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Exploring Innovation of Internationalisation Effectiveness in the Higher Education Sector: A Systematic Review
This is a peer-reviewed entry published in Encyclopedia Journal, full entry can be found at 10.3390/encyclopedia5020080

The government, business, and higher education sectors benefit from internationalisation. This viewpoint is articulated considering the improved academic quality and international recognition derived from faculty/student exchange programs and research partnerships, which elevate academic standards and the institution’s profile internationally. This systematic review is intended to (i) highlight the prevalence of current publications and other research-related activities that are steered towards the innovation of internationalisation in Higher Education Sector (HES), (ii) analyse and organise data on the impact of internationalisation effectiveness in the HES, and (iii) conclude with future characteristics of internationalisation effectiveness with suggestions to government, decision-makers, and institutions to achieve sustainable education sector. A search strategy was initiated through various research databases within the years 2005–2024. Of the 3865 identified papers from the database search, 3558 were excluded, and 307 were selected, of which 32 publications were utilised in the review process. The study identified several themes: transformation, factors, global nationality, international mobility, impact, curriculum and strategic framework. The study highlights the need to decolonise the HES for internationalisation effectiveness. This study also highlights future empirical research on the innovative effects of internationalisation for economic development.

innovation internationalisation Africanisation higher education international mobility decolonisation strategy framework transformation
Internationalisation is regarded as an anticipated choice for expanding the delivery of services, while innovation refers to new ideas that can create change in an existing system [1]. Innovation of internationalisation in the higher education sectors (HES) can be significant towards achieving the United Nations Vision 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) numbers 4 (quality education) and 17 (partnerships for the goals) [2]. Equally, internationalisation equips students with the language proficiency, cultural knowledge, and global perspectives that employers highly value in today’s interconnected workforce [3]. Furthermore, cooperation between industry and internationalised institutions fosters innovative research, technological transfer, and international commercialisation opportunities [4]. Higher education is a valuable sector for the government since international students make substantial contributions to the national economy through tuition, living expenditures, and spending [5]. Similarly, sponsoring international students and scholars develops diplomatic contacts and fosters long-term goodwill, helping the country achieve its worldwide impact and foreign policy objectives [6].
The discussion on the innovation of internationalisation in the education sector started recently with the government’s increased attention, demand for research, and rapid expansion of the sector [7]. Mittelmeier et al. [4] mentioned that internationalisation is increasingly becoming a considerable and foremost practice in Africa, Asia, Europe, and other continents. The evolution of the innovation of internationalisation could be based on guidelines that govern the assurance of the procedures in place. Ideally, such guidelines can be necessary towards achieving a transformative education system. This review explores the innovation of internationalisation in the HES. Figure 1 shows a framework as guidance for the review.
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Figure 1. The study framework.
Innovation of internationalisation is undoubtedly one of the significant characteristics of technological transformation in various sectors, such as education [8]. It is also regarded as an underlying force that cannot be isolated, as it allows identifiable values in various sectors, but, equally, creates a disparity in the thoughts of legislators, administrators, politicians, investigators, and authorities regarding transformation [9].
With the economic restructuring, developing nations such as South Africa (SA) are beginning to enhance their internationalisation practices to include the educational sector [10]. Internationalisation effectiveness would require including cross-border mobility, curriculum restructuring, global nationality, interactions among local and international students and staff, and the exclusion of Western influence in the education sector [11]. This would require embracing innovation in internationalisation-related issues for effective higher education practices.
The framework on internationalisation in the education sector is deemed as a guideline set out by the authorities to monitor, manage, and control the internationalisation process and procedures [12]. There is also an indication that the framework needs to absorb the idea of decolonisation to comprehend the demand for innovative internationalisation practices in nations [13]. Therefore, there is a need to conduct a systematic review to explore the innovation of internationalisation effectiveness in the HES and its impact towards achieving economic development.

A Brief Description of Innovation and Internationalisation

There are numerous misconceptions about the meaning of innovation and internationalisation, as well as their place in the research area. Innovation is described as the “process of bringing about new ideas, methods, products, services, or solutions that have a significant positive impact and value” [14] (p. 1). Innovation is regarded as a novel way of initiating a change process in an existing system. Thus, innovation in higher education could portray new ways of tutoring and sharing of knowledge, as well as ideas in the sector.
Knight [15] (p. 9) defines internationalisation as “a series of international activities such as academic mobility for students and teachers; international relations; partnerships and projects; new international academic programmes; and research initiatives”. Teichler [16] (p. 180) also defines internationalisation as “the integration of international, intercultural and global dimensions into the curriculum and teaching-learning process in institutions”. Both definitions describe internationalisation as significant towards developing the education system.
Given the critical role of innovation in other spheres [17], including the recent revelations of its value in higher education [18]. It is necessary to intentionally further the discourse through a systematic review to examine how innovation could impact internationalisation effectiveness and highlight the future characteristics of the HES.

