Towards the Institutional Student Mobility Ecosystem (ISME): model based on systematic literature review

Abstract

The internationalization of higher education, especially in terms of student mobility, is a key indicator of the quality of higher education. Additionally, increasing the number of students participating in credit mobility is one of the strategic goals of the European higher education area. To help more students take advantage of student mobility programs, it is essential to understand the factors that influence student mobility at both the institutional and individual levels. This paper proposes the Institutional Student Mobility Ecosystem (ISME) for credit mobility. It is based on a systematic literature review of 321 initially retrieved sources, with 22 analyzed in detail. The results are supplemented by the analysis of 11 policy and professional documents. The proposed ISME identifies student decisional factors, supporting mechanisms and stakeholders as key enablers of student mobility. Additionally, it outlines the outcomes for students, HEIs and society that result from student mobility. This model provides valuable groundwork for researchers in the field of student mobility, facilitating further in-depth analysis of specific elements within the student mobility ecosystem.