Exploring Innovation of Internationalisation Effectiveness in the Higher Education Sector: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The government, business, and higher education sectors benefit from internationalisation. This viewpoint is articulated considering the improved academic quality and international recognition derived from faculty/student exchange programs and research partnerships, which elevate academic standards and the institution’s profile internationally. This systematic review is intended to (i) highlight the prevalence of current publications and other research-related activities that are steered towards the innovation of internationalisation in Higher Education Sector (HES), (ii) analyse and organise data on the impact of internationalisation effectiveness in the HES, and (iii) conclude with future characteristics of internationalisation effectiveness with suggestions to government, decision-makers, and institutions to achieve sustainable education sector. A search strategy was initiated through various research databases within the years 2005–2024. Of the 3865 identified papers from the database search, 3558 were excluded, and 307 were selected, of which 32 publications were utilised in the review process. The study identified several themes: transformation, factors, global nationality, international mobility, impact, curriculum and strategic framework. The study highlights the need to decolonise the HES for internationalisation effectiveness. This study also highlights future empirical research on the innovative effects of internationalisation for economic development.

1. Introduction

Internationalisation is regarded as an anticipated choice for expanding the delivery of services, while innovation refers to new ideas that can create change in an existing system [1]. Innovation of internationalisation in the higher education sectors (HES) can be significant towards achieving the United Nations Vision 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) numbers 4 (quality education) and 17 (partnerships for the goals) [2]. Equally, internationalisation equips students with the language proficiency, cultural knowledge, and global perspectives that employers highly value in today’s interconnected workforce [3]. Furthermore, cooperation between industry and internationalised institutions fosters innovative research, technological transfer, and international commercialisation opportunities [4]. Higher education is a valuable sector for the government since international students make substantial contributions to the national economy through tuition, living expenditures, and spending [5]. Similarly, sponsoring international students and scholars develops diplomatic contacts and fosters long-term goodwill, helping the country achieve its worldwide impact and foreign policy objectives [6].

The discussion on the innovation of internationalisation in the education sector started recently with the government’s increased attention, demand for research, and rapid expansion of the sector [7]. Mittelmeier et al. [4] mentioned that internationalisation is increasingly becoming a considerable and foremost practice in Africa, Asia, Europe, and other continents. The evolution of the innovation of internationalisation could be based on guidelines that govern the assurance of the procedures in place. Ideally, such guidelines can be necessary towards achieving a transformative education system. This review explores the innovation of internationalisation in the HES. Figure 1 shows a framework as guidance for the review.

Innovation of internationalisation is undoubtedly one of the significant characteristics of technological transformation in various sectors, such as education [8]. It is also regarded as an underlying force that cannot be isolated, as it allows identifiable values in various sectors, but, equally, creates a disparity in the thoughts of legislators, administrators, politicians, investigators, and authorities regarding transformation [9].

With the economic restructuring, developing nations such as South Africa (SA) are beginning to enhance their internationalisation practices to include the educational sector [10]. Internationalisation effectiveness would require including cross-border mobility, curriculum restructuring, global nationality, interactions among local and international students and staff, and the exclusion of Western influence in the education sector [11]. This would require embracing innovation in internationalisation-related issues for effective higher education practices.

The framework on internationalisation in the education sector is deemed as a guideline set out by the authorities to monitor, manage, and control the internationalisation process and procedures [12]. There is also an indication that the framework needs to absorb the idea of decolonisation to comprehend the demand for innovative internationalisation practices in nations [13]. Therefore, there is a need to conduct a systematic review to explore the innovation of internationalisation effectiveness in the HES and its impact towards achieving economic development.

1.1. A Brief Description of Innovation and Internationalisation

There are numerous misconceptions about the meaning of innovation and internationalisation, as well as their place in the research area. Innovation is described as the “process of bringing about new ideas, methods, products, services, or solutions that have a significant positive impact and value” [14] (p. 1). Innovation is regarded as a novel way of initiating a change process in an existing system. Thus, innovation in higher education could portray new ways of tutoring and sharing of knowledge, as well as ideas in the sector.

Knight [15] (p. 9) defines internationalisation as “a series of international activities such as academic mobility for students and teachers; international relations; partnerships and projects; new international academic programmes; and research initiatives”. Teichler [16] (p. 180) also defines internationalisation as “the integration of international, intercultural and global dimensions into the curriculum and teaching-learning process in institutions”. Both definitions describe internationalisation as significant towards developing the education system.

Given the critical role of innovation in other spheres [17], including the recent revelations of its value in higher education [18]. It is necessary to intentionally further the discourse through a systematic review to examine how innovation could impact internationalisation effectiveness and highlight the future characteristics of the HES.

1.2. Reasons for Systematic Review

Internationalisation has been in demand for a long period, yet research on the innovation of internationalisation in the HES is still at a developing stage [19]. However, there is an increase in the demand for research on the subject in several sectors, such as education in developing economies. Interestingly, most developed/developing countries, such as the United States of America (USA), Australia, China, and South Africa, have invested resources towards successful internationalisation practices. However, several other nations are yet to identify the contribution of internationalisation to their economy [20]. Therefore, a systematic review is significant towards identifying information from previous studies on the innovation of internationalisation effectiveness in the HES.

