Invisible Colleges and International Consortia in Higher Education

Abstract

There are various dimensions of international university co-operation, specifically international consortia in higher education. Although opinions vary as to why they were developed, the majority of international consortia began positioning themselves after World War II have increased greatly since then. Regardless of their mission or purpose, international consortia have arguably supplemented higher educational institutions as 'invisible colleges', so characterised because the physical infrastructure of institutions has been complemented by cooperative relationships established in order to provide adequate quality and variety instruction, to monitor worldwide educational trends, and to further promote the dissemination and advancement of knowledge. The specific study encompasses 500 + such international university organisations worldwide, with particular survey data directed toward international consortia. Analysis of the data collected details the role they play in the internationalisation of higher education and their possible applications and benefits to participatory institutions.