Internationalization a means to improve quality

Transcription

1 Internationalization a means to improve quality The University of Tampere intends by 2015 to be an internationally attractive and prestigious organization for learning, teaching and research. An internationally active university contributes through its research and teaching to the competitiveness and well being of society. In keeping with its strategy the university is committed to promote justice and equality in society, the wellbeing of people in its own country and of the world, interaction between cultures and sustainable development. Through its internationalization programme the University will create the preconditions for improve the quality of its operations, its influence in society and its international visibility. The programme presents the measures by means of which to support the internationalization of research, the further development of international teaching and mobility and to promote the global responsibility of the University. 1. Research International research co operation is a core operation of the University. Traditionally international research co operation has been dependent on the initiative of individual scholars. Increasing co operation entails a systematic networking of the schools with their own partners thereby ensuring breadth of co operation and increasing the share of international research funding. The University is to become an internationally attractive scientific community more intent than before on consciously recruiting international teaching and research personnel. In order to increase the number of international postgraduates the University will set up high level doctoral programmes where studies can be pursued through the medium of English. The University s

2 doctoral programmes in all fields of science will include more studies taken abroad and active participation in international conferences. In research publishing internationally is indispensable to the efficacy, accessibility of findings and international networking and co operation. The University will encourage and support international publishing and participation in international co authored publications. * To achieve co operation sufficient support will be provided for making application for research funding, concluding international co operation agreements and implementing projects. * The University will support the internationalization of young post doc researchers by making an annual allocation for mobility stipends. * International personnel will be provided with the necessary services in English and the opportunity to study Finnish. Services will be developed in conjunction with other higher education institutions (HEIs) in Tampere. * Housing and settling in services for international personnel will be planned in conjunction with the other HEIs in Tampere and the city administration. 2. Teaching The University will offer international degree programmes, especially in the fields in which it has special strengths. On these experts capable of operating internationally will be trained who, on graduation, will find work corresponding to their education. The language of instruction on these programmes will be English. The resources allocated to the programmes will ensure adequate contact teaching and continuity. In order to raise the profile of these programmes the University will invest in their marketing and recruitment and also select the first line target marketing areas. Effort will be invested in ensuring a greater commitment on the part of selected students to their student place.

3 Teaching through the medium of a foreign language will be an integral part of teachers work plans. Training will be provided to enhance the teaching personnel s multicultural competence and pedagogical development, likewise its proficiency in teaching through the medium of a foreign language. In the design and financing of international degree programmes co operation will be such that as many programmes as possible benefit from common teaching, including the summer schools. Greater advantage will also be taken of web based teaching. The University will endeavour to finance its international degree programmes from a variety of sources. Sufficient support for funding applications will be forthcoming. Some of the international programmes will be mounted and offered in conjunction with strategic co operation universities. More advantage than before will be taken of teacher exchanges on international degree programmes. The University will provide sufficient support and advisory services to international degree students through the medium of English; this will include the units implementing the programmes. International degree programmes will include Finnish language studies so that students are in a better position to integrate into society and find work in Finland. The University will moreover increase its international alumni activity. The University will engage in the export of education in its core areas and commoditize its expertise for sale. Exporting education will be done in conjunction with Future Learning Finland and regional actors (Council of Tampere Region and Unipoli). The University is participating in a trial involving HEI tuition fees and some of the international master s programmes will be carried through charging tuition fees to non EU or ETA degree students. Student mobility is on a quantitatively high level, but is unevenly distributed with significant differences between disciplines. In future mobility in and out must be more evenly distributed across disciplines and students in all fields must have the option of attractive places to go on exchange. The aim is to offer incoming students sufficient teaching on their programmes through the medium of English paying due attention to the standard of teaching, the amount of contact teaching and continuity.

