WORKSHOP SESSION C2
Internationalisation: Quality and Transnational Education

PRE-FORUM ONLINE WORKSHOP

Start: 9 am AEST, 16 June
Finish: 3 pm AEST, 30 June

FACE-TO-FACE WORKSHOP

When: Thursday 8 July, 1.15 pm – 2.30 pm
Where: Banksia 1, Hyatt Regency, Adelaide

Note: these sessions are interactive workshops, not paper presentations.

WORKSHOP OUTLINE

There has been a proliferation of forms of transnational or offshore education programs: these now include branch campuses; partnerships for full degree delivery; twinning arrangements; licensing arrangements; consortia degree programs; and distance education and online education (both of which can include some face-to-face teaching arrangements). More models for the delivery of education programs internationally will evolve in the future.

Transnational education projects are growing rapidly in number, size and complexity. They are of growing importance to Australia's education institutions, and collectively constitute an increasing risk to Australia’s education reputation.

Ensuring quality in a diverse transnational education environment is no easy task. ‘Good practice in transnational education involves an explicit quality assurance strategy, covering equivalence in standards, achievement of objectives (the common test of quality), a quality assurance system in place and resourced and independent review.’ (Executive Summary, Transnational Education Providers, Partners and Policy: Challenges for Australian Institutions Offshore, 2000.)

ONLINE WORKSHOP THOUGHT STARTERS

Setting the Scene

1. What are the implications for transnational educational quality of working cross-culturally?
2. What developments are there internationally regarding quality assurance in transnational education, and how can this help us?
3. Is Australia a leader in transnational quality assurance? If it is, what is the evidence?

Transnational Quality Assurance Frameworks

1. What are the essential elements of the framework an institution requires for quality assurance in transnational education activities?
   
2. How can an institution’s quality assurance processes be effectively combined with the quality assurance mechanisms of a partner host institution?
   
3. What kind of quality assurance framework is required when several Australian institutions are involved in transnational consortia?
   
4. How are an institution’s quality assurance processes effectively combined with the government-run quality assurance mechanisms within a host country? What is the experience in China? In the Hong Kong SAR? In Malaysia?

Quality Issues

1. What are the key lessons from existing Australian Universities Quality Agency reports on quality in transnational education?
   
2. What does ‘equivalence of standards’ mean in a transnational context?
   
3. What key quality assurance issues arise in bilingual/LOTE programs, and how are benchmarks established when two or more languages are used for teaching and assessment?
   
4. How can institutions share information relating to processes that work well in a complex environment?

The Impact of Quality Assurance

1. What is the best way to determine whether appropriate quality standards are being applied in transnational education?
   
2. What are the risks associated with the enforcement of an Australian quality assurance mechanism?
   
3. How can Australian quality assurance frameworks and processes be better communicated and understood in Australia and internationally?

FACILITATOR DEAN FORBES

Professor Dean Forbes is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) at Flinders University. Previous appointments have included the University of Papua New Guinea, Monash University, AusAID and the Australian National University. He has an interest in overseas development projects, transnational education, and quality assurance in international education.

Contact Details

Professor Dean Forbes
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International)
Flinders University
Adelaide
Phone (08) 82015462
Fax (08) 82772534
Email Dean.Forbes@flinders.edu.au
Web site http://www.flinders.edu.au