Virtual Conference – Online Internationalisation
Meeting the Challenge of Student Mobility in a Global Pandemic

Internationalisation in higher education is facing unprecedented challenges because of the global pandemic Covid-19. The various preventive measures, for example, entry restrictions, visa suspensions, and quarantine measures, have created enormous barriers to overseas exchange, international experiential learning experience, and many other valuable learning opportunities that were supposed to develop students’ international, intercultural, and global value and competence. International students also have become a particularly vulnerable group. These phenomena are dramatically changing the landscape of higher education and the internationalisation agenda. Many concerns have been raised around the access to higher education, the issue of equity, and well-being of both local and international students.

Internationalisation has been on the policy agenda for many universities around the world. The University of Hong Kong has been partnering with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University to collectively develop staff capacity for internationalisation of teaching and learning on a three-year project. There are many insights from our collaboration that make us keen to meet and hopefully address some of the challenges of students mobility in a global pandemic.

This virtual conference will serve as a platform to discuss the challenges brought by the global pandemic, brainstorm approaches to tackling the challenges and turn them into opportunities, and envision the future landscape of internationalisation. The discussion will be based on insights from keynote speakers, emerging practices by our colleagues during the pandemic period, earlier explorations through the above-mentioned project, and most importantly, our productive collaboration. All colleagues and students are warmly welcome to join this conference.