A Study on the Internationalization of Higher Education in China

Abstract

Abstract

A Study on the Internationalization of Higher Education in China

Higher education in China has shown remarkable progress at the turn of the 21st century and has grown in importance throughout the higher education landscape. This paper examines the rationale behind higher education reform led by the Chinese government and how internationalization became the new standard in the process. It also investigates on how the internationalization process is accelerated due to Chinas joining of the WTO and provides evaluation on the impact. In addition, it reviews the internationalization models of the East Asian countries, which serve as a future reference for China. Given the comprehensive overview of the internationalization of higher education in China, this paper further examines how the internationalization process is perceived in the institutional level by interviewing staff working in the offices of international affairs at fifteen universities in China. Despite the differences in the degree of internationalization of each university, the process has brought about new challenges and opportunities. The key findings of this empirical study include that internationalization is seen as a pathway towards advance education quality and will be continued in the future with strong consensus from both the national and institutional levels. There are three problems addressed and words of advice has offered for the university level: difficulty in getting internal cooperation from other offices or departments, shortage of qualified staff for managing international affairs, and concerns regarding maintaining identity as a Chinese university in the process of internationalization. This paper suggests the following practices for the Chinese government for future development: (1) to transfer managerial autonomy to universities by shifting from a rigid relationship to a partnership

(2) to develop policy framework on lowering the gap between the beneficiaries of government projects and unsupported universities and to share the advanced knowledge and system acquired through internationalization

(3) to develop a quality certification system in order to enhance accountability of universities and focus on preventing plagiarism and protecting intellectual property rights and

(4) to keep the values of education as a public good and secure equal access opportunities for its people.