Curricular Internationalization: Use and Benefits of Information and Communication Technology Tools

The internationalization of the curriculum aims to foster international integration and cooperation, and to enhance the quality of academic programs. It entails a global vision that enables the creation of meaningful experiences that transcend the classroom or the national context. However, in Latin America, internationalization programs have limited access. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer an opportunity to break these constraints and make internationalization more accessible. In this regard, this paper evaluates the impact of using ICTs in internationalization strategies on the number of participants. We analyze the outcomes of internationalization projects conducted in the first call for this type of initiative in both face-to-face and distance modalities at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja. We employ generalized linear models to evaluate whether there is a significant difference in the participation of faculty and students with and without the use of ICTs and across different study modalities. We find that the use of ICTs leads to a significantly higher participation of students from both the host and partner institutions. Moreover, our results show a significantly higher participation of students in the distance mode and with a higher proportion of international students. In conclusion, our work demonstrates that the use of ICTs significantly improves the impact on the number of students involved in internationalization strategies. Future research should assess to what extent internationalization initiatives that rely on ICTs can meet the educational objectives.