1.3. New Idea Concerning This Systematic Review

The range of this review is from 2005 to 2024. Previous studies on internationalisation in HES were focused on multidisciplinary reviews conducted through extracts from different sources such as academia, educational programmes, decolonial perspectives, retrospective learning, and transformations. This review aims to (i) highlight the prevalence of current research on innovation and internationalisation in the HES, (ii) analyse and organise data on internationalisation effectiveness, and (iii) conclude with the future characteristics of the innovation of internationalisation effectiveness research and outcomes. A systematic review will be necessary to guide in identification of several themes from published papers on innovation and internationalisation in the HES.

2. Method

A wide-range search approach was used to assess the articles and other published papers at the beginning of the review through online database indexes such as Web of Science, Cochrane Library, IEEE, higher education reports, Science Direct, Embase, and Scopus, from countries/regions/continents such as Australia, China, the USA, SA, Asia, Europe, America, and Africa amongst others. Other scholarly outputs, such as theses and research reports, were also examined through Google Scholar and reference lists to identify additional information pertinent to the review [21]. The review covered all publication statuses irrespective of the language used. This search was initiated due to innovation and internationalisation increasingly becoming important in the education sector; the search was within the range 2005–2024. This systematic review protocol has been registered on the protocol.io website and is publicly accessible with the following DOI: https://www.protocols.io/view/exploring-innovation-of-internationalisation-effec-q26g79eb8vwz/v1 (accessed on 27 May 2025).

2.1. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow guideline was used to identify and select the relevant papers for the review [22]. The PRISMA guideline assists the authors in explaining the processes followed in selecting the papers utilised, the transparency, and the non-biased research report [23,24]. The PRISMA checklist can be found in the Supplementary Material.

2.2. Publication Screening and Selection

At the early stage, the researchers read through the abstracts and titles of all the generated papers to identify their relevance to the review before downloading the full texts of the chosen studies. With this technique, the researchers were able to measure the paper’s fit with the inclusion criteria [14]. The researchers also committed enough time to affirm that the final chosen studies aligned with the concept of the review.

2.3. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

The circumstances of the search aided the choice of data and documents selected for the review through the following criteria: (i) the involvement of studies on innovation and internationalisation in the HES, (ii) studies with perspectives of institutions, organisations, government departments and other sectors, and (iii) studies on how innovation impacts on internationalisation regarding mobility, curriculum structure, partnerships, technology, transformation, global nationality, and citizenship, among others. Papers which do not conform to the requirements were excluded from the review.

2.4. Search Terms and Strings

Due to the integration of the most relevant publications, the search was first focused on internationalisation and subsequently streamlined to two main search terms: innovation in higher education and internationalisation in higher education.

Table 1. List of search terms and strings.

Major Search Terms	Synonymous/Alternative Terms	Search Strings
Innovation in higher education	Innovation, Innovative, Innovativeness, technology, transformation, digitalisation	“Innovation” or “Innovative” or Innovativeness” or “technology” or “transformation”
WITH
Internationalisation in higher education	Internationalisation, Internationalization	“Internationalisation” or “Internationalization”
AND
Higher education sector	Higher education sector	“Higher education sector”

shows how the search terms were combined through compilation of alternative search strings between “Innovation in higher education” and “Internationalisation in higher education” to identify the data and information specifics for the review.

2.5. Data Extraction and Assessment

The researchers obtained data and other materials from chosen studies through a process consisting of the author’s name, the topic and year of the publication, keywords, where the paper was published, the research focus, and outcomes. The researchers reviewed the topics individually to align with the study focus, then coded the data and the outcomes. Also, the researchers assessed all the chosen studies for accuracy and consistency purposes.

3. Result

Figure 2 shows the PRISMA flow diagram. It shows that overall, 3865 papers were identified from the database search after excluding 3558 papers not aligned with the specifics of the review, and 307 results were selected. Then, 212 titles and abstracts were assessed as eligible after disregarding 95 duplicates. A total of 32 publications were chosen as fit and suitable for the review. A total of 180 did not have satisfactory information in the content to contribute to the review. Hence, the information derived from the chosen studies was conceptualised and themed for discussion.

Figure 3 shows that most of the 32 chosen studies were published in the years 2016–2020 and 2021–2024 (12 or 37.5%), respectively, followed by 2011–2015 (5 or 15.6%), and then 2005–2010 (3 or 9.4%). In summary, (24 or 75%) of the chosen studies were published between 2016 and 2024, and the remaining (8 or 25%) between 2005 and 2015.

Figure 4 shows that the 32 chosen studies were mostly from developing and high-income countries. SA is the highest with 10 (31.3%), and the USA has 6 (18.8%). Australia has 3 (9.4%), while Malaysia and Romania have 2 (6.3%) each. Brazil, Germany, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK) each have 1 (3.1%). Also, researchers from different countries collaborated in some papers, such as (i) Australia and the Netherlands, (ii) Italy and Spain, (iii) the UK and China, and (iv) Canada and the USA, with 1 (3.1%) each. The affiliated countries of the chosen studies were identified through the PRISMA guidelines for transparency and non-biased reporting.

