TAM Report / Albania - Internationalisation

GENERAL INFORMATION

TAM title: Internationalization at home: Challenges and opportunities for higher education in Albania

Type of Event: Seminar

Modality: Presential

Location: Polytechnic University of Tirana

Country: Albania

Dates: 23 – 24 April 2025

Participants: The seminar brought together representatives from public and private universities in Albania, including vice-rectors, academic staff, and international relations officers, as well as representatives of the Erasmus+ Office and the HERE team. Participants reflected a broad institutional and regional spread, enabling comprehensive discussion on internationalisation challenges and opportunities in Albanian higher education.

THEMES COVERED

• Concepts, rationales, and trends in internationalisation of higher education
• European and global perspectives on internationalisation
• Internationalisation of higher education in Albania: context, data, challenges
• Internationalisation at Home and internationalisation of the curriculum
• Student and staff mobility: concepts, types, trends, and limitations
• SWOT analysis of internationalisation in Albanian higher education
• Links between internationalisation, quality assurance, and accreditation
• Language policy and teaching in foreign languages
• Partnerships, recognition of credits and degrees, and brain drain challenges

KEY OUTCOMES

During the workshop, participants:

• Developed a shared understanding of internationalisation, particularly the role of Internationalisation at Home as an inclusive strategy.
• Identified key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats affecting internationalisation in Albania through structured SWOT analysis.
• Increased awareness of European standards and practices and their relevance for national reform.
• Recognised the need for systemic reform, professional development, and improved coordination between institutions and policymakers.

• Engaged actively in dialogue on curriculum internationalisation, mobility, and quality assurance, contributing to concrete recommendations.

   

OVERVIEW

The two-day seminar aimed to strengthen participants’ understanding of internationalisation policies and practices, with a particular emphasis on Internationalisation at Home (IaH) as an inclusive strategy to ensure that all students benefit from international and intercultural learning, beyond traditional physical mobility schemes. Building on European and global policy developments, the event highlighted the growing importance of curriculum internationalisation, teaching and learning practices, and institutional strategies that embed international perspectives across higher education systems.

Through a combination of expert-led presentations, interactive Q&A sessions, and structured group work, participants examined European and national approaches to internationalisation and reflected critically on the Albanian context. A dedicated SWOT analysis enabled participants to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to internationalisation at both institutional and system levels. By linking conceptual frameworks with practical institutional realities, the seminar fostered constructive dialogue between institutional leaders and practitioners and laid the groundwork for future policy development, institutional reforms, and coordinated action in the field of internationalisation.

ENHANCING IMPACT: PROPOSED NEXT STEPS

• Develop a national strategy for internationalisation of higher education, in cooperation with universities.
• Strengthen professional development for administrators and academics on internationalisation and Internationalisation at Home.
• Create a national forum or network for exchanging practices, policies, and experiences in internationalisation.
• Integrate qualitative dimensions of internationalisation into accreditation and quality assurance processes.
• Address key structural obstacles, notably recognition of foreign degrees and credits.
• Develop a national language policy supporting teaching in foreign languages in alignment with institutional capacity.
• Promote a more balanced Erasmus+ approach, strengthening incoming mobility alongside outgoing mobility.
• Improve national data collection and analysis through regular reporting on internationalisation trends and challenges.

RESOURCES AND BACKGROUND MATERIAL

• Rumbley, L.E. and de Wit, H. (2017) ‘International faculty mobility: crucial and understudied’, International Higher Education, (88), pp. 6–8. doi: 10.6017/ihe.2017.88.9681.
• De Wit, H. (2020) ‘Internationalisation in higher education: A Western paradigm or a global, intentional and inclusive concept?’, International Journal of African Higher Education, 7(2). Available at: https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/ijahe/article/view/12891
• Hudzik, J.K. (2011) Comprehensive internationalization: From concept to action. Washington, DC: NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
  Available at: https://commission.fiu.edu/helpful-documents/global-education/2011_comprehen_internationalization-hudzik.pdf

• Parekh, B. (2003) ‘Cosmopolitanism and global citizenship’, Review of International Studies, 29(1), pp. 3–17.
  doi: 10.1017/S0260210503000019.