Uwe Brandenburg
Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Mechanical Engineering, Faculty Member
- Uwe Brandenburg holds a PhD from the University of Bristol in Globalisation Studies, an MscEcon from the University o... moreUwe Brandenburg holds a PhD from the University of Bristol in Globalisation Studies, an MscEcon from the University of Wales at Swansea and an M.A. in Islamic Sciences from the WWU Münster.
He is currently the Managing Director of the Global Impact Institute in Prague and Associate Professor for Regional Cooperation and Impact of Higher Education at the University Rovira I Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Prior to that he was Managing Partner of CHE Consult and CHE Consult Prague. He was also Director International at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin for eight years.
Uwe has published widely on the topic of internationalization such as the much debated article with Hans de Wit on the end of internationalization in 2011 in the Boston IHE. He was the head author and team leader for both the Erasmus Impact Study (EIS, 2014) and the follow-up EIS Regional Analysis (EIS RA, 2016), the European Voluntary Service Impact Study (2017) and a large-scale research project on the effects of internationalization on nonacademic staff financed by the German Federal Ministry of Education. Uwe was an elected member of the General Council of the European Association for International Educators (EAIE) and currently serves as an elected member of the Convocation Court of the University of Bristol. He was a core expert to the IAU (International Association of Universities) and to the Ad Hoc expert group on internationalisation.edit
Research Interests:
The CHE Centre for Higher Education Development has designed an “ExcellenceRanking”, a ranking of a selected group of European Universities. The CHE applied a two-step approach for analysis. First, all European departments in the surveyed... more
The CHE Centre for Higher Education Development has designed an “ExcellenceRanking”, a ranking of a selected group of European Universities. The CHE applied a two-step approach for analysis. First, all European departments in the surveyed fields were compared by a few general indicators. Second, for those departments that excelled in these indicators, an indepth analysis was run based on an institutional questionnaire and a student survey. The first issue of the ranking, released in 2007, concentrated on the natural sciences and mathematics. The second issue, released in 2009, was dedicated to economics, political science and psychology. In 2010, the study was repeated for the natural sciences. This paper covers the results from the 2009 and 2010 issues.
Research Interests:
The Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) has designed a ‘Ranking of Excellent European Graduate Programmes’. In its first round, in December 2007, this ranking concentrated on the natural sciences and mathematics. The centre... more
The Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) has designed a ‘Ranking of Excellent European Graduate Programmes’. In its first round, in December 2007, this ranking concentrated on the natural sciences and mathematics. The centre applied a two‐step approach for analysis. First, four general indicators were identified for European universities. Second, for those universities that excelled in at least three out of these four indicators which means that they achieved a gold or silver medal, an in‐depth analysis was run based on institutional questionnaires and on‐line surveys. The results show that Europe in general provides a very high level of research and graduate teaching in the academic fields that were analysed. It is intended to apply this approach to other academic fields in the near future.
Research Interests:
Over the last two decades, the concept of the internationalization of higher education has moved from the fringe of institutional interest to the very core. While gaining moral weight, its content seems to have deteriorated. There is an... more
Over the last two decades, the concept of the internationalization of higher education has moved from the fringe of institutional interest to the very core. While gaining moral weight, its content seems to have deteriorated. There is an increasing commercialization under the flag of internationalization. This attitude has exacerbated the devaluation of internationalization and the inflation of defensive measures. While in need of more philosophy, we also require a greater sense of reality. We need to rethink and redefine the way we look at the internationalization of higher education in the present time.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this article, we argue that there is an urgent need to align internationalisation and university social responsibility agendas through the construct of Internationalisation of Higher Education for Society. The service or “third... more
In this article, we argue that there is an urgent need to align internationalisation and university social responsibility agendas through the construct of Internationalisation of Higher Education for Society. The service or “third mission” of higher education institutions - to contribute to the social, economic, and cultural development of communities - has long been a core function of universities alongside teaching and research. However, the service mission is often disconnected from the internationalisation agenda. Service to society is rarely the focus of internationalisation strategies, and third mission strategies are predominantly domestically oriented. We consider how universities might, in today’s fractured and fragile world, amplify their contributions to society and the global common good by strategically enacting their global social responsibility through internationalisation. Related concepts of relevance are discussed, and we conclude with recommendations for leaders, ...
