Ivy Lai on Global World, Global Mind: Narratives of the HKU Worldwide Exchange Students (Transformation in Higher Education)

"Global world, Global mind: Narratives of the University of Hong Kong Worldwide Exchange Students"

Ivy Lai Chun Chun (KE Manager)

Transformation in Higher Education
Volume 3, September 2018

The author was a former HKU Worldwide Exchange student, who participated in HKU Worldwide Exchange Programmes in Auckland University (in Auckland, New Zealand) and Peking University (in Beijing, Mainland China). This sounds like fulfilment of one international and one Mainland exchange exposure, which has been what HKU is targeting for all students in 2022. As a former HKU Worldwide Exchange student, Ivy identified global attributes of selected HKU Worldwide Exchange students, based on the real life stories they wrote, to predict their possible future careers in the global world. These narratives shed light on what HKU can do in the future. 

Abstract: Background: ‘Internationalisation’ is what makes the University of Hong Kong (HKU) reputable. Ranked as the world top 25, in QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) 2019 World University Ranking, HKU provides students with ample opportunities to experience the global world, to possess a global mind. The HKU Worldwide Exchange Programme, established in 1998 by HKU, allows students to study abroad for a certain period to sharpen their global vision.

Settings: This study investigated how HKU facilitates ‘internationalisation’, which contributes to the international fame of HKU. Narratives by HKU Worldwide Exchange students (whose anonymous identities were preserved) were examined to explore the ways in which these students participate in the global world, with a global mind.

Aim: The research question structuring the study is: How does the participation in HKU Worldwide Exchange Programme prepare HKU students for the global world?

Method: This article addressed the ways in which HKU prepares students for the global world. The knowledge contribution to internationalisation in higher education in relation to student exchange programmes as a result could fill the gap in studies of transformation in higher education.

Result: Global attributes of HKU Worldwide Exchange students were found that contributes to their future careers. Being a global citizen is the ideal role of their careers, linking to a core mission of HKU.

Conclusion: More policies on carrying out student exchange programmes for HKU are recommended to benefit more future students. The future of these golden assets could bring a promising prospect for the transformation of HE.

This paper is based on a presentation delivered at The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Conference, which was cited and extended further by Prof. John Spinks, Director of Undergraduate Admissions and International Student exchange, in the work entitled ‘Review of Exchange Students Report’ in HKU Quality Assurance Council (QAC) Audit Report [Institutional Submission]', August 2015, page 1019, Appendix 4.4. Special thanks to the Office of International Student Exchange (OISE), HKU, for the data collected from the stories of the latest 2013–2014 returned HKU Worldwide Exchange students (provided with consent of HKU Worldwide Exchange students given anonymous identities via special coding). It is hoped that "knowledge exchange" could be facilitated by the dissemination of this academic piece of writing to the public in order to increase the awareness of HKU Worldwide Exchange programmes.  Click here to download the full article.