Research Designs and Study Eminence

Figure 5 shows that of the types of the 32 chosen studies, the literature review is the most common (19 or 59.4%), followed by the qualitative method (9 or 28.1%), the quantitative method (3 or 9.4%), and the mixed method (1 or 3.1%).

Figure 6 shows that most of the 32 chosen studies are journal articles (26 or 81.3%), then book chapters (4 or 12.5%) and lastly books and conference papers (1 or 3.1%). Theses, reports, and other types of publications were not identified in the review. Thus, based on the perception that internationalisation is a national phenomenon and a multidisciplinary study, most of the 32 chosen studies are on internationalisation in HE (28 or 87.5%), and the rest (4 or 12.5%) are on social sciences and HE.

Table 2. The concepts in the discussion.

Categories of Concepts	Articles	Book Chapters	Books	Conference Papers
Transformation	R09, R17, R27
Global nationality	R01, R04, R10, R12, R15, R22
International mobility	R02, R26, R31	R28	R08	R03
Factors	R04, R20, R23	R29
Decolonisation	R05, R18, R20, R21, R32
Strategy framework	R05, R11, R14, R30, R32
Impact	R19, R25	R24
The emerging concept of Africanisation	R07, R13, R16
Future characteristics		R06

shows the concepts of the discussion.

Table 2 shows that from the selected publications, global nationality and international mobility were the concepts with the most papers (6 or 16.7%), then decolonisation and strategy framework (5 or 13.9%). Next are factors (4 or 11.1%), followed by transformation, impact, and emerging concepts (3 or 8.3%), and lastly, future characteristics (1 or 2.8%).

Table 3. The 32 chosen studies in the inclusion criteria within the years (2005–2024).