Research Interests:
This study focuses on the effect of internationalization on the wider society. The study analyses the results of a session on terrorism and media, where participants were the wider public in the United Kingdom. An experimental design with... more
This study focuses on the effect of internationalization on the wider society. The study analyses the results of a session on terrorism and media, where participants were the wider public in the United Kingdom. An experimental design with random group assignment was conducted where internationalization was operationalized by the training either being international, where a U.S. trainer co-conducted the intervention group session, or national, where a U.K. trainer co-conducted the control group session. Both groups were matched for age, education, and gender. While both groups did not significantly differ regarding a core personality trait—that is, openness—as well as the learning outcomes prior to the training, they differed significantly post training. Training on terrorism showed consistent learning effects for both groups, but was far greater in the presence of the U.S. co-teacher and these effects were long-term. Consistent with predictions, the presence of an international trai...
Research Interests:
Over the last two decades, the concept of the internationalization of higher education has moved from the fringe of institutional interest to the very core. While gaining moral weight, its content seems to have deteriorated. There is an... more
Over the last two decades, the concept of the internationalization of higher education has moved from the fringe of institutional interest to the very core. While gaining moral weight, its content seems to have deteriorated. There is an increasing commercialization under the flag of internationalization. This attitude has exacerbated the devaluation of internationalization and the inflation of defensive measures. While in need of more philosophy, we also require a greater sense of reality. We need to rethink and redefine the way we look at the internationalization of higher education in the present time.
Research Interests:
Administrative staff, including those working for international offices, housing officials, and many others play a key role in international higher education. Without their professionalism and involvement, virtually all aspects of... more
Administrative staff, including those working for international offices, housing officials, and many others play a key role in international higher education. Without their professionalism and involvement, virtually all aspects of university internationalization would fail.
Research Interests:
Mobility has impact on the career and the personal. Most importantly, personality traits such as confidence or tolerance are not only predictors for studying abroad but also relevant for employability. These are some results of one of the... more
Mobility has impact on the career and the personal. Most importantly, personality traits such as confidence or tolerance are not only predictors for studying abroad but also relevant for employability. These are some results of one of the largest studies ever conducted on Erasmus: the Erasmus Impact study (EIS).
Research Interests:
Everybody talks about “internationalization” and we see it everywhere on the agenda. The global competition for talents, the emergence of international branch campuses, the debate on use of agents for recruitment of students, all this is... more
Everybody talks about “internationalization” and we see it
everywhere on the agenda. The global competition for talents, the emergence of international branch campuses, the debate on use of agents for recruitment of students, all this is now widely debated on all levels, be it international-education administrators, university presidents, associations of universities, politicians, or other key players in higher education around the world. We also see that more people than ever advocate for the enhancement of study-abroad programs, more focus on global citizenship in the curriculum, and express concern about the loss of foreign-language education. Even more, budget constraints
have forced governments in the United States, the United
Kingdom, Australia, and continental Europe to cut back on their support for international education while at the same time universities are forced to bolster their budgets with more international recruitment. In addition, emerging economies in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East have become more proactive in stimulating the internationalization of their education.
So where are we heading? Is international education still on therise or has it lost its way? And if so, how do we get it back on track again?
everywhere on the agenda. The global competition for talents, the emergence of international branch campuses, the debate on use of agents for recruitment of students, all this is now widely debated on all levels, be it international-education administrators, university presidents, associations of universities, politicians, or other key players in higher education around the world. We also see that more people than ever advocate for the enhancement of study-abroad programs, more focus on global citizenship in the curriculum, and express concern about the loss of foreign-language education. Even more, budget constraints
have forced governments in the United States, the United
Kingdom, Australia, and continental Europe to cut back on their support for international education while at the same time universities are forced to bolster their budgets with more international recruitment. In addition, emerging economies in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East have become more proactive in stimulating the internationalization of their education.
