Issue
28(1)
A
Handbook for Advancing Comprehensive Internationalization: What
Institutions can do and what students should learn. (2006).
Christa L. Olson, Madeleine F. Green,
and Barbara A. Hill. Washington D.C.: American Council of Education.
150 pp., $40.00 (paperback) . Item no: 311362
Review
by: Matthew Church
Academic
Counselor Senior
Arts
& Sciences Advising
University
of Louisville
Higher
education is changing and educators must take a global approach
to practice and curriculum. Higher education must prepare students
to function and succeed in a global society. A
Handbook for Advancing Comprehensive Internationalization: What
institutions can do and what students should learn (2006)
aims to provide practical advice to institutions striving to meet
the challenge of educating students for the global age (p. ix).
The text is the result of a six-year project undertaken by the
American Council for Education in partnership with institutions
aiming to create internationalization plans. The premise of this
work is that a high quality undergraduate education must prepare
students to be effective workers and global citizens who can think
and act with global awareness (p. x). The text does not purport
to provide the key to the best internationalization plan or develop
a rubric for all internationalization plans; instead the authors
believe plans rely on the circumstances and particulars of each
institution. Instead, this work offers suggested steps and processes
to create an internationalization plan and compose and construct
planning teams.
The
text consists of four chapters and an appendix of internationalization
plans from higher education institutions. The first chapter outlines
the terminology of internationalization and tips for forming the
project team. The second chapter focuses on using global learning
outcomes to draft an internationalization plan. The final two
chapters focus on conducting an internationalization review and
developing an internationalization plan. One of the most important
ideas proffered by the text is the idea that global learning outcomes
must link with other campus processes. Within this idea is a vital
lesson for higher education internationalization: institutions
cannot internationalize just to internationalize, but must internationalize
in a way to compliment existent campus procedures (p. 43). The
authors discuss internationalization reviews in chapter 3 and
allude to the way internationalization reviews can focus a campus
on institutional goals for internationalization and how current
strategies can bolster these goals. The authors provide a schematic
for the necessary component of an internationalization plan. As
proposed by the authors, the necessary elements of an internationalization
plan include: vision statement, strategic priorities, objectives
and performance indicators, action items to achieve objectives,
and costs (p. 66).
The text is
an invaluable tool for advisors. Academic advisors serving on
committees related to internationalization plans for their institutions
will find the text especially useful. The authors highlight the
need for global education and learning and include strategies
to compose internationalization plans that can be easily transferred
to promoting study abroad programs. Employing the internationalization
of institutional goals, advisors can further promote international
learning and study abroad. Advisors can use the benefits of international
learning to pursue increased institutional support for study abroad
or link increased study abroad programs to internationalization
efforts. Additionally, the potential benefit of study abroad programs
tied to internationalization efforts allows opportunity for curricular
revisions to make study abroad credit better accepted and encouraged.
A Handbook for Advancing Comprehensive Internationalization:
What Institutions can do and what students should learn is
an excellent work the outlines methods for drafting an internationalization
plan and, in the process, provides opportunity for advisors to
promote global learning in institutional goals and curricula.
