The impact of internationalization on institutional strategy: a descriptive case study of a private business school EDU 702 Pilot Project Preliminary presentation Sholpan Tazabek

Introduction: overview of the project RATIONALE: in a knowledge-based society universities foster “global learning” (McCormack, 2013, p. 2), which caused international competition among higher education institutions and impacted them in the number of ways. The impact on institutional strategy is limitedly studied. PURPOSE: to understand how institutional strategy is influenced by the internationalization of higher education RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 1)What are major impacts on institutional strategy resulting from the internationalization of higher education? 2)How have these impacts reshaped the overall strategy of a university?

Methodology RESEARCH DESIGN: a qualitative case study DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS: a)documentary analysis b)in-depth interview DATA COLLECTION PERIOD: April 17-30, 2015 DATA COLLECTED: a)five institutional documents  University development strategy for (old version)  University development strategy for (new version)  University internationalization agenda by 2020  Politics of quality assurance  Management of quality assurance b)three interviewees (two vice-principles, one head of international office)

Samples of interview questions 2. In couple of sentences, how would you describe your institution’s strategy and its priorities? -Does your institution have any specific documents, which reflect what you just said? 3. Did the institutional strategy remain unchanged during the time of your employment here? -Can you describe the major milestones in your institution’s strategic development? 7. Who are the stakeholders involved in the internationalization efforts and to what extent? -How do they collaborate with one another? 11. If international demands of higher education will change, do you think your institution is ready to follow new trends? -What kind of benefits do you expect from this process? -Can you foresee any difficulties?

Key findings 1)What are major impacts on institutional strategy resulting from the internationalization of higher education? a)structural changes in the management of a university b)change in curriculum c)change in teaching and research d)impact on HR strategy e)development of trilingual policy among faculty and staff f)introduction of ICT policy g)creation of systematic (holistic) internationalization agenda 1)How have these impacts reshaped the overall strategy of a university? a)the university became more globally oriented b)the university became more socially responsible c)entrepreneurial aspect was introduced (start ups for students) d)the university has entered the active race for international rankings and accreditation e)the university hopes to become a benchmark for other universities in the country. It became more transparent f)international and domestic fundraising activity has become more important due to low level of government support

Conclusion: reflection on the project What I did wrong: confidentiality issue in the very beginning What went well: preliminary analysis of the documents was helpful What was challenging: off-topic responses in one of the interviews What I learnt: 1)semi-structured format of an interview is perfect for a qualitative study 2)explaining the purpose of the project in advance is always helpful 3)flexibility during the interviewing process is necessary 4)researcher’s responsive attitude contributes to a trustful conversation 5)despite the fact no.4, you have to keep neutral position 6)interview question should never sound like you evaluate/judge interviewee 7)consistency in terminology and vocabulary 8)it is better to use a professional voice recorder

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