Reasons for Systematic Review

Internationalisation has been in demand for a long period, yet research on the innovation of internationalisation in the HES is still at a developing stage [19]. However, there is an increase in the demand for research on the subject in several sectors, such as education in developing economies. Interestingly, most developed/developing countries, such as the United States of America (USA), Australia, China, and South Africa, have invested resources towards successful internationalisation practices. However, several other nations are yet to identify the contribution of internationalisation to their economy [20]. Therefore, a systematic review is significant towards identifying information from previous studies on the innovation of internationalisation effectiveness in the HES.

New Idea Concerning This Systematic Review

The range of this review is from 2005 to 2024. Previous studies on internationalisation in HES were focused on multidisciplinary reviews conducted through extracts from different sources such as academia, educational programmes, decolonial perspectives, retrospective learning, and transformations. This review aims to (i) highlight the prevalence of current research on innovation and internationalisation in the HES, (ii) analyse and organise data on internationalisation effectiveness, and (iii) conclude with the future characteristics of the innovation of internationalisation effectiveness research and outcomes. A systematic review will be necessary to guide in identification of several themes from published papers on innovation and internationalisation in the HES.

References

  1. Kriz, A.; Welch, C. Innovation and Internationalisation Processes of Firms with New-to-the-World Technologies. J. Int. Bus. Stud. 2018, 49, 496–522.
  2. Lim, M.A. Internationalisation and the Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education: The Promise of Internationalism and the Danger of Positionalism. J. High. Educ. Policy Leadersh. Stud. 2024, 5, 22–34.
  3. Gurney, P.; Michaud, M. English Language Education and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Japan. TESOL Commun. 2024, 3, 15–25.
  4. Mittelmeier, J.; Rienties, B.; Rogaten, J.; Gunter, A.; Raghuram, P. Internationalisation at a Distance and at Home: Academic and Social Adjustment in a South African Distance Learning Context. Int. J. Intercult. Relations 2019, 72, 1–12.
  5. Avolio, B.; Benzaquen, J. Internationalization Strategies for Non-Western Higher Educational Institutions: A Systematic Literature Review and Conceptual Framework. Int. J. Educ. Manag. 2024, 38, 1079–1099.
  6. Kapfudzaruwa, F. Internationalization of Higher Education and Emerging National Rationales: Comparative Analysis of the Global North and South. High. Educ. Policy 2024, 1–30.
  7. Bronkhorst, S.; Nieuwenhuizen, C. Globalisation, Internationalisation and Export Opportunities for South Africa. UJContent 2019, 1–16.
  8. Knight, J. Internationalization: Concepts, Complexities and Challenges. In International Handbook of Higher Education; Forest, J.J.F., Altbach, P.G., Eds.; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2007; pp. 207–227.
  9. Knight, J. Is Internationalisation of Higher Education Having an Identity Crisis? In The Forefront of International Higher Education; Maldonado-Maldonado, A., Bassett, R.M., Eds.; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2014; pp. 75–88.
  10. Liu, Y. Research on the Influence of Venture Capital on the Internationalization Development of Science and Technology Enterprises. Financ. Eng. Risk Manag. 2023, 6, 41–45.
  11. Rodas-Tobar, M.D.; Riofrío, G.; Bravo, A.; Loaiza, A. Curricular Internationalization: Use and Benefits of Information and Communication Technology Tools. In Proceedings of the 2023 XIII International Conference on Virtual Campus (JICV), Porto, Portugal, 25–26 September 2023; pp. 1–5.
  12. Khumalo, N.B. The Need for the Establishment of E-records and eHealth Legislation and Policy Framework in the Health Sector in Zimbabwe. Libr. Philos. Pract. 2017, 1662, 1–19.
  13. Obadire, O.; Mashau, T.; Misumi, C. Understanding Internationalisation of Higher Education in the Era of COVID-19. Gend. Behav. 2020, 18, 16767–16786.
  14. Udekwe, E.; Iwu, C.G. The Nexus Between Digital Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship Education, and Entrepreneurial Intention and Entrepreneurial Motivation: A Systematic Literature Review. MDPI Educ. Sci. 2024, 14, 1211.
  15. Knight, J. Internationalization Remodelled: Definition, Approaches, and Rationales. J. Stud. Int. Educ. 2004, 8, 5–31.
  16. Teichler, U. Internationalisation Trends in Higher Education and the Changing Role of International Student Mobility. J. Int. Mobil. 2017, 1, 177–216.
  17. Holmberg, M.; Holmström-szugalski, M. Internationalization Through E-Commerce-Exploring Perceived Risks and Understanding the Challenges Ahead. Master’s Thesis, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, 2017.
  18. Munusamy, M.M.; Hashim, A. Internationalisation and the ASEM Education Process: The Malaysian Higher Education Experience. High. Educ. Q. 2021, 75, 500–516.
  19. Knight, J. Updated Definition of Internationalization. Int. High. Educ. 2003, 33, 2–3.
  20. Marinoni, G.; Egron-Polak, E.; Green, M. A Changing View of the Benefits of HE Internationalisation. Univ. World News Glob. Wind. High. Educ. 2019, 1–5.
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Subjects: Education & Educational Research
Contributors MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register :
Emmanuel Udekwe
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Olusegun Samson Obadire
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Chux Gervase Iwu
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Online Date: 11 Jun 2025
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