Approved by the Board of Bodø University College on September 30.09.2004

Visions
Higher education, research and training have all become central to the shaping of a knowledge-based society and to the citizenry of that society.  Higher education institutions have the potential to be effectual powerhouses for their communities in providing opportunity in global competitiveness and challenge.  To achieve this mission, Bodø University College must engage in the transformative process of “internationalisation”.  The rationale for internationalisation lies in Bodø University College’s fundamental responsibility to prepare its graduates to be active, responsible, and crucial members of society.

Internationalisation is a sign of quality.  To truly internationalise Bodø University College, a fundamental process is necessary to enhance quality and to provide benchmarks for both teaching and research, thereby strengthening our institution’s core mission. To achieve international excellence we must operate internationally, and take an international perspective in all our activities.  The objective of such a process must be on equal footing with other subsidiary objectives of higher education and, as far as possible, must be integrated with other objectives such as vocational preparation, personal development, critical thinking and evaluation of our activities in international comparison, thereby contributing to the fulfilment of our quality objectives.

Parliament decided in June 2001 to implement a Quality Reform of Higher Education in Norway.  The Framework and goals for the Reform are stated in Parliamentary Report 27 and in the parliament’s discussion.  One of the main goals of the reform is the internationalisation of higher education.  The central idea is that increased international cooperation will provide us with new knowledge, new ideas, and increased understanding of the international and multicultural society we are confronted with at home and abroad.  This should strengthen our ambition to be a relevant and competent knowledge-producer, in a Europe aspiring to be the leading “competence society” in the world.    

Internationalisation implies a variety of understandings, interpretations and applications: anywhere from a minimalist, static, and instrumental view (such as securing funding for student mobility and conducting international research), to a view of internationalisation as a complex, all-encompassing and policy-driven process, integral to the life, culture, curriculum and institution as well as research activity of the university college and its members.  At Bodø University College internationalisation has been a process of integrating an international perspective into the teaching, learning, research and service functions of its institution.  This process must continue, with more focus on making Bodø University College an attractive place of teaching, learning and research for both international students and staff, and students and staff wanting to travel abroad as part of their study or work here.

Priority Areas 2005 – 2008
For Bodø University College to become an attractive and interesting place of study for international students an effort must be made to increase the number of units taught in English.  It is especially important that the units requested by students at our partner institutions be taught in English.  Recruitment of international students will depend on our ability to provide interesting, updated and high quality English units.  Bodø University College aims to provide at least 60 ECTS within each of our Bachelor programs in English, and at least 30 ECTS in English in all our Master programs.

Bodø University College is committed to the development of inclusive and international curricula to ensure that our graduates have the skills and cultural understanding to operate in an international environment.  These curricula should acknowledge, respect and respond appropriately to student diversity and incorporate an international dimension appropriate to each discipline.  For those units not thought in English there should be an international dimension to the teaching.  Moreover, this international dimension should constitute an integral part of each programme of study.  Hence, an overhaul of study plans and curricula in order to reinforce internationally-oriented contributions and international perspectives are needed.  Wherever possible, in units that have an inherent national content, events and application in Norway ought to be highlighted from an international perspective, as well as through a thorough comparison with other countries.

An essential element in the competition for international students and staff is to have high quality, easily accessible information both in brochure material and on our web page.  To ensure equality of opportunity for both our international and Norwegian students and staff, our information must be of the same quality and content both in English and in Norwegian.  To ensure that our information is quality assured and transparent Bodø University College aims to receive the ECTS label as soon as possible.

Developments in teaching and learning are fundamental within a strategy for internationalisation.  A capacity to draw from an educational experience immersed with international dimensions will be a significant and valuable vocational asset for graduates in the workplace of the next century.  Therefore, Bodø University College aims to send at least 10% of our students on exchanges.

International students comprise an enriching feature of the environment at Bodø University College, and they are also important for enhancing the experience of the Norwegian students.  To be able to give all of Bodø University College’s students the possibility to experience a truly international student environment we must develop interesting study opportunities for the students we recruit.  Simply offering special programs just for students from abroad is not good enough; we must aim to provide them with the opportunity to be in a classroom with both Norwegian and international students.

Internationalisation at Bodø University College will only be effective when it becomes a mode of thinking and action which suffuses all sections of the institution.  To that end, the commitment of staff at all levels to this goal is crucial.  Internationalisation is also encouraged by the recruitment of staff with a foreign background through international competition.  Mobility of staff has increased significantly in recent years and will continue to increase in the future.  Bodø University College aims to have its entire staff on short-term or long-term stays abroad at some point during their employment.   Before 2008, Bodø University College aims to have sent 10% of its staff on staff-exchange abroad.

To enable student and staff mobility Bodø University College is dependent on having high-quality partner institutions throughout the world.  Today we have a partner portfolio of about 100 partner institutions in all parts of the world. However, to use these agreements more actively, the agreements must be evaluated and the potential in them must be assessed.  Bodø University College will seek to use its existing agreements more actively, and sign new agreements where needed, to ensure that we have a partner portfolio that complements our educational and research aims at all times.  It is essential that the agreements have an academic foundation and that the cooperation is anchored on the departmental level.  However, to ensure that our portfolio is attractive to our students, some geographical and language considerations must be made.  Bodø University College will aim to continue its participation in the mobility programs we already are members of, including Barentplus, north2north, Nordplus, Erasmus, Comenius, NORAD and the “Quota Program”. Also we will aim to actively seek out the possibilities that lie within other higher education programs, including NorFa, Leonardo, Lingua, Gruntvig and Erasmus Mundus.

Through contacts and exchanges within higher education and research, Bodø University College should contribute to the promotion of peace and solidarity, not least in development collaboration with countries in the Third World.  Over the last couple of years the interest for such cooperation has grown and thus far cooperation has been implemented with Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cuba, South Africa and China.

Conclusion
Bodø University College will in the period from 2005 – 2008 work towards:

• increasing both incoming and outgoing student and staff mobility, reaching a goal of 10% by 2008.
• Increasing the units taught in English to include a minimum of 60 ECTS within all Bachelor programs and 30 ECTS within all Master programs.
• Maximising the potential in the exciting partner portfolio, and initiating and implementing new partner agreements.
• Increasing our participation in selected exchange and cooperation programs.
• Strengthening our links with selected countries in the Third World by developing and implementing a closer cooperation with our partner institutions there.
• Implementing a satisfactory organisational structure around international work to ensure that our internationalisation process meets the highest standards of quality assurance and transparency.