	Authors, Year	Topic	Publication	Aims	Study Design	Country	Outcome
R01	Aktas et al. (2017) [25]	Institutionalising Global Citizenship: HE Curricula Programmes	Journal of Studies in International Education	It focused on programmes involving international service learning, internships, and studying abroad to acquire global experience.	Literature	United States of America	It revealed how institutions commit to global citizenship in their curricula through programmes, mission statements, curriculum ideas, and objectives.
R02	Altbach and Knight (2007) [26]	Internationalisation in HE: Realities and Motivations	Journal of Studies in International Education	It viewed internationalisation as practices and policies embarked upon by institutions in dealing with global educational change through motivation.	Literature	United States of America and Canada	It revealed the need for initiatives such as cross-border collaboration, additional campuses, international programmes, and English-medium programmes.
R03	Beloiu et al. (2015) [27]	Internationalisation of Educational Programmes	International Conference on Education World. Cont.	It reviewed the projects initiated to encourage mobility for staff and students, good teaching practice, and exchanging ideas.	Literature	Romania	It revealed a model that could be applied in institutions with common practices to inspire and arouse mobility at all stages of education.
R04	Bhandari (2018) [28]	Retaining, Attracting Global Talent: International Graduate	International HE	The decline in international student enrolment points to the geographic location, type of institution, and selectivity criteria concerning internationalisation.	Literature	United States of America	It revealed the need to restructure global talent retention in institutions through internationalisation.
R05	Chasi (2021) [29]	SA Strategy Framework for HE Internationalisation	The Thinker	The strategy framework needs to focus more on decolonisation as the critical issue affecting internationalisation in HE.	Literature	South Africa	It raises the need for knowledge on history and geography for the strategy framework on internationalisation.
R06	Cossa (2014) [30]	African HE and Altbach’s Influence	The Forefront International HE. Springer	It identified several characteristics of building internationalisation: (i) the level of government involvement and (ii) building innovative institutions.	Literature	United States of America	It revealed nations’ need to take charge of their destiny in development and successful internationalisation in HE.
R07	Cross et al. (2011) [31]	Internationalisation HE: Conversation on Local and Global	Journal of Studies in International Education	It responded to the need to conceptualise the setting of globalisation in the research, programmes, faculty, and student engagement.	Qualitative	South Africa	It revealed arrangements to be made on strategies to be implemented accurately, and several remedies needed to address the problems still occurring through internationalisation.
R08	de Wit et al. (2005) [32]	HE in Latin America: International Dimension	IBRD/World Bank.	It responded to the behaviour of people studying abroad, making a difference in their communities through geographical knowledge.	Literature	United States of America	It revealed how economies and societies affect HE and how it could be shaped through global research, tutoring, mobility, and other academic services.
R09	Drori et al. (2023) [33]	Digitalisation Internationalisation from a Theory Lens	Long Range Planning	The effect of organisations towards effective internationalisation through transformation and digital innovation.	Quantitative	United States of America	It revealed that organisations’ effective internationalisation is dependent on the combination of their digital intensity, brand, and innovation.
R10	Haigh (2014) [34]	Internationalisation of Education for Global Citizenship	HE Quarterly	It described levels that evolve with internationalisation’s existence and the impact on global citizenship.	Literature	United Kingdom	It revealed that problems of strategy development and leadership arise from the need to engage with authorities for the significance of global citizenship.
R11	Heleta (2023) [35]	Review of Strategy Framework Internationalisation of HE	Journal of Studies in International Education	It explored the missing information in the strategy framework on internationalisation and discussions on decolonisation of the HE.	Literature	South Africa	It revealed that the strategy framework did not provide the needed guidance for internationalisation policies in HE to embrace global knowledge.
R12	Horey et al. (2018) [36]	Global Citizenship in HE: Empirical Evidence	Journal of Studies in International Education	It explored lapses in community development, services, educational travel, designated courses, and their impact on global citizenship.	Qualitative	Australia	It revealed a framework for developing curricula for HE researchers to evaluate the outcomes of global citizenship education.
R13	Iwara et al. (2018) [37]	Students’ Attainment, Africanisation and Internationalisation	African Renaissance	It focused on crafting students to accomplish the Africanisation of HE through internationalisation at institutions.	Mixed	South Africa	It revealed a framework to promote the Africanisation of HE in internationalisation through leadership, sporting activities, and exchange programmes
R14	Jooste and Hagenmeier (2022) [38]	Strategy Framework Internationalisation of HE:	Journal of Studies in International Education	It analysed the strategy framework for internationalisation in HE, highlighting the historical concept and substantive content.	Literature	South Africa	It revealed the need to provide a comprehensive strategy framework on internationalisation in HE for strategy implementation success.
R15	Kester (2023) [39]	Global Citizenship, Peace Education: Post-critical	Educational Philosophy and Theory	It explored the effect of Western institutions dominating the objective of internationalisation in the education system.	Literature	South Korea	It revealed the need for decolonisation to be introduced into the HE curriculum to include respect for other people’s cultures through global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity
R16	Kishun (2007) [40]	Internationalisation of HE: Progress and Challenges	Journal of Studies in International Education	It explored the global identification of internationalisation in HE and the significance of debates on the history and future of HE.	Literature	South Africa	It proposed future scenarios for “Africanisation and internationalisation” discussions, including policies on international mobility, trade in educational services, and skills shortage.
R17	Kriz and Welch (2018) [1]	Innovation, Internationalisation Processes, New Technologies	Journal of International Business Studies	It explored the nature of indecisions in introducing global technological innovations to support internationalisation.	Qualitative	Australia	It revealed a dialectic model to be developed to identify the socio-technical nature and interdependencies in the internationalisation sphere.
R18	Le Grange (2016) [41]	Decolonising the University Curriculum	SA Journal of HE	It explored how the curriculum can be comprehended and ways of decolonising the universities.	Literature	South Africa	It proposed solutions that will guide the reconstruction of the curriculum towards the decolonisation of universities.
R19	Leask and de Gayardon (2021) [42]	Reimagining Internationalisation for Society	Journal of Studies in International Education	It explored a broader vision for internationalisation and the potential influence on global and local communities.	Literature	Australia and the Netherlands	It revealed that the interaction between internationalisation at the HE levels could contribute to reshaping internationalisation in the education sector.
R20	Lima (2023) [43]	English Language on Internationalisation in the International Seminar	Bakhtiniana. Revista de Estudos do Discur	It explored the use of English in most international activities and the effect of decisions made in that regard.	Qualitative	Brazil	It revealed a need for mutual understanding among institutions regarding language selection in international activities.
R21	Long et al. (2019) [44]	Decolonisation of Geography, Curriculum	SA Journal of Science	Curriculum decolonisation and the incorporation of knowledge and performance in HE.	Literature	South Africa	It revealed debates that could result in decolonisation through dissimilar communication techniques.
R22	Massaro (2022) [45]	Global Citizenship Development in HE	Journal of Global Research and Education	It explored global citizenship in HE and several ways it could be improved for operational measures.	Literature	United States of America	It revealed global citizenship to be included in the HE curriculum through qualification, overseas study, student observations, and institutional programmes.
R23	Mok and Montgomery (2021) [46]	Remaking HE: Reflections of Internationalisation	HE Quarterly	It focused on HE development trends through the diversification of internationalisation practices towards HE.	Literature	United Kingdom and China	It revealed how the pandemic affected international mobility by halting national borders and the need for an eventual plan for future occurrences.
R24	Motala and David (2020) [47]	Trends and Impact of Internationalisation of HE	Internationalisation in HE SA	It explored internationalisation practices and policies concerning the opportunities for improving the HES.	Literature	South Africa	It revealed the need to introduce internationalisation through best practices to allow participation in the global dialogue for future HE.
R25	Munusamy and Hashim (2021) [18]	Internationalisation and ASEM Education Process: HE	HE Quarterly	It explored the evaluation of internationalisation in HE and how developing nations influenced HE development.	Quantitative	Malaysia	It revealed that the support of Asia/Europe through networking and strategic cooperation has a significant impact on HE.
R26	Phan et al. (2019) [48]	Internationalisation, Student Engagement, Global Graduates	Journal of Studies in International Education	It identified reasons students are not knowledgeable, skilful, and culturally sensitive to professionalism.	Qualitative	Australia	It revealed the need for cross-border mobility to create knowledge and skills in the scope of internationalisation among students.
R27	Ramos et al. (2011) [49]	Internationalisation Speed, Technological Patterns	Tech novation	It highlighted the effect that different technological patterns have on internationalisation rapidity in HE.	Quantitative	Spain	It revealed that the effect of technological intensity on internationalisation rapidity is significant in HES.
R28	Rickmann et al. (2020) [50]	Career Services Internationalisation Challenges, Transnational	European HE Area: Challenges for a New Decade	It explored how work, internship, mobility, and career services operate in the internationalisation space.	Qualitative	Italy and Spain	It revealed that mobility at international and national levels could assist in promoting career prospects.
R29	Santa and Haj (2020) [51]	Demographic Policies in Internationalisation HE.	European HE Area	It explored the implementation of legal changes to facilitate the employment of international graduates from institutions.	Qualitative	Romania	It revealed the avenues of communication by HES with international students on how to secure jobs and the need for legal immigration amendments.
R30	Suo (2023) [52]	Reform Strategy on Internationalisation of HE.	Journal of Education Research	It explored the internationalisation strategy implementation in HE and the outcome in terms of motivation.	Qualitative	Malaysia	It revealed the government’s need to promulgate a series of education policies to provide guarantees in support of globalisation in HE.
R31	Teichler (2017) [16]	Internationalisation Trends in HE, International Mobility	Journal of International Mobility	It explored how international mobility could be associated with marginally superior academic and international skills.	Qualitative	Germany	It revealed that the future of internationalisation without mobility will diminish the role impacted by political conflicts.
R32	Udekwe and Obadire (2024) [53]	Internationalisation Practice	Edukasiana: Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan	It explored scholarly literature and novel thoughts on the implications of the lack of effective internationalisation practice in HE.	Literature	South Africa	It revealed the need for digital technology and transformation, venture capital, and the reshaping of internationalisation practice in HE and a focus for further studies.

