Samenvatting

Student mobility is considered a core element of the process of growing internationalization, however enhancing student mobility remains a great challenge for most higher education institutions. The national vision(1) on internationalization suggests that each faculty and study program should have a mobility window, a fixed period integrated into the curriculum to give students the opportunity to study abroad without incurring a study delay. The Hague University of Applied Sciences, one of the most diverse higher education institutions in the Netherlands, aims to be the most international higher education institution in the Netherlands by 2020. The central question in this research paper is: “To what extent could a mobility window encourage student mobility and contribute to the concept of internationalization at the Hague University of Applied Sciences?” A qualitative approach has been applied within this study. The qualitative research was based on, both, desk research for the literature review and field research for primary data collection. For the desk research, books, e-journals, reports and policy papers were consulted. For the field research, semi-structured interviews with four study programs(2) of the Hague University of Applied Sciences were conducted. This research paper intended to explore, to what extent a mobility window could encourage student mobility and contribute to the concept of internationalization within the Hague University of Applied Sciences. The starting assumption was that a mobility window will encourage student mobility and therefore contribute to the internationalization of the Hague University of Applied Sciences. This study makes clear that study programs should be categorized into international oriented study programs and less international oriented study programs when analyzing the outcomes. A remarkable result of the study is, that the added value of student mobility was mainly related to acquisition of international and intercultural competences and to a lesser extent to increase job opportunities. However the importance of student mobility was mostly perceived to be related to the supply and demand of the labor market. The study signals a broadly carried need to assess the outcomes of student mobility by means of an intervention program. Also this study shows that there is need for more awareness of staff members about the concept of internationalization within the Hague University of Applied Sciences. Further research on the perception of lecturers can eventually lead to a more targeted approach to the enhancement of student mobility by means of introducing a mobility window for all faculty and study programs at the Hague University of Applied Sciences.

1 Dutch vision for international education (monitor ICEF, 2014)
2 European Studies, International Business and Management Studies, Commerciële Economie and Sociaal Pedagogische Hulpverlening