Starting Points
Why internationalise?
Reviewing Progress
How do we know it is working?
Reflect on whether internationalisation work is meaningful, inclusive, sustainable and useful.
Why this matters
Internationalisation is not complete once a programme introduces mobility, international students, English language teaching, guest speakers or partnerships. Programmes need ways to review whether these choices support learning, inclusion, reciprocity, confidence and future opportunities. Reviewing progress does not need complex indicators. It can start with simple questions: what did we hope would happen, what evidence do we have, who benefited, who was excluded and what should we change?
Key questions
- What does success look like in our programme?
- What evidence do we already collect?
- Are we measuring numbers or quality of experience?
- How do we know students are learning from intercultural encounters?
- How do we identify silence, exclusion or tokenism?
- What do we change as a result of feedback?
Notes & Resources
This section brings together resources, examples, references and practical ideas that may help you explore the topic further. Use what is relevant to your context, and adapt it as needed.
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Ask what internationalisation is actually doing for students
A major review of internationalisation research examines which practices show evidence of impact on students’ experiences and outcomes, while highlighting where evidence remains limited or inconclusive.
Internationalisation and students’ outcomes or experiences: A review of the literature 2011–2022 · Mittelmeier, Lomer, Al Furqani & Huang · Advance HE · 2022 -
Use evaluation to learn and adapt, not simply to report
A practical toolkit for evaluating educational practice through collaborative, evidence-informed approaches, including guidance on evaluation methods, student voice and involving students as evaluation partners.
Evaluating your practice · Institute of Teaching and Learning · University of Manchester -
Look for different kinds of value created over time
The Value Creation Framework offers a way of tracing how learning and interaction generate different forms of value, combining indicators with stories and other evidence rather than relying on a single measure of success.
Promoting and assessing value creation in communities and networks · Wenger, Trayner & de Laat · 2011
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