shows the breakdown of the 32 chosen studies according to the author, topic, publication, study design, country of publication, research goals, and outcomes. The chosen papers were coded and thematically aligned for discussion.

4. Discussion

4.1. Transformation of Internationalisation in Higher Education

Transformation can effect change in performance through digital and positive drive for internationalisation in HES. Drori et al. [33] are of the notion that improving internationalisation performance could be accomplished through a blend of institutions’ brand, digital intensity, and transformation. However, there is a need for a more nuanced, innovative internationalisation concept through transformation to achieve success in the education sector. Kriz and Welch [1] believe that internationalisation in HES is uneven; however, the transformation process and timeline to effect innovative global education sector is slowly progressing. This explains why transformative tensions between innovation and internationalisation in HES are slow in several countries. In the past decade, studies have shown that some institutions transformed their internationalisation practices more rapidly than others, and such achievements were attributed to transformation as the dynamic strength behind the phenomenon [54]. Ramos et al. [49] emphasise that the likely effect of innovation through transformation could intensify internationalisation to accomplish success in technology initiatives in institutions. Therefore, transformation could assist in identifying the parameters in terms of technology initiation for rapid innovation of internationalisation practices in the HES.

4.2. Global Nationality on Internationalisation in Higher Education

In the past years, there has been an increase in multi-disciplinary research in outlining programmes that assist in acquiring knowledge and experience through global networking. Interestingly, Aktas et al. [25] highlighted that the programmes involving international training abroad would be significant in building global experience in the education sector, thus emphasising the need for a critical global nationality approach through an innovative process of engagement in institutions for internationalisation effectiveness. A study conducted by Massaro [45] concerning global nationality development in HES identified several ways it could be realised, such as efficient study programmes, capacity development, and performance. They further highlighted that global nationality needs to be emphasised in the education curriculum through measurements in qualifications and coursework, assistance by departments and faculties, studying abroad conditions, and students’ interactions. Further inquiry is therefore needed on how global nationality can be encouraged for the innovation of internationalisation to be accomplished. Haigh’s [34] study indicated that moving towards innovation of internationalisation in the HES through a global nationality approach, institutions should adhere to procedures such as recruiting international students, growing international enterprise, compliance with accreditation standards, and embracing e-learning/technology environment. Achieving global nationality would also be encouraged through the practice of good leadership, strategy development, effective communication, and innovative management practices in the education system [34].

A study conducted by Horey et al. [36] highlighted the reasons global nationality is not fully accomplished in internationalisation practice, which include the lack of community development services, deprived educational travel programmes, and ineffective curriculum. The study proposed a conceptual framework to assist institutions and researchers seeking to explore their potential and evaluate their outcomes on global nationality programmes initiation [36]. However, such a framework is yet to be implemented in the education system. Kester [39] argues for a global citizenship and peace education that borders on a curriculum that contains international attributes, nonviolence, peace, respect for other people’s cultures, and cultural diversity. Bhandari [28] also mentioned that the decline in international student enrolment impacted global nationality attributes, for reasons such as the type of institutions, the location, and the selection criteria. Therefore, there is a need for attention to be placed on international enrolments, global talents, and encouraging global nationality awareness for innovative internationalisation accomplishment in the HES.

