Internationalisation Descriptors for Higher Education (IDHE)

In a context where all higher education institutions face the challenges of internationalising their teaching, research, and community service activities, the Internationalisation Descriptors for Higher Education (IDHE) aim to stimulate reflection on the diversity of possible internationalisation activities. They encourage the development, implementation, and evaluation of internationalisation strategies and policies, while contributing to the structuring and self-assessment of practices.

IDHE is intended for all staff involved in internationalisation, at various levels—from strategic and managerial roles to those engaged in international activities related to teaching, research, and community service. The ambition of IDHE is to enable these users to:

• Describe their internationalisation strategies, policies, and practices more easily;
• Share a common terminology and conceptual framework with stakeholders regarding internationalisation;
• Communicate more effectively and coherently about their international practices, both internally and externally;
• Promote a transversal and holistic approach to internationalisation strategies, policies, and practices, thereby fostering internationalisation as a process of change;
• Stimulate reflection on new internationalisation strategies, policies, and practices to be developed.

Through the IDHE tool, internationalisation in higher education institutions is considered in its broadest sense and encompasses the following dimensions:

• Internationalisation strategy and policy;
• Implementation of internationalisation strategy and policy;
• Teaching;
• Research;
• Community service;
• Human resources management.

Finally, IDHE does not aim to be prescriptive or normative. On the contrary, it seeks to present the “realm of possibilities” for internationalisation in the most open way possible. To this end, the tool offers, for each of the dimensions listed above, a series of internationalisation descriptors that reflect various aspects of internationalisation strategies and policies.

Moreover, as IDHE is intended to reflect the evolving context of internationalisation, it was updated in 2019 in consultation with higher education institutions of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.