Across all seven institutions of higher education, there is unanimous agreement amongst the managements that internationalisation is a requirement in today’s artistic and educational landscape. The seven institutions are increasingly becoming part of a global world, where internationalisation is a necessity for the continued relevance of the provided educations. It is impossible to consider the relevance of an artistic education on the sole basis of a national perspective, and a global viewpoint is therefore crucial to justifying the existence of these institutes of education.

According to the leaders of these institutions, the necessity of a global perspective can be seen in the evident connection between internationalisation and the professional level of teaching and the artistic environment surrounding the institutions. The demands of international competition are intense, and it inspires teachers and employees at the Danish institutions to develop their competencies in order to be able to deliver quality teaching as seen from an international perspective. Successful cooperations with internationally recognised schools and partners call for an educational standard and talent pool that can only be created in an international environment.

The necessity of internationalisation is also evident when considering that students no longer seek employment within Denmark alone. Students must be able to take part in professional collaborations globally. Additionally, the professional careers of most students after graduation is not one of permanent, full-time employment, but comprises projects, temporary and part-time employment, where contact to different artistic scenes and networks as well as competencies in entrepreneurship are essential factors that contribute to employment and the success of individual projects. Internationalisation is therefore an important means for the students to expand their personal network and create future employment opportunities.

When working with internationalisation, many educational institutions encounter dilemmas and conflicting demands that influence relations with the rest of the world, cooperation between institutions, as well as the institutions own profile. In practice, institutions are often forced to choose between two priorities instead of pursuing both. Some common conflicting demands are:

One of the common issues faced by the institutions when focussing on internationalisation is aligning themselves internationally and nationally. This is often viewed as a difficult balancing act between two opposites, affecting both institutional self-awareness and communication with the surrounding professional environment.

Another common issue is the discrepancy between resources and ambition. Expectations of internationalisation efforts are often disproportionate to the amount of time and resources available within the organisation. Internationalisation is rarely a straightforward initiative, but one that depends on evolution within and support from the entire organisation. For example, if an increase in teacher exchanges is desired, the management must consider strategic issues and allocate the necessary resources. The administration will have to manage assets and provide guidance and coordination, the faculty must develop and maintain mutual professional relations, and individual teachers have to plan teaching content and execute the exchange, often requiring additional time and effort. If the necessary professional, administrative, and strategic transformations are to be achieved, these efforts have to be considered in relation to one another, and all relevant aspects must be provided with sufficient support.

Ambition and resources are also related to other essential dilemmas. The balance between an elitist and an egalitarian approach is a consideration of when and to what extent the institution is able to invest in target areas and attract the best students internationally. This comes at the expense of a broader focus on the general artistic environment and nurturing future students. Offering world-class educations demands a focussed and lengthy investment and a study environment with a large proportion of international students and teachers.

Dilemmas and conflicting demands can also be seen in the InterArt cooperation. A number of the institutions compete in attracting the same students and thus have to position themselves in relation to the other institutions. At the same time, they have to work together and participate in collaborative networks and projects. Internationalisation is a competitive parameter that characterises international cooperation. However, due to the relatively small pool of potential students within the country, competition on a national level can be extremely intense.

The general consensus across all seven institutions is that it is beneficial to pool resources while taking into account institutional differences, scale, and experience. Additionally, there is a potential for cooperation with regards to a number of different focus areas related to internationalisation.

In order to meet the challenges that are a part of the institutions’ mutual cooperation, a joint understanding of requirements and focus areas was created in December 2019, as a fundament for the work of InterArt in the next three years. Within InterArt, there is a clear expectation of meeting the requirements, as well as an awareness of the need to continually actualize focus areas and activities.

Requirements

• • Joint vision across all institutions regarding internationalisation
  • Joint strategic focus areas within internationalisation
  • Positive relations between institutions
  • Organisational structures that support the cooperation
  • Sufficient time and financial resources
  • Cooperation based on concrete joint initiatives and projects
  • Will and intent to cooperate
  • More direct involvement of teachers and students

Themes for focus areas

• • Supporting the well-being of international students
  • Study culture and environment
  • Intercultural competencies
  • International network, cooperation agreements and hosting activities
  • Branding
  • Exchange for teachers and students
  • Erasmus+ administration and fundraising
  • Distance Learning technology
  • Strategy development
  • Language policy
  • Internationalisation and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Nurturing a broader understanding of the purpose of internationalisation internally and to the institution’s professional and artistic environment technology
  • Strategy development

INFORMATION ON INTERNATIONALIZATION AT THE KUR INSTITUTIONS

The following ‘Competence overview’ briefly describes the work with internationalization at the seven artistic educational institutions that make up the working group InterArt, based on the following categorization:

• Name, title, educational background and function
• Units / persons dealing with internationalization
• Special focus areas according to internationalization

Download ‘Competence overview’  here.