Globalization of higher education: A case study from India

Abstract

For developing countries such as India, reaching global standards in higher education is a major challenge. India can no longer remain in isolation with respect to its higher education, both in terms of quality and diversity of students passing out of the system. Higher education institutions are an underexploited link to the global knowledge economy and can provide gateways to the private sector. Issues concerning equivalence of degrees and transfer of credits must be resolved nationally and internationally. The educational institutions and programs offered must first meet their own professional standards as well as national quality standards. Seeking accreditation of the programs by respective professional bodies and international agencies would be the next logical step. The accreditation process, however, is very time consuming and an expensive process for institutions in developing nations. Educators and professionals in industry, business and government agree that an international educational experience would be a valuable asset before graduation. Student exchanges are essential for improved cultural understanding internationally and universities must make student exchanges possible without delaying graduation. This case study from India demonstrates how universities and institutions of higher learning in India can ensure globalization of their academic programs, teaching and learning process and provide an experiential learning to students in a cross-cultural environment. An important step in the process is to have national and international recognition of the academic programs so that institutions and educators can be confident that their students will have a successful academic experience as well as a successful cultural experience. Flexibility in scheduling is also required to accommodate differences in the academic calendars. This paper presents how one private institution in India is striving towards successful globalization of its academic programs. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2010.