4.3. International Mobility Through Internationalisation in Higher Education

There is a notion that international mobility attracts geographical knowledge, enriches people’s prospects, and creates a difference in societies, communities, and nations. The invasion of the COVID-19 pandemic has created innovative ways of embracing international mobility and exercising innovative internationalisation in the education system [55,56]. Thus, international mobility of students and staff in the HES has been a driver of knowledge acquisition, collaboration, innovation, and cultural exchange for many years and around the world [32]. Ideally, international mobility is about movement and collaboration among institutions, for which there must be a common ground and interest for institutions to work together. A study conducted by Beloiu, Bostan, and Iorgule [27] aimed at encouraging collaborations through international mobility for staff and students, exchange of ideas, and good teaching practices and identified challenges regarding language and skills. The study proposed an innovative model that can be used among institutions with a mutual tutoring technique to stimulate international mobility. With this model, international students will be allowed to seek better opportunities in the host countries, as institutions will need to provide innovative resources and workshops and career search portals [27]. This will enable effective international mobility through technology. Rickmann, Perez-Encinas, and Fernandez-de-Pinedo [50] also explored how international mobility is impacted by job search and career services, and found that personal relations and communication networks are key to achieving innovative international mobility success in the education sector. Therefore, HES need to broaden their perception by initiating innovative resources to assist international students and staff in exercising international mobility practices for internationalisation effectiveness.

Teichler [16] identified two types of international mobility: (i) vertical mobility, which is mostly researched as a case study but is complicated in identifying the impact on internationalisation, and (ii) short-term mobility, which is more thoroughly analysed, thereby allowing easy comparison between non-mobile and mobile international mobility practices. The study suggests the need to identify the most appropriate international mobility practice to be implemented for internationalisation effectiveness in the education sector. A degraded international mobility practice could lead to marginalised academic accomplishment and skills, especially in the category of international skills. Thus, attracting and identifying international skills would require cross-border mobility as an attribute, which could be negatively affected by political conflicts [57]. Phan, Tran, and Blackmore [48] are also of the opinion that cross-border mobility can create knowledge and skills in the sphere of internationalisation if properly coordinated. Therefore, there is a need for structures in place, such as expanded campuses, collaboration, and international programmes for skills acquisition, to ensure that excellence is integral to international mobility for innovative internationalisation effectiveness in the HES [26].

4.4. Factors Hindering Internationalisation Effectiveness in Higher Education

Factors hindering the innovation of internationalisation in the HES were identified in several papers. Bhandari [28] identified factors affecting international students’ enrolment in institutions as political uncertainty, social inconvenience, unpredictable climate, requests for special attention, and the status of institutions. Thus, the decline of international enrolment in recent years has created a gap in achieving internationalisation effectiveness and a shortage of an international skilled workforce. Santa and Haj’s [51] study identified a factor that negatively impacts the retention of international graduates as a lack of effective implementation of immigration laws to accommodate international graduates in several countries. There is also an indication that several institutions’ implementation and execution of legislative laws are usually misunderstood, which affects international graduate retention [51]. Therefore, from a strategy perspective, there is a need to implement innovative ways of identifying the weak spots between the legislative decisions and institutions’ practices for international graduate retention and to achieve innovative internationalisation effectiveness in the education sector.

A study conducted by Mok and Montgomery [46] mentioned that internationalisation can assist in transforming and diversifying the education system; however, a major factor that has hindered such success is the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic deprived international students and staff of mobility by halting borders, leaving them stranded and cash-strapped, coupled with the global health crisis. This created a change in the mindset of researchers and authorities to embrace the innovation of internationalisation through technology in preparation for a similar occurrence. Lima [43] also identified language differences as a factor depriving internationalisation of effectiveness in the HES. Innovation of internationalisation would require the technological initiation of processes to deal with language differences.

4.5. Decolonisation Through the Internationalisation of Higher Education

Curriculum colonisation is an imperative argument given that the model of academic operation of Westerners, which most institutions in continents such as Africa are based on, remains largely unchallenged [41]. Long et al. [44] specified that evidence shows that African mythology can be credited for conversations on decolonising the HES, yet there is limited reflection of such acknowledgement in the teaching and learning programmes on the decolonisation concept in their curriculum. It is therefore significant that geography and history be taught extensively to induce knowledge among students on the call to decolonise the education sector [44,53]. It is also important to make an intense effort in restructuring higher education curricula. Chasi [29] is also of the opinion that the Education Department in continents such as Africa needs to participate strongly in identifying colonisation as one of the most significant problems negatively impacting the internationalisation and effectiveness of the HES. Thus, countries such as Australia, China, SA, and the USA have invested their time and resources in internationalisation practices. However, decolonisation has still not been accomplished in several countries. In other words, countries that support internationalisation practices could be regarded as architects of knowledge on internationalisation to achieve a decolonial education system. Lima [43] identified language disparity as a strategy used to colonise the education system in several countries. This signifies a need to decolonise the HES through the innovation of internationalisation practices to solve language differences.

