No human mobility: how is knowledge mobile in a context of internationalisation at a distance? a case study

• Published in: Higher education research and development Vol. 42; no. 5; pp. 1165 - 1181
• Main Authors: Yue, Yun, De Souza, Denise, Townsin, Louise
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 04.07.2023
• Subjects: Barriers; Case studies; Communities of Practice; Computer Mediated Communication; Context Effect; COVID-19; Cultural Influences; Curriculum; Distance Education; Educational Technology; Foreign Countries; Foreign Students; Higher Education; International education; Internationalisation; Internationalisation at a distance; internationalisation of higher education; Knowledge creation; Knowledge Level; knowledge mobility; Language Usage; Masters Programs; Mobility; Online Courses; Online education; Pandemics; Student Attitudes; Student Mobility; Teacher Attitudes; types of knowledge; Australia; China
• ISSN: 0729-4360; 1469-8366
• DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2023.2216643

The internationalisation of higher education has been challenged by the significant decline in international student mobility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergence of internationalisation at a distance before COVID-19 paved a new avenue for the internationalisation of higher education, with the distinctive feature of knowledge mobility without human mobility. However, few studies have explored knowledge mobility in an internationalisation at a distance context. The ethnographic case study identifies three knowledge mobility channels - Information and Communication Technology (ICT), curriculum and virtual community of practice - and argues that the knowledge creation model SECI (Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination, and Internalisation) is inapplicable in the internationalisation at a distance context. Additionally, the absence of immersion in face-to-face interaction hinders internationalisation at a distance students' identity construction, placing them at a disadvantage in acquiring tacit knowledge. The significance of cultural, linguistic and pedagogical contextualisation in the context is also emphasised.