Internationalization in higher education: assumptions, meanings and impacts

Abstract

Although assuming new role nowadays, the internationalization of higher education is one of the integral aspects of the organization of the university in its origin. As a complex phenomenon (MOROSINI, 2006), it has demanded an explanation of its conception and planning from the Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Moreover, it demands consistent goals and strategies that meet the institutional particularities with the purpose of promoting and valuing the development of students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff. If, on the one hand, we currently see the presence of internationalization in a large number of universities, on the other, we see the need to reflect on its meaning, assumptions, policies, actions and impacts, be it in the HEI, or at the national and international level. Considering this scenario, the objective of this special issue entitled “Internationalization in higher education: assumptions, meanings and impacts”, was to provide space for analysis and dissemination of the views on internationalization that are being processed, in contemporary times, at the institutional, national and international levels. This special issue is composed of a set of nine articles and one interview, with a wide range of reflections on the topic at hand. The variety of analyses of the texts can also be observed in the diversity of institutions and regions in which the authors work both in Brazil and abroad. In this sense, the articles in this special issue represent an important contribution to the field of Higher Education and, especially, to the scholars of internationalization.