Guest Editorial: The management of transnational higher education (original) (raw)

The benefits & drawbacks of transnational higher education Myths and realities

2018

Over the last two decades, transnational higher education (TNHE) has emerged as a major form of internationalisation in higher education institutions. The term ‘TNHE’ refers to all types of higher education study programs or educational services in which the learners are located in a country different from the one where the awarding institution is based (UNESCO/Council of Europe, 2001). In the scholarly literature, TNHE is also known as cross-border, offshore and borderless higher education (Knight, 2016). Together, these four terms have created a new thematic field of research that comprises nearly two thousand contributions, which discuss both the benefits and drawbacks/weaknesses of TNHE (Kosmützky & Putty, 2016). The main modes of delivering TNHE are distance/virtual education; franchised or partnership programs; joint or double degree programs; study abroad; and international branch campuses. The majority of research on TNHE focuses on international branch campuses, which are t...

From transnational to multinational education: emerging trends in international higher education

2014

Transnational, or cross-border, education is attracting increasing interest, as universities extend their reach across borders to open up huge new markets. Based on analysis of case students of transnational partnerships, this paper argues that the current definition of transnational education, namely that the degree-awarding university is in a different country from the students being educated, fails to do justice to the multidimensional nature of contemporary transnational partnerships. It argues that the location of the degree-awarding body is, increasingly, of peripheral interest. Of much greater interest is the multinational nature of transnational providers’ stakeholders – the owners, managers, staff, students and regulatory and accrediting bodies. It concludes that it is time to retitle the leading edge in the internationalisation of higher education as ‘multinational education’.

A Review of Transnational Higher Education

Research Anthology on Preparing School Administrators to Lead Quality Education Programs, 2021

The internationalization of higher education is as old as the university itself. Recently, however, there has been a growing interest in transnational higher education, a specific form of internationalization that considers education as a product which can be packaged and sold abroad. The purpose of this chapter is to review the phenomenon of transnational higher education. More specifically, it aims to 1) define transnational higher education, situating it within globalization and the internationalization of higher education, 2) enumerate the various perspectives on transnational higher education, and 3) provide guidelines for the appropriate conduct of transnational higher education.

The benefits and drawbacks of transnational higher education: Myths and realities

Australian Universities' Review, 2018

The purpose of this article is to analyse some of the key ongoing debates in transnational higher education (TNHE). First, we discuss a selection of the claimed benefits and drawbacks of TNHE for home and host country stakeholders (students, governments and institutions), and then we suggest alternative realities, for which there appears to be evidence in practice. It is concluded that (1) recent TNHE developments on the provision side act as a counterforce to the spread of neo-colonialism; (2) international branch campus development continues but there is evidence that the forms, motives, and markets of these initiatives are changing; (3) distance/online/MOOC programmes do not pose a threat to the sustainability of other forms of TNHE; (4) the majority of TNHE programmes are of acceptable quality due to high levels of competition in international higher education markets and increased regulatory demands from quality assurance agencies; and (5) these forces also contribute to students generally being satisfied with their TNHE study experience.