4.6. Strategy Framework for Internationalisation of Higher Education

Studies have shown that the strategy framework of internationalisation in several countries, such as SA, which was officially promulgated in the year 2020, is regarded as ineffective [58]. The framework was to provide procedures that HES will have to follow when initiating internationalisation strategies. However, Heleta [35] highlighted that the country’s higher education department failed to provide the needed information omitted in the framework. This framework was to guide HES in developing its strategic policies on internationalisation and partnerships. For this reason, there were lapses in the practice of internationalisation in the sector, prompting a need to revisit some of the critical areas of concern in the strategy framework. Thus, Jooste and Hagenmeier [38] analysed the content of the framework by weighing the historical concept, developing a theoretical framework that can be implemented to achieve internationalisation effectiveness in the HES. However, the theoretical framework is yet to be implemented in the sector.

Chasi and Heleta [59] are also of the opinion that the Department of Education needs to engage strongly on the issue of restructuring their strategy framework by emphasising decolonisation highly as an issue that needs to be solved towards achieving innovative internationalisation effectiveness. In this regard, there is a need to expand the idea of strategy framework implementation and usefulness to enable countries to partake in building partnerships through innovative internationalisation practices in the HES [29,53]. Furthermore, it is essential to acknowledge the innovation of internationalisation effectiveness in the education sector through the execution of a comprehensive strategy framework in the HES. This will enhance the internationalisation of operational guidelines and safeguards in the educational sector [52]. Therefore, there is a need for the government to play the role of guiding the innovative strategy framework implementation by promulgating a series of policies with institutional guarantees to support internationalisation effectiveness in the HES.

4.7. Impact of Internationalisation on Higher Education

HES has been shaped by internationalisation dynamics, which pose challenges, such as defective policies and practices, negatively impacting internationalisation effectiveness [47]. However, these challenges would require restructuring internationalisation performance through strategies to improve its effectiveness. Leask and de Gayardon [42] explored the aspect of internationalisation practices by emphasising the impact of international activities’ performance in the local communities. The study made it known that innovation of internationalisation is an initiative to consider, which could have a positive effect on the location strategy of an institution. Munusamy and Hashim [18] also highlighted the impact of strategic cooperation and networking developed by Asia and Europe through internationalisation development in the HES, revealing the need to expand strategic cooperation and networking among other continents, such as Africa, to realise the impact of internationalisation towards a sustainable education sector.

4.8. Emerging Concept of Africanisation in the Higher Education

Cross, Mhlanga, and Ojo [31] emphasise that the emergence of internationalisation in HES is faced with challenges that seem to be an increasing consensus in most developing countries, especially in Africa, and the need for institutions to conceptualise their activities in the context of Africanisation. Cross et al. [31] also indicated that inquiries regarding the Africanisation of the HES showed a lack of effective implementation of strategies to assimilate the procedures in the sector. However, there is a need to articulate Africanisation and internationalisation as a positive movement through innovative concepts of transforming the HES in several countries. Kishun [40] also highlighted that the challenges associated with the imminent scenarios of Africanising the HES are associated with (i) mobility issues, (ii) trade in educational services, and (iii) deprived international skills. However, the Africanisation concept would require scrutiny on these challenges to accomplish innovative internationalisation in the HES. Iwara et al. [37] also mentioned in their study is the development of international students through the Africanisation of the education sector. They found the lack of international students’ participation in various school activities as a problem. The study suggested an institutional framework as a positive concept for strategic Africanisation success through innovative interaction among international and local students to accomplish internationalisation effectiveness in the HES.

4.9. Future Characteristics of Internationalisation in Higher Education

Cossa [30] highlighted the future characteristics of innovative internationalisation in the HES, which can be influenced by the following: (i) tutors devoting time to teaching and consultation with international institutions, (ii) government involvement towards internationalisation practices, (iii) building better institutions through transformation and technology initiation, and (iv) retention of international graduates/skills. Thus, the future of higher education’s internationalisation effectiveness could be accomplished in continents such as Africa if decolonisation is initiated [30]. Therefore, there is a need for such continents to take charge of their destiny to achieve success in internationalisation practices in the HES.

Summary of the Discussion

Table 4. Summary of the key information from the discussion.

