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Comprehensive Internationalization

Although the term international education has a long history in the United States, ACE instead uses internationalization, a term that suggests an ongoing process that includes many different approaches and strategies. The term internationalization is widely used in other countries and has gained currency in the United States. The use of the verb form to internationalize suggests a move from description to action, a process rather than a set of activities. Knight (1999) defines it as the process of infusing an international or intercultural dimension into the teaching, learning, research, and service functions of higher education.¹

For some, internationalization means adding a few programs or courses, increasing the number of students going abroad, or recruiting additional international students. Such changes generally entail doing more of the same thing, or doing the same things in a slightly different way. But another view of internationalization, one that sees it as pervading the institution and affecting a broad spectrum of people, policies, and programs, leads to deeper and potentially more challenging change. Comprehensive internationalization is the ACE shorthand for this broad, deep, and integrative international practice that enables campuses to become fully internationalized.

¹ Knight, J. cited in Olson, C. L., Green, M. F., and Hill, B. A (2005). Building a Strategic Framework for Comprehensive Internationalization. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.

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This page last updated on: 08/29/2008