Los Changes in the internationalization strategies among Mexican higher education institutions due to Covid-19

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic forced higher education institutions (HEIs) to make changes in the management of their substantive functions and internationalization strategies. The purpuse of this research is to identify the changes in the internationalization strategies of Mexican HEIs. To achieve this objective a conceptual framework on internationalization strategies based on renowned authors was developed, an analysis of existing antecedents on internationalization strategies in Mexico was conducted and 25 HEIs officials were interviewed. Main findings indicate that physical mobility of students was quickly replaced with the support of virtuality, and that strategies for internationalization at home as well as international academic cooperation projects were strengthened. However, it is also clear that the mobility of faculty members and volunteering and international work experiences for students lacked virtual substitutes. It can also be said that the pandemic revealed the need to diversify internationalization strategies and that the impact of the forced transition to virtuality was differentiated among HEIs. Undoubtedly, the post-pandemic period will demand additional adjustments and it will be the level of consolidation, maturity, evaluation and institutionalization of the internationalization processes of HEIs that will determine the survival of the responses implemented to date.