In the context of globalization, the concept of "internationalization of higher education" is a broad and evolving phenomenon with diverse interpretations (De Wit & Altbach, 2021). At the institutional level, it involves integrating international, cross-cultural, or global dimensions into the purposes, functions, and implementation processes of higher education. This integration aims to enhance the quality of student education and the research output of academic staff, serving as a strategic approach and practice for academic systems, institutions, and individuals in the globalized academic environment worldwide, including in the European educational context (Altbach & Knight, 2007; De Wit, Hunter, Howard, & Egron-Polak, 2015; Knight, 2003; Knight & De Wit, 2018). Moreover, internationalization also helps institutions improve efficiency and aids government, stakeholders, and higher education units in understanding institutional performance (Mandinach & Gummer, 2013). On a personal level, internationalization contributes to cultivating the global competitiveness and employability of local students, providing opportunities for cross-cultural communication and a global perspective.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) (2006) defines the internationalization of higher education as a process that combines transnational and cross-cultural perspectives, atmospheres, and functions within higher education. This involves internal and external changes within universities, encompassing the implementation of policies through bottom-up and top-down approaches and shifts in institutional policy orientations. Over the past 25 years, internationalization is considered a strategic response to the inevitable impact of globalization on higher education, transforming from a marginal micro-level element into a mainstream global factor (Knight & De Wit, 2018). This evolution has shifted the concept from national-level international, cross-cultural, and global dimensions to factors within higher education, such as the diversity of educators and students' nationalities, research quality, and the quality of student education. Internationally renowned university rankings, such as THE (Times Higher Education) and QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), also include "internationalization" as one of the evaluation criteria. This makes internationalization a crucial part of the development of higher education institutions.

Current institutional research in Taiwan covers academic, student, and administrative aspects. In the main educational data bases, “(Higher Education) Course Information website (CIW)”, “Information Platform for College and University Institute Research (IPCUIR)”, “Academic Statistics Database of Ministry of Science and Technology (ASDMST)”, and “Scopus”, the wide-ranging scope of institutional research topics, including student admission, performance during the study period, post-graduation performance, and related administrative or university environmental aspects is evident. However, the previous research has touched upon international exchange aspects, yet there has been a lack of an investigation for the link between domestic education databases and internationalization indicators, and the exploration into the internationalization models of higher education applying existing national-level education database resources. Hence, the present research aims to consolidate diverse dimensions and manifestations of internationalization from existing research, to integrate data from different cross-institutional databases and explore relevant variables in internationalization of higher education institutes, and to establish a broader evaluation model for internationalization.

Based on above, the research questions are:

1. Through the integration of cross-platform database indicators and linking with relevant internationalization indicators from sources like THE and QS, what variables are pertinent to internationalization of higher education institutes?

2. What are including in the evaluation model for internationalization constructed based on the cross-platform database?

This study aims to enhance the objectivity and comprehensiveness of the model related to the internationalization of higher education institutions by utilizing various local higher education-related public databases. 1. Data collection The databases include the “(Higher Education) Course Information website (CIW)”, “Information Platform for College and University Institute Research (IPCUIR)”, “Academic Statistics Database of Ministry of Science and Technology (ASDMST)”, and “Scopus” in Taiwan. In the meanwhile, the research also analyzes the results of higher education internationalization evaluations by comparing them with widely recognized international higher education ranking institutions such as QS World University Rankings and THE World University Rankings. 2. Sample Description Due to variations in weighting based on different school backgrounds in the QS World University Rankings, reflecting diverse levels of internationalization, this study classifies institutions by their establishment type (public and private). 3. Variables Description Following Knight's (2006) definition, "Internationalization Abroad" encompasses all forms of cross-border education, including subsidies for students and faculty to go abroad. In this study, applications for the Ministry of Science and Technology's projects, such as "Subsidies for Ph.D. and Postdoctoral Researchers to Conduct Research Abroad," "Domestic Graduate Students Attending International Academic Conferences," and others, are considered as part of internationalization abroad. The former two pertain to student internationalization, while the latter four are related to faculty internationalization. Additionally, indicators include the Scopus database's "Proportion of Internationally Co-authored Papers" and "Impact of Internationally Co-authored Papers." For "Local Internationalization," indicators include "Proportion of International Teachers," "Proportion of International Students," "Proportion of Courses Taught in English," "Hosting International Academic Conferences in the Country," and "Inviting Technological Professionals for Short-term Visits." 4. Analysis This study initially employs descriptive statistics to explore the distribution and range of different indicators, deleting inappropriate variables based on their characteristics. Subsequently, a correlation analysis, specifically the Pearson correlation coefficient, is conducted to examine the correlation between various variables. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is then applied to understand the structure of internationalization preliminarily. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) is utilized to validate the model structure of these indicators, providing evidence for the construct validity of internationalization measurement. Additionally, factor scores are computed and compared with the indicators' scores in world university rankings. Considering the limited number of Taiwanese universities participating in global rankings, a non-parametric Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test is used to test the difference between the domestic ranking and the university's ranking in the internationalization model.

This research distinguishes itself from previous research by pioneering the integration of cross-platform higher education-related databases. It delves into a more thorough exploration of an international evaluation model to comprehend the current state of internationalization of higher education institutions. The integration of multiple databases yields a prototype framework for international and comprehensive model for university internationalization: a model with four indicators (“university internationalization environment construction (domestic) ”, “internationalization of academic environment (domestic)”, “international academic exchange (abroad)”, and “international academic cooperation and exchange”) to help explore the status quo of internationalization, and a preliminary probe on the internationalization of domestic higher education institutions. This endeavor seeks to render more robust evaluation models along with adequate information required for decision making in higher education institutions with reference to internationalization. Based on the study's findings, it is recommended that academic researchers and decision-makers in higher education institutions avoid solely relying on university ranking survey indicators. Instead, they should broaden their scope by extensively collecting information from various sources, defining specific internationalization indicators, and validating them with multiple stakeholders. This approach ensures a nuanced understanding of the internationalization in higher education. Therefore, when addressing university affairs-related issues and making decisions, supplementing World University Rankings indicators with data from diverse databases can help formulate a more comprehensive view of the higher education institutes' international profile, establishing relevant internationalization indicators. The findings will be the considerable value for reference for EU countries which attach the importance to higher education policies in the context of internationalization.

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