So where are we heading? Is international education still on therise or has it lost its way? And if so, how do we get it back on track again?
Research Interests:
Internationalisation has been one of the buzzwords of at least the last two-and-a-half decades, although the concept itself has been around much longer. e more recent debate has included notions of dependence, inter-dependence, hegemony,... more
Internationalisation has been one of the buzzwords of at least the last two-and-a-half decades, although the concept itself has been around much longer. e more recent debate has included notions of dependence, inter-dependence, hegemony, colonial- ism, brain drain, brain gain, trading goods and services, and thus coincided with the rise of neoliberalism, placing the internationalisation debate on the globalisation agenda. e current debate centres around cooperation versus commercialisation or competition. is chapter aims to shed light on the internationalisation vs globalisation debate as a basis for understanding the developments in internationalisation. From there it moves to looking at evidence for the assumption that internationalisation has moved from fringe to core, from exotic to mainstream. In order to do so, theoretical considerations and sta- tistics are looked at and some organisational observations will be made. Some visions on the future of internationalisation are developed and the question of whether the concept has not outlived its usefulness is posed.
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There is a lot of debate on the measuring of internationalisation today. We argue about input versus output, the question of outcomes, impacts and effects, and the right way to go. This paper aims to shed some light on the current trends... more
There is a lot of debate on the measuring of internationalisation today. We argue about input versus output, the question of outcomes, impacts and effects, and the right way to go. This paper aims to shed some light on the current trends in measuring at least input and output, not based on pure assumptions or single case studies but the empirical findings of an analysis of users of the IMPI
toolbox over the last three years. It shows that choices of indicators depend on regions, sizes and types of HEIs but also, and much more so, on which goal dimension is under scrutiny. The analysis of the use of the IMPI toolbox shows that we need a diverse approach to measure internationalisation.
toolbox over the last three years. It shows that choices of indicators depend on regions, sizes and types of HEIs but also, and much more so, on which goal dimension is under scrutiny. The analysis of the use of the IMPI toolbox shows that we need a diverse approach to measure internationalisation.
Research Interests:
The European Voluntary Service (EVS) Impact Study analyses the impact of EVS on individuals, organisations and local communities. It describes how 5 different types of EVS volunteers - ‘Standard students’, ‘Mediterranean students’,... more
The European Voluntary Service (EVS) Impact Study analyses the impact of EVS on individuals, organisations and local communities. It describes how 5 different types of EVS volunteers - ‘Standard students’, ‘Mediterranean students’, ‘Experienced workers’, ‘Disadvantaged jobseekers’ and ‘Western pupils’ - benefit differently from EVS.
The study shows measurable impact of EVS on the volunteers’ learning and competence development e.g. as regards languages as well as career and work-related aspects: More than 80% of the respondents considered EVS to having been helpful for their professional future. EVS also clearly increases awareness for problems of disadvantaged groups in society. It boosts international attitudes and European values and fosters participants'
social capital. EVS brings clear benefits for participating organisations such as a higher focus on diversity and improved project management.
With a view to the impact of EVS on local communities, the study indicates that EVS generates a ripple effect, motivating others to volunteer, and improves intercultural
learning as well as the attitude towards Europe within the local population.
The study also identifies several options to further improve the impact of EVS for individuals and organisations, with a specific focus on the role of young people with fewer
opportunities.
The study shows measurable impact of EVS on the volunteers’ learning and competence development e.g. as regards languages as well as career and work-related aspects: More than 80% of the respondents considered EVS to having been helpful for their professional future. EVS also clearly increases awareness for problems of disadvantaged groups in society. It boosts international attitudes and European values and fosters participants'
social capital. EVS brings clear benefits for participating organisations such as a higher focus on diversity and improved project management.
With a view to the impact of EVS on local communities, the study indicates that EVS generates a ripple effect, motivating others to volunteer, and improves intercultural
learning as well as the attitude towards Europe within the local population.
