Transnational education 2.0

Transnational education or TNE – a form of education provision where the learner is based in a country other than the one of the awarding institution – has grown dramatically over the past 20 years.

A range of factors have contributed to the increase in the number of students enrolled in TNE provisions around the globe. These include, but are not limited to, the development of capacity in countries which traditionally supply international students; the rise of alternative providers of higher education; changing demographics; and stricter national policies on international student migration.

Up to now, the prevailing perception of TNE has been based on the replication of the home programme in an offshore location, primarily through franchise arrangements. This model has been heavily criticised as “the replica model” which leads to the “McDonaldisation of higher education”. In addition, some bad practice examples and cases of fraudulent providers have further tarnished perceptions about TNE.

These developments have encouraged many higher education institutions in TNE-exporting countries like the United Kingdom to be cautious about franchise and validation arrangements. Instead, some have considered dual-degree exchange programmes and progression arrangements as a way forward. Those with higher aspirations have developed branch campuses, some under their own ownership and academic leadership – not many of them a great success.

Despite concerns about the value and role of TNE, it has emerged as an inseparable part of the internationalisation strategy of higher education institutions in countries like the UK, Australia and more recently Germany.

It seems that we are reaching a tipping point where the replica model has reached the end of its life. These days, students, universities and governments are looking to harvest the cross-cultural value and indirect benefits of TNE activities.

Flipped TNE

In an earlier article, I argued about the need to enable a two-way process of internationalisation of higher education. I saw this as a necessary step for enriching transnational education activities with cross-cultural elements, using the hidden value of TNE. Moreover, I argued that a two-way model would allow the contextualisation of learning factors such as programme content and the language of delivery that lead to improvements in learning outcomes.

Such an approach can be summarised as “flipped TNE”, where the exporting and importing institutions work together on content and approach to ensure they are suited to students’ prior knowledge, educational experience and perceptions about teaching and learning.

This model would have been effective in managing educational quality and student experience in TNE. Nevertheless, up to now it has been difficult to pursue, primarily due to the rigid quality assurance guidelines in exporting countries like the UK.

However, it seems that the key stakeholders in the sector recognise the need to move into a new era for TNE. This has been articulated via ongoing developments in the review of quality assurance guidelines, open discussions about the value of TNE, the review of data and the continued emphasis of research on improvements in students’ experience and educational quality.

It is encouraging that efforts are being made to adopt a more meaningful, collaborative approach. One example is the plan of Cardiff University and Beijing Normal University to set up a joint college in the UK. This college will deliver higher education programmes in Chinese and will be the first to do so in the UK.

Another example is the case of the University of Turku in Finland which plans to offer 'Bahasa Indonesia' – the official language of Indonesia – to its students as a foreign language. This reflects the links between the University of Turku and the Indonesian government and their attempts to work together on capacity-building activities.

The role of virtual reality in TNE

Not long after the outbreak of MOOC-mania, there is consensus in the higher education sector about the role of technology in reshaping future models of higher education delivery. One of the technological developments that will be relevant to TNE is Virtual Reality.

Often Virtual Reality, or VR, is confused with fake reality. NASA defines VR as having “the effect of concrete existence without actually having concrete existence". According to NASA, virtual reality is “the use of computer technology to create the effect of an interactive three-dimensional world in which the objects have a sense of spatial presence”.

In classrooms virtual reality can be used as a fully immersive experience. This involves equipment like a head-mounted display and data gloves for interaction with a virtual environment. This allows the student to attend a virtual lecture theatre or seminar room, hence replicating the experience of being in a physical space.

A fully immersive virtual reality approach could be a future model for TNE. It would allow students in an offshore location to study by attending a virtual campus where they will be able to interact with students and staff. Obviously this could not replace face-to-face interaction, especially at undergraduate level. But it will surely enhance offshore provision.

Additionally, it will save substantial financial resources as it will reduce the need for flying faculty in, which is anyway outdated and environmentally unfriendly. The financial resources released from the savings on faculty travel can be channelled into meaningful activities like joint research between transnational partners or student exchange visits.

VR could be used to facilitate staff development of offshore academic staff, an activity that requires significant human and financial resources. Similarly, it could be used to facilitate international academic boards, validation and events and aid quality assurance reviews processes.

Could virtual reality play such a central role? Undoubtedly, VR has been around for many years. In higher education it has been used on a small scale as a means of enriching distance learning and-or to experiment with alternative forms of postgraduate provision.

However, in recent years there have been developments that allow the adoption and use of VR on a mass scale. For example, the cost of equipment has reduced significantly. Developments like Google cardboard enable the inexpensive large-scale deployment of VR in higher education.

The way forward: open and creative

It is clear that TNE is maturing to a point where supply comes close to meeting the level of demand. This will intensify the competitive pressure on higher education systems in the major TNE-exporting countries to find ways to differentiate their provision and maintain their competitive edge.

Additionally, the expectations of TNE students are changing and ‘a degree’ from ‘a foreign’ university is no longer convincing enough as a unique selling point. Instead, TNE students are looking to develop the skills they need in a business environment, such as knowledge of foreign languages, advanced digital skills and the ability to find solutions to real-world problems.

TNE should be able to be responsive, innovative and flexible enough to address these changing student expectations and market conditions. The two approaches discussed above are simply two of the possible ways forward; obviously there are many more. What is for sure is the demand for a new era of TNE.

Vangelis Tsiligiris is a senior lecturer at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, UK.