The Audit "Internationalisation of Universities" supports German universities to develop or amend their institutional internationalisation strategy. It provides advice in expanding from basic motives to specific goals and in developing individual tools to reach their goals. The Audit is an independent and systematic analysis of internationalisation processes and gives specific recommendations in four dimensions of activity (Planning & Steering, Study & Teaching, Research & Technology Transfer, and Advice & Support).
The Audit’s main focus lies on assessing and analysing the university’s internationality (i.e. its current situation and the status quo of its internationalisation measures) and developing recommendations for the development of the amendment of an institutional internationalisation strategy on this basis. To this end, it initiates a process of self-examination and discussion that involves the entire institution. Working with international experts also offers an objective view from the outside of the university’s internationalisation processes and measures.
Small universities have the possibility to participate in the Audit compact or the Audit strategy workshop. Those instruments are condensed versions of the Audit, tailored to the needs and resources of smaller universities.
The Re-Audit supports universities which have already completed the Audit process in their transition from developing their strategy to actively implementing their internationalisation goals. The main aims of the Re-Audit are to devise a medium-term implementation plan, to monitor the implementation process, and to provide a final assessment of its success.
The regular Audit process lasts approximately 12 months. The key milestones in the process are the university’s self-evaluation report, the Audit team's visit to the university, and the concluding workshop focusing on future action.
At the start of the Audit, the university receives general guidelines for the process and a template for creating the self-evaluation report. The university’s first task is to appoint an internal project group responsible for carrying out the Audit at the university.
In the beginning of the Audit process, two HRK members visit the university for a half-day meeting in order to discuss the process with the project group and to clarify any questions.
In the self-evaluation report, the university documents the status quo of its internationalisation. In addition, the university is asked to define its motives and goals for the internationalisation process, identify its strengths and weaknesses in terms of internationalisation, and assess its development potential for further internationalisation. The university is given around four months to create the report using a template provided by the HRK. The report is written by the project group and treated as confidential by the Audit team. It is up to the university to decide whether it makes the report accessible to a third party. Based on the self-evaluation report, the Audit team identifies key stakeholders with whom they wish to talk during the site visit.
The three-day site visit is the most important advisory tool in the process. The university’s internal project group and the Audit team come together in order to identify areas for action and prospects for development. In addition to consulting with the project group, individual and group discussions with other members of the university are a key component of the site visit. Based on findings from the discussions and the self-evaluation report, the advisors develop recommendations for further internationalisation of the university.
Based on the assessment of the self-evaluation report and the findings gained from the site visit, the recommendations report provides an analysis of the university's internationality and offers recommendations for its further development. The university receives the recommendations report about three months after the site visit. As with the self-evaluation report, the recommendations report is treated as confidential by the Audit team. There is no obligation to publish; it is up to the university to decide whether it makes the report accessible to a third party.
At the end of the Audit process, the HRK conducts a workshop in order to support the creation of an individual implementation strategy in line with the university’s aims and resources. At the end of the Audit process, the university receives an electronic seal of participation.
