DIGITAL LIBRARY
INFORMATION AVAILABILITY AND THE PROCESS OF ACADEMIC INTERNATIONALIZATION (ON THE EXAMPLE OF SOUTH-WEST UNIVERSITY “NEOFIT RILSKI” - BLAGOEVGRAD)
1 South West University "Neofit Rilski" (BULGARIA)
2 SWU "Neofit Rilski", Blagoevgrad (BULGARIA)
About this paper:
Appears in: EDULEARN17 Proceedings
Publication year: 2017
Pages: 288-294
ISBN: 978-84-697-3777-4
ISSN: 2340-1117
doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2017.1067
Conference name: 9th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies
Dates: 3-5 July, 2017
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Abstract:
The paper focuses on strategies for providing relevant course information for prospective international students of South-West University “Neofit Rilski” – Blagoevgrad and adopts the view that the formal and semantic characteristics of the English language used to build the international image of the university correlate with its virtual existence.

To substantiate this claim, it analyzes the process of facilitating information access at two levels:
1) structure-based availability (exploration of the university site);
2) language-based availability (inquiry into the language of course and program descriptions for foreign students).

A hypothetical high-probability search scenario is put forward, which presents different paths of familiarization with the opportunities the university offers to international students.

A conclusion is suggested that the information structure and its language suited to the general, rather than the native or specialized professional speaker of English form part of the university strategy for attracting foreign students and turning its community from a local into an international one.
Keywords:
Internationalization, education, intercultural contact.