Transnational education why it is important and what the future holds (buila 2015)

Transnational education: why it is important and what the future holds

BUILA Annual BUILA Annual Conference 2015Conference 2015

Professor Nigel HealeyProfessor Nigel HealeyPro-Vice-Chancellor Pro-Vice-Chancellor

(International)(International)Nottingham Trent UniversityNottingham Trent University

9 July 20159 July 2015

Overview

•What is TNE?

•Why is TNE important?

•Why is TNE important to BUILA?

•How is TNE changing?

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What is TNE?

• “Any teaching or learning activity in which the students are in a different country to that in which the institutional providing the education is based” (Global Alliance for Transnational Education, 1997)

• “All types of higher education study programmes, sets of study courses, or educational services (including those of distance education) in which the learners are located in a country different from the one where the awarding institution is based” (Council of Europe, 2002)

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University (country A)

Students (country B)

‘Principle of transnationality’

Types of TNE (1): by activity

1. Distance-learning

2. International branch campus

3. Franchise (collaborative provision, twinning)

4. Validation

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Types of TNE (2): by mode of delivery (GATS)

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GATS terminology Transnational education variant

Mode 1 — Cross border supply

Programme mobility: distance or on-line education

Mode 2 — Consumption abroad

Student mobility: export education*

Mode 3 — Commercial presence

Institutional mobility:•international branch campus•franchise•validated partner

Mode 4 — Presence of natural persons

Staff mobility: ‘flying faculty’ programmes

*not TNE

Why is TNE important?

  1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Global tertiary enrolments (m)

51.2 60.3 68.7 81.7 99.9 139.0 178.0

Internationally-mobile (m)

1.1 1.1 1.3 1.7 2.1 3.0 4.1

Internationally mobile as % total

2.1% 1.8% 1.9% 2.1% 2.1% 2.2% 2.3%

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Source: UNESCO, OECD

Why is TNE important to BUILA?

•An increasing proportion of international students come to the UK through TNE pathways:

•An increasing proportion of students studying for UK awards are studying “wholly overseas” – UK professional services have to support TNE students at distance or (via secondment) in-country

•TNE poses new challenges:– Cultural– Regulatory – host government / MoE– Organisational – private sector partners

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http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/HEFCE,2014/Content/Pubs/2015/201508/HEFCE2015_08.pdf

How big is TNE for the UK?

  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

Registered at HEI:

• overseas campus 7,120 9,885 11,410 12,305 15,140 17,525 19,230

• distance learning 100,345 112,345 114,985 113,065 116,520 123,635 119,700

• Other, including collaborative provision

59,895 68,595 74,360 86,630 96,060 103,795 116,035

Not registered at HEI but studying for HEI’s award:

• overseas partner organisation

29,240 197,185 207,790 291,575 342,910 353,375 374,430

• other 70 35 50 125 345 600 7,270

Total196,670 388,045 408,595 503,700 570,925 598,930 636,675

Source: HESA

The value of transnational education to the UK

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https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transnational-education-value-to-the-uk

How is TNE changing?

•Analysis of TNE case studies gathered from around the world through www.linkedin.com

•Analysis of QAA reports of TNE partnerships in UAE (2014), China (2012), Singapore (2011), Malaysia (2010), India (2009)

•Key findings:

–Most TNE partnerships involve more than one TNE activity and/or more than one mode of delivery

–A number of “TNE partnerships” are not strictly TNE at all

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Part 1: franchisePart 2: flying facultyVLE + summer school

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Quality Distance Quality Distance Learning GhanaLearning Ghana

Distance-learningLocal partnerFlying facultyCampus study option

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15 April 2023 14

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Key messages

• There are no ‘clear’ types: TNE partnerships are multidimensional with shifting boundaries

• The organisational form of TNE depends on the motives of the UK university, the foreign partner, the host government/regulator and student demand…

• …and these will change over time

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Parallels with international business

• Corporations internationalised in stages from exporting to licensing to foreign direct investment

• But as their ownership, workforce, customer base, R&D and production globalised, they evolved from transnational into multinational corporations

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The emergence of the multinational stakeholder in TNE

National Multinational

Customers (students) √

Owners √

Employees (staff) √

Regulators (MoE) √

Employers √

Society √

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With TNE, it is not only the customers that are multinational…

Stakeholders and TNE

Multinational stakeholders change the nature of TNE over time

•Curriculum– Content (eg, localised courses, MoE mandated courses)– Learning hours (MoE requirements)– Pedagogy / academic culture– Assessment

•The link between home university degree and TNE provision may weaken over time

• In extremis, the degree may cease to be awarded by the home university …technically no longer TNE

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Final thought: what do these universities have in common?

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For more information:

•E-mail: [email protected]

•Website: http://nottinghamtrent.academia.edu/NigelHealey

•Website includes conferences presentations, papers and resources on transnational education

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