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.
Please direct questions about this page to:
international@ace.nche.edu
This page last updated on: 08/29/2008
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