4 Mobility entails good language proficiency in both incoming and outgoing students. The services the University provides will take due note of the language proficiency entailed in internationalization and the services needed. Outgoing student exchanges will be funded in such a way that the mobility periods required by the Ministry of Education and Culture are fulfilled. Participation in international teacher exchange is deemed a merit in the academic career and is encouraged. Teacher mobility will continue to exploit ERASMUS funding. In ERASMUS staff exchange concentrating mobility on one personnel exchange week works well and will continue to be utilized. * A quarter of the master s programmes will be international and in numbers of international degree students the target set in the internationalization strategy for HEIs of seven per cent will be pursued for achievement in * Design and implementation of teaching offered in English to be included in the job descriptions of professors and other teachers in the schools responsible for international degree programmes. Teaching on theses programmes will also be open to exchange students of a corresponding level. * The University will set up a University of Tampere Guest Professor programme to fund teacher visits. This will increase visibility and attractiveness. * A system of stipends will be created for master s and doctoral programmes. * The University will establish a language policy determining the languages to be used in teaching, research and administration in such a way that they promote the internationalization of the University and support quality teaching and research. The University s internal and external communications in Finnish and in English are highly significant as regard its influence and international visibility. The university will bear its responsibility for preserving Finnish as a fully fledged language for science and societal interaction.

5 * Basic degree programmes will include a module in internationalization to be completed either as a period of study or training abroad, by participating in teaching offered through a foreign language or in other manner to be agreed upon. * In conjunction with the other HEIs in Tampere a balanced and sustainable solution to housing for international students will be created for international students, the University and those renting student accommodation. 3. Co operation and partnership The University of Tampere and its schools will engage in active training and research cooperation with international partners. Partnership will be based on common operations and longterm in nature. The University of Tampere will bear its global responsibility. The University of Tampere will educate people who understand the world and know how to change it, who will promote justice, equality, the well being of people in their own country and others, interaction between cultures and sustainable development. On international degree programmes citizens of the development countries will be educated who, after graduation, will support the development of their own countries. In addition to education and research co operation, the universities of the developing countries will be strengthened by support for the structures of their administration and teaching. Funding for co operation will be obtained by applying for national and international funding with which to support the achievement of the UN objectives of the millennium and the strategy of Education for All. Sufficient administrative resources will be in place for applying for funding. The University of Tampere is Finland s first Fair Trade university working for sustainable development. In its operations and acquisitions the University is mindful of societal responsibility, ethical values and principles.

6 The University of Tampere will support economic life in the area and exert its influence for the further development of competitive edge in collaboration with economic life. The University s recruitment of international degree students for the job markets will be promoted especially through the Workplace Pirkanmaa Project. * Postgraduate stipends will be allocated to postgraduates from developing countries in whose selection account will be taken of the influence of the research in the developing countries. * The University will look into the prospects for initiating an adoption scheme with a strategically selected university in a developing country. * The University will utilize existing networks when creating links with the developing world and sustaining existing connections (e.g. the Pan African University, Globelics, TropEd, the Anna Lindh Foundation). * The University will expand its international regional co operation under the auspices of Unipoli among others in marketing research and co operation with officials. * Multiculturalism will be rendered visible in the University community and international networking will be supported, among others through social media. Resources The implementation of the internationalization programme will begin at once. International mobility, developing teaching and international degree programmes will be coordinated in the centre for international education. The budget for 2012 will include resources for the University of Tampere Guest Professor programme and for postgraduate stipends. The planning of the new international master s programmes will proceed as a part of the rest of the university reform of education and future planning of education. The schools will be

7 provided with sufficient resources for the design and implementation of international master s programmes. The initial assumption is that teaching offered through the medium of English will be part of the teachers annual work plans. The Language Centre will be provided with sufficient resources to implement the teaching necessary to support mobility and the rest of the University s internationalization. In order to raise the international profile communications in English will be increased. In the schools the respective coordinators will be responsible for the administrating of international education. The work plans of teaching personnel responsible for international education will include teaching in English. Instructions pertaining to all programmes will be drawn up for arranging international degree programmes. The centre for international education will cooperate with the other university services and with the other HEIs in Tampere in the development of international personnel services and in creating and offering mobility services for individual researchers. Management, implementation and evaluation The measures presented in the Programme will be implemented by the end of Decisions on the University s international operations rest with the Board. Strategic international cooperation is led by the Rector assisted by the Vice Rector who is responsible for mobility. Practical international operations will be undertaken by the schools, the centre of international education and the other University services. The Vice Rector responsible for mobility will evaluate the implementation of the programme annually and report to the Rector. The implementation of the programme will be evaluated against the funding indicators of the Ministry of Education and Culture. Of these, internationalization is measured particularly by those indicators pertaining to basic funding of internationalization of education by virtue especially of quality and effectiveness and agreement indicators pertaining to international

8 mobility of personnel, international publications and international research funding. In addition feedback from the Ministry of Education and Culture on the implementation of HEI internationalization strategy will direct the implementation of internationalization at the University of Tampere.