The art (of) going international: a study of internationalisation in fine arts and design higher education in Europe

Abstract

Internationalisation of higher education has long been a subject of study and research. However, substantial research remains to be conducted on the internationalisation of fine art and design higher education in Europe. This research aims to examine the why, what, how, and possible outcomes of internationalisation in higher education institutions of fine art and design. It also examines how different stakeholders are involved in the internationalisation process of these institutions. This research is limited to the fine art and design fields within the broader field of art higher education. It focuses only on the bachelor level of education.

The proposed research will use qualitative methods to examine the rationales for internationalisation, as derived from the definition of internationalisation (de Wit et al., 2015), in higher education institutions, specifically those in fine art and design. Case studies will be conducted with six European art higher education institutions. The six art academic institutions have been chosen as samples from different regions of Europe and for their unique positions.

Interviews will be conducted with stakeholders in the five case study art institutions – students, teachers, policy officers and management. After analysis of the data collected via interviews, this research hopes to answer the why, what, how and the possible outcomes of internationalisation in higher education institutions of fine art and design. It also hopes to identify similarities and possible differences in how internationalisation is carried out in the chosen art academies in Europe. This research will examine both formal strategies (what is written) and perceptions of the stakeholders on internationalisation. The goal is to identify similarities and possible differences in the formal and informal worlds of internationalisation.