IMPLEMENTATION'S CHALLENGES OF INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY
Strategies implementation. Challenges. Internationalization of higher education. Case study.
From the 90's, there is an acceleration of the process of globalization, mainly at the scientific and technological level. Some of the key drivers of change were the development of communication systems, increased global mobility, an emphasis on market liberalization, and a focus on the knowledge society. Developing the capacity to act in a contingent, complex and comprehensive scenario like this seems to be the main reason for higher education institutions to carry out internationalization actions. However, if there are several reasons and benefits that lead to internationalization, on the other hand there are risks and challenges in their management that must be overcome. This way, institutions need to be prepared to manage the process in order to achieve its benefits and manage its risks. Therefore, this research aims to analyze the challenges of the implementation of strategic internationalization actions at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). The choice of this institution was due to the fact that its internationalization process has not yet been scientifically investigated, even though it has evolved over the years. To achieve this goal, the research follows the qualitative approach, adopts the semi-structured interview, uses the case study as a research strategy and content analysis for data analysis. As results, it is expected to know the internationalization process of UFRN and identify the main challenges of implementing its international strategies from the perspective of managers, students and teachers. The results are expected to generate insigts for university management and to provide benchmarking for other institutions that are also involved in international activities.