Perspectives in Transnational Higher Education

Perspectives in Transnational Higher Education, 2016

A colleague asked "What is transnational education?" Then, the colleague did not bother to wait for an answer, but added, "There is already international education. There is no need to talk about transnational education. After all, it does not matter which term one uses." So, when you picked up this volume or any other text on transnational education, if this is the question or the concern that immediately came to mind, be comforted with the confusion! You are not alone! You are not alone! And there is nothing wrong with your confusion, as long as you are open-minded enough to listen, capture what others have to say, and ready to change your prospective, if you are convinced. It is important to mention that, it is not the first time the relevance of a concept or differentiation between concepts is challenged. For example, people ask very often, "what is the difference between social work and human services?" People wonder about the difference between anthropology and sociology or anthropology and ethnology or educational psychologists and school psychologists. Well, in all the aforementioned examples, there are differences although professionals or scholars in these disciplines may work with similar target population. There are differences and complementarities between each of these pairs of disciplines, mentioned just as examples. The list could have been longer. This is the same thing for transnational education and other concepts that are closely related such as international education or global education. On the surface, the difference may not matter. However, when practitioners have to provide teaching and learning services, it is important for them to know whether their activities occur within a framework of international education or transnational education. When scholars are doing research on a particular topic, it is important to clarify the meaning of the term transnational education, if used in a study. It is important to justify whether it can be used interchangeably in one context, and means something different in another context. At this point the operationalization of the term transnational becomes relevant. We believe that it is relevant to conceptualize the term transnational education in ways that are specific for practitioners, and measurable as a variable for researchers and scholars. This publication is designed to provide scholars, administrators and other practitioners with perspectives related to transnational higher education. The definition about transnational education is addressed in various chapters of the book. The difference between transnational and international education is also clarified. This volume is a publication of the Transnational Education and Learning Society (TELS). In a nutshell, the TELS is a not-for-profit professional association that includes members with transnational identities and committed to study, reflect upon, and disseminate patterns of educational practices, policies, and scholarship that occur beyond the national borders of single countries. The TELS aims to "Provide leadership in transnational education and learning by networking communities of viii PREFACE stakeholders through education, communication, publication, research, advocacy, and consulting activities, around the principles of borderlessness, inclusion, authenticity, quality, and sustainability" (Transnational Education and Learning Society (TELS), 2015, para 1). The readers of this volume will have an opportunity to: • Explore various philosophical-oriented perspectives regarding key concepts and theories in transnational higher education; • Analyze pedagogical-oriented perspectives on policies, programs, and other practices of transnational higher education; • Review issues related to the delivery models of transnational higher education; and • Explore the challenges and opportunities related to transnational higher education. This publication not only provides frameworks for creativity, critical thinking, in-depth analysis, transformative teaching and learning, but also introduces transnational higher education from a diverse perspective. Transnational higher education is supposed to be an alternative to global education by using an approach that considers the local and global as part of a mix, in which they are not mutually exclusive. However, the current practices of transnational education programs do not necessarily reflect that glocal symbiosis (Jean Francois, 2015). For example, transnational education programs currently consist of unidirectional activities, from industrialized to developing countries. Therefore, analyses of transnational education policies and practices do not necessarily take into account both the receiving and sending countries as part of a holistic process. Therefore, there is a need for a critical transnational higher education. The publication is promoting multiple perspectives about transnational higher education, encouraging transnational practices that can test such perspectives, and challenging scholars to engage in critiques of stakeholders' experiences, perspectives, and policies on transnational higher education. For this book, the term transnational higher education will be used to include philosophy, pedagogy, and mode of delivery of education programs, activities or services, which target students, clients, or learners that can be in their home countries while earning a degree from a foreign institution. This book is a primer in introducing philosophical, pedagogical, and mode of delivery oriented perspectives that are associated with transnational higher education. Consequently, the book includes three major sections. The first section is entitled Philosophical Perspectives, and includes chapters that offer philosophical oriented perspectives on theories, concepts, methods, approaches, and models of transnational education. Chapters in the first section are "What is transnational education?" (Emmanuel Jean Francois), "'Gated globalization', regionalism and regional trading agreements: Educational diplomacy in an epoch of the post-bureaucratic state" (Tavis D. Jules), "Transnational education and internationalization of education as tools for higher education transformation ix PREFACE and economic development in emerging economies" (Leapetswe Malete), "Critical transnational pedagogy: Toward a critical theory of transnational education and learning" (Charles L. Lowery). The second section Pedagogical Perspectives encompasses chapters related to curriculum and instructional practices in transnational higher education. Chapters in the second section are "A global perspective on transnational curriculum: Building learning community in context of education reform" (Helena Wallenberg-Lerner), "Power, authority and relationships in instructional practice: A transnational experience" (Michael Fonkem), "Open books, close divides: Using cultural relativism to enhance reading comprehension" (Erica L. McFadden), "Transnational English: Dialogue and solidarity among teachers" (Donald F. Hones, Li Cheng and Jikwang Baek), and "The undertones of culture in American education: The exigencies of trans-cultural consciousness in transnational education" (Patience Ewelisane Etutu Fonkem). The third section is titled Perspectives Related to Mode of Delivery and incorporates chapters that discuss facets or cases of mode delivery in transnational higher education related to specific countries. Chapters include "Trans-nationalization of Latin American higher education: Perspectives and challenges for the region" (Gustavo Gregorutti, Oscar Espinoza and Luis Eduardo González), "Inter-institutional/joint degree curriculum experiences in higher education: Opportunities and challenges for the University of Botswana" (Joseph Matsoga), and "Balancing the local and the global through transnational education: The case of the University of Botswana" (Oitshepile M. Modise and Mejai B. M. Avoseh). Our hope is that the perspectives offered in this volume will contribute new insights to the scholarship, policy analysis, and practices related to transnational higher education.

Definitions of Transnational Higher Education

International Higher Education, 2018

Transnational higher education involves providers and programs crossing national borders. The providers can take a variety of forms, with different ownership structures, objectives, strategies, disciplines and types of student. The purpose of this article is to identify the different types of transnational education provider, so that these institutions can be categorized and defined. The focus is only on institution mobility, and therefore program mobility – such as distance education, franchised programs and joint or dual degrees – are outside the scope of the article.

Emerging Issues and Future Prospects in the Management of Transnational Education

International Journal of Higher Education, 2017

Transnational Education has gained momentum under the auspices of the General Agreement on Trade in Services administered by World Trade Organizations which have provided for successful marketing of higher education across borders. This paper reviews past research, discussions and analyses on the topic on a global perspective. The objectives are to establish the rationale for transnational education, emerging issues over the providers, mode of supply, the potential of the market and issues on curriculum and pedagogy. Past research reveals that transnational education is anchored on economic, political, cultural and educational rationales. The global market for transnational education is asymmetrical where some nations are exporters (UK, US, Australia), and others importers (Africa, Latin America and Central Asia). The modes of provision include cross-border supply, commercial presence and presence of natural persons. The potential of the market is growing - commercial presence being...

Strategies for Higher Education in a Global Context

Economics World

The growth of internationalization of higher education, both in developed and in emergent countries is a result of globalization. In spite of the growing literature on higher education, results from the process of internationalization, its benefits and risks, have not been widely discussed. Studies of different internationalization strategies and comparative analysis are also scarce. This paper contributes, on the one hand, towards, a reflexion on those topics by reviewing literature on the evolution of strategies and suggesting guidelines for a national strategy for Higher Education (HE); on the other hand, by analysing recent data, compares the scope of high education internationalization among European and other countries. There has been an evolution from mobility of students and staff towards transnationalization of courses and services/products from higher education institution (HEI). Global surveys point to different approaches to internationalization and different results and perceptions. The view that internationalization is a condition for high performance of higher education institutions and national competitiveness does not appear to be clearly supported by evidence.