The study also identifies several options to further improve the impact of EVS for individuals and organisations, with a specific focus on the role of young people with fewer
opportunities.
Research Interests:
While the original Erasmus Impact Study (EIS) published in 2014 looked at aggregated data at the European level, this new study analyses the regional trends in the effects of student mobility under the Erasmus programme on employability,... more
While the original Erasmus Impact Study (EIS) published in 2014 looked at aggregated data at the European level, this new study analyses the regional trends in the effects of student mobility under the Erasmus programme on employability, skills, careers and social lives.
The study reveals substantial differences between regions in Europe and suggests different approaches to tackle the challenges.
The study reveals substantial differences between regions in Europe and suggests different approaches to tackle the challenges.
Research Interests:
The Erasmus Programme is a European Union (EU) student exchange programme that aims to boost skills and employability, as well as modernise education, training, and youth work. The Erasmus Impact Study (EIS) aims to answer two major... more
The Erasmus Programme is a European Union (EU) student exchange programme that aims to boost skills and employability, as well as modernise education, training, and youth work. The Erasmus Impact Study (EIS) aims to answer two major questions. Firstly, it analyses the effects of Erasmus student mobility in relation to studies and placements on individual skills enhancement, employability and institutional development. Secondly, it examines the effects of Erasmus teaching assignments/staff training on individual competences, personality traits and attitudes, as well as the programme's impact on the internationalisation of higher education institutions (HEIs).
Research Interests:
InHoPe ist ein empirisches Forschungsprojekt der CHE Consult GmbH, das durch das Bun-desministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) gefördert wird. Ziel des Projektes ist es, die Wirkungen von Internationalisierungsmaßnahmen auf das... more
InHoPe ist ein empirisches Forschungsprojekt der CHE Consult GmbH, das durch das Bun-desministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) gefördert wird. Ziel des Projektes ist es, die Wirkungen von Internationalisierungsmaßnahmen auf das nicht-wissenschaftliche Perso-nal an deutschen Hochschulen zu untersuchen.
Research Interests:
The study, commissioned by the European Commission, maps the intensity and spread of the cross-border provision of higher education through franchising and validation agreements and the establishment of branch campuses. It also looks at... more
The study, commissioned by the European Commission, maps the intensity and spread of the cross-border provision of higher education through franchising and validation agreements and the establishment of branch campuses. It also looks at whether and how Member States regulate this, and into issues of quality assurance.
According to it, levels of cross-border provision of higher education are highest where outgoing student mobility is also high. This might suggest that insufficient domestic supply, limited to demand in specific areas, might be an important factor behind the increase in this kind of educational arrangement.
Levels of regulation vary among the Member States, and mainly concern incoming operators; countries tend not to regulate the 'export' of higher education. There is an overall lack of hard evidence as to the effects on quality.
In terms of perception of the phenomenon, Ministries and quality assurance agencies tend to be rather neutral with regard to both benefits and perceived risks; providers tend to perceive fewer risks and more benefits, whilst rectors' conferences and umbrella organisations tend to see fewer benefits.
Findings in the study suggest that a potentially fruitful field of action would relate to improving quality assurance of this type of provision of higher education.
According to it, levels of cross-border provision of higher education are highest where outgoing student mobility is also high. This might suggest that insufficient domestic supply, limited to demand in specific areas, might be an important factor behind the increase in this kind of educational arrangement.
Levels of regulation vary among the Member States, and mainly concern incoming operators; countries tend not to regulate the 'export' of higher education. There is an overall lack of hard evidence as to the effects on quality.
In terms of perception of the phenomenon, Ministries and quality assurance agencies tend to be rather neutral with regard to both benefits and perceived risks; providers tend to perceive fewer risks and more benefits, whilst rectors' conferences and umbrella organisations tend to see fewer benefits.
Findings in the study suggest that a potentially fruitful field of action would relate to improving quality assurance of this type of provision of higher education.