A real-life example
12 Sep 2011
A university of applied sciences in the Netherlands invited Nuffic to come over to discuss the possibilities of getting support in formulating a new internationalisation policy document. They also asked us for some suggestions to implement this new policy.
During the interview we used the MINT structure and questions as a guideline. First of all we examined the general internationalisation practice of the institution. How is internationalisation embedded in the university, is there a dedicated employee or office? Is there commitment and awareness in the organisation, and are policy changes implemented top-down or bottom-up? This provided a background for further review.
In the second part of the interview we discussed the new internationalisation policy against this background. It was interesting to see the questions and issues the institution had stumbled upon. It will always be difficult to build a policy document from scratch. All the important items were there, but goals, means, activities and facilities were sometimes were mixed up.
During the interview, these aspects were discussed thoroughly. They were then placed in the right context using the MINT structure. The final version of the policy document will have a clear and transparent structure.
Measuring succes
Policy was not the only subject of discussion, we also talked about measuring success. It is possible to measure the extent to which the policy has been successfully implemented by using the right sets of indicators.
As a result of the interview, the institution will add a chapter to the document and will formulate SMART goals to be able to determine, after 2015, whether the policy has been successful. This involves a substantial amount of work, but the institution is fully aware of the added value of this work.