Faculty engagement with strategies for internationalisation at home in Makerere University

Abstract

There is limited empirical evidence on strategies for internationalisation at home (IaH) that faculty adopt and engage with to enhance international and multicultural competencies of the non-mobile students who may not have the opportunity to study abroad. This study explores how faculty at Makerere University engage with strategies for Internationalisation at Home (IaH). Adopting a qualitative research approach and a case study research design, I collected data through semi-structured interviews with sixteen (16) purposively selected faculty members at Makerere University. Document reviews were also conducted to triangulate and enhance credibility, resulting in four themes: institutional environment adaptation, human resource-oriented initiatives, student-oriented initiatives, and research and collaboration initiatives. Findings showed that in relation to institutional strategies, faculty engaged with quality assurance and human resource policies, university leadership, and the International Relations Office (IRO) when initiating and approving collaborations. The study also revealed that faculty engaged in individual strategies, including hosting visiting scholars, integrating international and multicultural perspectives into the curriculum, training in foreign languages, adopting and using new technologies in teaching, and integrating international standards into research. This study concludes that faculty engagement with strategies for IaH in Makerere University is both proactive and reactive with respect to institutional and individual strategies, respectively. The study recommends the development and implementation of an internationalisation policy and strategy to harmonise and systemise the integration of IaH activities across the university, strengthen the IRO by establishing coordination centers at the colleges, and initiate capacity-building for staff to integrate international and multicultural competencies into teaching, research, and knowledge transfer.