Concepts	Information	Code
Transformation	Digital intensity, innovation, and brand. New world technology and global education. Technological innovation, intensive and non-intensive technology institutions.	R09 R17 R27
Global nationality	International training abroad, a global nationality approach. Global nationality in the curriculum. Good leadership, strategy development, and communication. Framework, institutions to evaluate their outcome. Western authority, factual education system. International enrolment decline, poor global nationality awareness.	R01 R22 R10 R12 R15 R04
International mobility	Knowledge acquisition and cultural exchange. Model for collaborations, language, and professional skills. Personal relations and expected objectives. Vertical and short-term mobility and their research implication. Cross-cultural mobility creates knowledge and skills. Additional structures for excellence through international mobility.	R08 R03 R28 R31 R26 R02
Factors	International enrolment decline, political uncertainty, and climate. Immigration legislation, international students’ retention and employment. Pandemic effect, cross-border, international mobility. English, a dominant language internationally.	R04 R29 R23 R20
Decolonisation	Model of Western countries’ academic operation usage. The teaching of decolonisation in the curriculum. Department of Education to participate fully in decolonisation. English language dominance, European authority.	R18 R21, R32 R05 R20
Strategy framework	Revise critical areas in the strategy framework. Inclusive practice and strategic policy implementation. Restructure the strategy framework through decolonisation and Africanisation. Robust education and comprehensive strategy framework.	R11 R14 R05, R32 R30
Impact	Effective policies and practices are in place. Prospects to broaden educational activities. Asia and Europe’s influence on HE development and strategic network.	R24 R19 R25
Concept of Africanisation	Africanisation of international curriculum, better strategies. Africanisation as an imminent scenario for internationalisation. Institutional framework for international students’ participation in activities.	R07 R16 R13
Future characteristics	Building the future of internationalisation in HES, government, and institutions.	R06

shows the summary of the discussion section and the identified information from the selected literature as aligned with the concepts.

4.10. Key Messages

The innovation of internationalisation in HES is under-researched, and the ability to contribute to an effective education system is disregarded. Most studies conducted on internationalisation create gaps in the literature concerning the prevailing knowledge on the subject. However, this review identified several themes, such as transformation, factors, adoption, Africanisation, decolonisation, impact, and future characteristics of internationalisation effectiveness. The review was able to recognise the confident and undesirable outcomes from the chosen studies to understand the innovative effect on internationalisation in the HES.

4.11. Limitations

This review includes literature studies and other scopes of research that were conducted in several publications on internationalisation in the HES. The duration of the review is between 2005 and 2024. Duplicate publications were eliminated; however, literature studies were the most chosen papers. This was to embody the total identified results of the review and their outcomes [60]. Therefore, there is a need for further empirical studies to identify the impediments to innovative internationalisation practices in the HES.

5. Conclusions and Recommendations

Internationalisation in the HES has been impacted by a decline in international enrolments due to reasons such as political uncertainty, social inconvenience, unpredictable climate, and institutional status. Also, depriving international graduates of employment in the host country due to unfriendly immigration laws in several countries deters internationalisation effectiveness. The fact that HES is significant in contributing towards SDG and the economic development of countries would require innovation in internationalisation practice to accomplish effectiveness in the education system. Therefore, there is a need to intensify innovation in internationalisation for effectiveness in the HES through transformation and technology embracement in global nationality and international mobility practices, curriculum restructuring, and student interaction. Also, a need arises to reorganise the strategy framework on internationalisation towards decolonial and Africanised HE procedures and guidelines. This would assist in transforming internationalisation for future accomplishment in the HES. There is also a need for government and institutional authorities in continents such as Africa to support innovative performance on internationalisation and to encourage partnerships with high-income countries for strategic and financial support.

From the review, most of the chosen studies are literature reviews (59.4%). Therefore, empirical studies of innovative effects on internationalisation should be conducted through other research methods. This will assist in gaining comprehensive information in identifying the effect on the education sector. There is also a need for further inquiry to identify the innovative interactive practices among students and staff from an internationalisation perspective. These further studies will assist the higher education department in conceptualising the guidelines of the strategy framework on internationalisation. The review also showed that journal papers were the most represented (81.3%). This warrants further studies to increase the search range to identify data and information from other types of publications on innovation and internationalisation effects in HES. The review also showed that publications affiliated with SA, the USA, Australia, and Romania are the most selected (65.8%), which indicates a commitment to research on internationalisation practices from high-income and developing countries. Therefore, there is a need for further studies from the perspective of low-income continents/countries to accomplish the United Nations SDG 2030.

In drawing from the extant literature, internationalisation yields substantial benefits for government, industry, and the higher education sector. It enhances academic quality and global recognition through faculty and student exchange programs, as well as international research collaborations, which collectively contribute to elevated academic standards and institutional prestige. For the labour market, internationalisation equips graduates with critical global competencies—such as language proficiency, intercultural awareness, and international perspectives—that are increasingly sought after by employers in a globally interconnected economy. From an industry perspective, partnerships with internationally engaged universities promote innovation, facilitate technology transfer, and create opportunities for international commercial ventures. For governments, higher education represents a significant export sector, with international students contributing to the economy through tuition fees, living expenses, and broader consumer spending. Additionally, the presence of international students and scholars strengthens diplomatic relations and builds long-term goodwill, thereby advancing national soft power and foreign policy objectives. In essence, the HES, an invaluable partner in socioeconomic development, deserves to prioritise internationalisation. Finding innovative ways to do this enhances its effectiveness.