Internationalization of Universities as Internationalization of Bildung

pects of the learning and teaching experience, including curricula, charac-
teristics of the student population, and infusion of the concept of interna-
tionalization through the research, teaching and service aspects of the uni-
versity.

• Internationalization does not simply relate to a geographical concept as the
intercultural aspect included in this definition makes clear. The differences
in thinking, in behavior, and in culture are the stimulating factors in the in-
teractivity between the individuals. Individuals do not necessarily have to
cross the border to find this kind of “New” because different cultur-
al/ethnic groups are found within a country.⁷ However, people from oth-
er countries are generally more different when compared to people from
other countries, than are people within a country when compared to each
other.

Nevertheless this definition is not sharp enough and focuses solely on the institu-
tional aspect of internationalization. The perspective of the individual and its di-
mension of edification are ignored. As described before, internationalization con-
fronts students with the different other in a university context - thereby it stimu-
lates the learning process. To take this central aspect into account the preceding
definition of university internationalization is modified in the following way:

“Internationalization of higher education is the process of creating an international
environment in research, in teaching and in studying with the aim of supporting
the international interactivity of involved individuals in all above-mentioned
fields.”

4. How to measure internationalization?

Currently, nearly every university is involved in several exchange programs with
foreign partner universities and has an international office to assist incoming and
outgoing students. Should such a university already be called international? Since
no university was international from its start, internationalization seems to be a
process which starts from less internationalization to more or full internationaliza-
tion. However there should be a benchmark to assess where on this spectrum a
university currently is on the road to internationalization. Knowing about the sta-
tus quo makes it much easier to develop strategies for moving forward along this

⁷ Knight, p. 16.

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