Coloniality prints in internationalization of higher education: The case of Brazilian and Chilean international scholarships

In this article, we argue that efforts to internationalize higher education that do not make visible the colonial legacy in the higher education space become catalysts that intensify and reproduce the power asymmetries among countries, universities, and ways of knowing. To support and illustrate our argument, we carried out an analysis of two of the largest international scholarship programs implemented by Latin American countries, namely, the Brazilian ‘Science without Borders’ and the Chilean ‘Becas Chile’ programs. Our analysis shows that Brazil and Chile, aiming to enhance their position in the so-called ‘knowledge economy’, implemented strategies of internationalization that assumed, naturalized, and possibly biased the intrinsic benefits of internationalization at the expense of local needs and realities. We also found that Brazil and Chile embrace a concept of internationalization equated with academic mobility to (almost exclusively) Western/European industrialized countries of the global North. Key words: Internationalization of higher education, Coloniality, Brazil, Chile, International scholarships How to cite this article: Chiappa, R. & Finardi, K.R. 2021. Coloniality Prints in Internationalization of Higher Education: The Case of Brazilian and Chilean International Scholarships. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. 5(1): 25-45. DOI: 10.36615/sotls.v5i1.161. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Brazilian Federal Institutes and Canadian Colleges: Sharing Experiences Internationally

The Brazilian Federal Network of VET Institutes was created in 2008 to address the demand for Higher Education’s rapid growth. Since the establishment of Science Without Borders in 2011, the Federal Institutes have been developing international strategies for strengthening their internationalization process. However, there has been little research about the theme in Brazil. This article highlights the cooperation between Canada and Brazil that enhanced the Federal Institutes’ internationalization process. The findings presented in this article are part of the research results on the Brazilian Federal Institutes’ internationalization model, which used Situational Analysis as a methodological tool and pointed to the A Thousand Women project as the first significant international experience in these institutions. The data analyzed supports the claim that Canada became a significant reference for the Brazilian Federal Institutes and helped them build their internationalization process concretely and collaboratively.

International mobility and education inequality among Brazilian undergraduate students

This paper aims to understand the effect of international mobility in higher education on Brazilian education inequality by examining the Science Without Borders programme for undergraduate students. The SWB aimed to award 101,000 scholarships for Brazilian undergraduate students to conduct part of their studies in a foreign university between 2011 and 2015. This paper draws on research on education inequalities and international mobility to investigate the patterns of inequality among undergraduate students participating in the SWB, considering the period of higher education expansion in Brazil. Using the ENEM datasets, inequality of access and inequality within the programme were analysed. The results show that students with parents with higher levels of education and higher income were more likely to participate in the SWB programme. Moreover, students with higher parental education and family income tended to study at a prestigious university during the programme.

PROGRAMA CIÊNCIA SEM FRONTEIRAS: um retrospecto da política de estímulo à ciência, tecnologia e inovação

Este estudo busca compreender de maneira retrospectiva como ocorreu o ciclo do programa Ciência sem Fronteiras (CsF) ao considerá-lo uma política pública intersetorial. Para tal, tem como objetivo: descrever a intersetorialidade do CsF enquanto uma política de estímulo à ciência, tecnologia e inovação, uma política educacional e uma política de redução de desigualdades; investigar a formulação, a organização e a gestão do CsF; e verificar como foi a implementação do programa. A partir do estudo de caso do CsF, realiza uma revisão da literatura de políticas públicas, além da apuração de trabalhos empíricos, de informações governamentais e da repercussão midiática sobre o programa. Conclui que embora o programa tenha tido falhas, o seu fim representou um retrocesso no desenvolvimento brasileiro pelo regresso ao incentivo à inovação e por retirar as oportunidades de inclusão social. Palavras-chave: Programa Ciência Sem Fronteiras. Políticas Públicas. Intersetorialidade.SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS PROGRAM: a retrospect of the politics of stimulus to science, technology and innovationAbstractThis study sought to understand retrospectively how the cycle of the program Science Without Border (CsF) took place, by analyzing it as an intersectoral public policy. To do so, it set as goals: to describe the intersectoriality of the program as a stimulus to science, technology and innovation policy, as an educational policy, and as a reduction of social inequalities; to investigate the formulation, organization and management of the program; and to observe the process of implementation.From a case study of the CsF, a review of the public policies literature was made, as well as a canvass of empiric surveys, governmental information and media repercussion about the program. The conclusion was, besides the program’s flaws, its abrupt end represented a kickback to the Brazilian development, due to the withdrawal of the incentivesto innovation and opportunities of social inclusion.Keywords: Science Without Borders program. Public policies. Intersectoriality.

Profile of Brazilian Dental Undergraduates who participated of Science Without Borders Program and their perceptions on sandwich course

O programa Ciência sem Fronteiras (CsF) foi criado em 2011 com o objetivo de internacionalizar a educação no Brasil e prover treinamento altamente qualificado no exterior. Entretanto, em 2015, encerrou a oferta de bolsas de estudo para alunos de graduação, que permitiam diversas oportunidades. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o perfil de graduandos de Odontologia que participaram do programa CsF e suas percepções sobre essa experiência. Trata-se de uma pesquisa avaliativa desenvolvida com estudantes que participaram do CsF na modalidade sanduíche, em que o estudante continua matriculado em sua universidade de origem enquanto estuda por período em outra instituição no exterior. Um questionário semiestruturado foi desenvolvido utilizando a plataforma digital GoogleDocs®, abordando o perfil sociodemográfico e acadêmico dos participantes e aspectos relacionados à organização e ao funcionamento do programa. Dos 745 estudantes de Odontologia participantes do CsF, 109 (14,6%) responderam ao questionário. A maioria era do sexo feminino (65,1%), oriundos de instituições públicas (89%), localizadas no Nordeste (34,9%) e Sudeste (26,6%), com proficiência em inglês (82,6%) e intenção de se tornar pesquisador (51,4%). Os bolsistas indicaram que os objetivos do programa foram parcialmente cumpridos (59,63%). Consideraram-se mais qualificados, profissionalmente, devido à graduação sanduíche oferecida pelo CsF. No entanto, apontaram várias limitações: a falta de organização das instituições de fomento, de aproveitamento de disciplinas e de mecanismos de controle e inspeção. Foi possível traçar o perfil dos participantes do programa, bem como caracterizar o funcionamento do CsF para os estudantes de Odontologia, de acordo com suas percepções.

Internationalization and Language Policies in Brazil: What is the Relationship?

ABSTRACT The article reflects on the relationship between the internationalization of higher education and language policies in Brazil. The study provides a review of language policy literature and internationalization policies materialized in national programs, such as the Science without Borders (SwB) and the Languages without Borders (LwB). The analysis of internationalization policies suggests that language policies are at the core of the internationalization agenda, concerning the role of English in this process; however, the role of other foreign/additional languages (L2s) still seems to be disconnected, whereby other languages lack funding and alignment with solid language policies at all educational levels. The analysis of language policies reveals the need to think about the role of L2s at different educational levels as well as in multilingualism in Brazil and in the internationalization of higher education.