Abstract:

Innovation in internationalization can be achieved through new prospects of international collaboration, such as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and the recognition of the faculty involved. COIL projects at CEU Universities (Spain) is a successful story based on identifying academic “loyalty” inside our campuses, as well as prioritizing quality assessment.

What do we mean by “loyalty” and “quality assessment” at COIL level? The book “Exit, Voice and Loyalty” (1970), by A. Hirschman, explains the behaviour of organizations and consumers. Like any organization, universities are entities based on the relation between the executive committee (Principals, Vice-Rectors, Deans), the workers (teachers and staff) and the clients (students). His treatise is based on the idea that when quality is suffering or there is a need to improve it, some actors may decide to “exit” (to leave and avoid action); others may complain (“voice”), protest and ask for extra money or more rights; while the rest remain “loyal” to the company and implement the new policies. Therefore, the prospects for the future of innovative projects, like COILs, should be based on “loyalty” in stage 1, while you try to understand and integrate the demands (“voice”) of those who protest, in stage 2. Loyal members are devoted to the organization’s success to reform it and they may change the minds of other colleagues.

Thus, to develop CEU strategy, firstly, we identified a sample of possible loyal professors that would be our future COIL ambassadors. Along with loyalty, the second key issue is transparency. We were honest regarding the benefits of COIL, but, above all its difficulties. Transparency was crucial: regarding the need for training, and about how much time and dedication they entail. The result has been a great experience. Hence, after the first stage, it was time to dare to trust the “voices” and include the recognition of COILers, understanding their role in the improvement of internationalization and excellence of the university.

CEU rewards the best COIL projects (by external commission review) among their 3 universities. Moreover, each CEU University evaluates COIL Quality through assessment, students’ satisfaction, and internal review. CEU San Pablo University rewards the best projects, while offering financial incentives and recognition for career advancement. The CEU Evaluation and Development Systems are the tool that guarantees the correct development of our faculty professional career. It is called Docentia+CEU, the Development System for Teaching and Research Staff. The excellence of the teaching staff can be measured either through teaching innovation, research or clinical-healthcare merits. Internationalisation at home is a key issue as it may be assessed as “teaching innovation” inside the Docentia+CEU Development System.

This presentation will help the audience understand the importance of the recognition of the processes of innovation at international level. It will improve not only the projects performance but also the scale of the project itself, the number of beneficiaries and University performance. It will also help University managers to involve the university community in a process of constant international innovation and internationalisation at home.

Keywords:

Internationalisation, COIL, university management, teaching innovation, virtual exchange.