The 'Twin' Relationship between Globalisation and Internationalisation of Higher Education

Abstract

In the early 1990s, preliminary discussions at the OECD were organised on internationalisation strategies of higher education. These initial talks concerned issues of quality assessment and assurance as well as the witnessing of exponential growth and expansion of international education in tertiary sectors. Nearly 20 years have passed since Jane Knight initially defined internationalisation and, as it has further evolved into its current contextual meaning, globalisation has often been construed as its dynamic but fraternal twin. This presentation addresses the 'twin' relationship between globalisation and internationalisation in higher education. Underscoring Knight's (2003) point that "internationalization is changing the world of education and globalization is changing the world of internationalization," analysis of the literature and highlighted supra-national initiatives will reveal that certain dimensions of international university co-operation are heavily influenced by the way we choose to look at them.