on work experience. We have developed and implemented a program called Aadi Gyan, Indian immersion program exclusively dedicated to immerse participants in Indian culture, skills, talent, performing arts, tourism etc in which 25 students from UTP Malaysia participated and more from various parts of globe are expected in coming times. SRM AP also has 160 plus students from over 30 countries enrolled in our programs.

The University of Melbourne’s student webinars, Dr. Orazio Aiello’s Internet of Things talk (University of Genoa, Italy), Prof. Geert Lovnik’s presentation on programmed sadness (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands)., and other themes have all eatured guest lectures from international academics on a variety of occasions. Also, experts From SRM AP performed cooperative research initiatives and delivered lectures at institutions
abroad.

Summary:

Globalization has become popular in many industries and the term is buzzing everywhere. The education industry is a necessity of the hour as it has the potential to impact all other industries in the long run. To reap the true benefits of internationalization in a university setup, a lot of work
must be done at the foundation level. Universities need to open their doors to internationalization not only to raise their standards & diversity but also to keep up with the competitive market. An effort must be made to ensure that the educational environment is competitive, academically hygienic, supportive of equality, and fundamentally help learners be adaptable to all kinds of challenges they may face in their profession. Internationalization goes beyond simply enrolling foreign students and hiring foreign faculty to teach the students in Indian universities. While SRMUAP is predominantly homogeneous at the moment, one of our future goals is to change that via intercultural awareness, celebrating diversity, and language acquisition. The participation of students in transfer programmes, student exchange programmes, semester abroad programmes, familiarity programmes, etc., is yet another thing we intend to absolutely encourage. We aim to achieve our goals every day with all of these aspirations since achieving such great endeavors’ takes a lot of commitment, determination and dedication.

Contributed by Dr.Naga S. Pasupuleti, Director International Relations and Higher Studies Prof. Manoj K. Arora, Vice Chancellor, SRM University – Andhra Pradesh

Views expressed are personal.

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