15 research outputs found
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Are degree-awarding institutions doing enough to support the implementation of quality assurance in transnational higher education partnerships?
As transnational education grows in complexity, it is imperative degree-awarding institutions develop ways to ensure the quality of their offshore provision. Whilst agencies, such as the QAA in the UK and TEQSA in Australia, safeguard standards through guidelines and reviews, it is vital degree-awarding institutions consider their own actions in the pursuit of academic quality. Although codes of conduct can guide quality assurance, this paper suggests these documents are not enough to ensure quality education occurs. Offering a study of two Chinese-British transnational partnerships, this paper identifies two key challenges that can affect the implementation of quality assurance at the operational level: time and cultural difference. The findings suggest that senior managers at degree-awarding institutions should consider how their structures and policies encourage and support the implementation of quality assurance at the operational level
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Investigating Sino-British partnership development through the practices of faculty
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Transnational teaching: evaluating the application of Heideggerian phenomenology and IPA in a study of lived experiences
Transnational education has increased over the past decade for multiple reasons. Higher education institutions driven by a need to increase non-governmental funding and the concept of higher education as a commodity, have combined to cause many institutions to extend their activities into the field of transnational education partnerships. To ensure the survival of these strategic alliances, teaching faculty are required to service the commodity being exported from the UK. This unique study uses this context to evaluate the application of Heideggerian phenomenology and IPA as a means of analysing the lived experiences of academic practitioners and the effects on their being. The study concludes that Heideggerian philosophical thought provides an insightful lens when combined with IPA, by providing access to an individual’s personal perception of events as opposed to other methodologies that simply attempt to produce an objective account of the event itself. Two vignettes from the data exemplify how the approach can help us understand participant lived experiences in a given context, as well as documenting the wider benefits of applying this approach in other studies that concern the lived experiences of individuals
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Exploring Sino-British transnational educational partnerships: exploring the operational relationships of faculty members and the implications for TNE partnership development
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Advocating and administering critical realism in a study of transnational educational collaborative partnerships
Transnational higher education is an increasingly important and essential part of the internationalisation of higher education. As the number of global educational institutions and international students participating in these types of initiatives increases, it becomes of paramount importance that research methodologies that investigate the phenomenon are developed and shared within transnational research communities. This paper seeks to contribute to transnational education research by exploring a paradigm which has the potential to generate alternative forms of knowledge concerning transnational collaborative partnerships. By exploring functionalist and interpretivist approaches, often applied in partnership research, this paper argues that neither approach, when applied in isolation, can fully articulate the notion of a TNE collaborative partnership. The paper therefore champions the application of critical realism when investigating these partnerships and provides an empirical example of two Chinese-British case studies to illustrate the application of the paradigm, followed by a vignette of the type of findings generated, and its value to research and practice
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The development of social capital between operational academics delivering transnational collaborative programme partnerships
The bonds that unite partner institutions in the delivery of shared transnational collaborative programmes are critical in the effective management of these education partnerships. A crucial component in this unification is social capital, where partners connect and develop networks, lubricated by trust, which facilitates cooperation and commitment to the venture, producing purposive and beneficial outputs. This paper explores this phenomenon by investigating the way social capital manifests between operational colleagues tasked in the delivery of collaborative joint-degree programme partnerships. Initially, the paper explores the relationship between ‘partnership’ and ‘social capital’. It then analyses three sociological perspectives of social capital, the rational, critical and democratic strains, before examining them in relation to empirical data collected from three collaborative programme partnerships. The paper concludes there is evidence of all three strains, but advocates partner institutions observe four recommendations, so to encourage the manifestation of the beneficial critical and democratic strains
Conducting transnational higher education multiple-case study research: researcher reflexivity and decision-making processes
This case study aims to provide researchers who are interested in developing international research projects with some practical advice in terms of research design and implementation. This case study centres on a transnational higher education research project that occurred in 2014. This study sought to engage faculty members in both the United Kingdom and China, who deliver Sino-British ‘joint programme’ partnerships. This study aimed to understand how the operational activities of faculty members tasked with delivering these partnerships, affected the development of social relationships. As trade in overseas higher education increases, how these relationships develop is important, particularly if transnational higher education partnerships are to survive and generate value over time. This case study outlines in detail four choices the researcher faced when investigating three ..
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Using social exchange and equity theory to explore postgraduate student mentoring initiatives and academic faculty participation
Purpose: Student welfare and wellbeing is crucial to successful postgraduate study, regardless of the global location in which the study is taking place, making it an international issue. This study sought to add to the conversations occurring globally on this topic, focusing particularly on exploring academic faculty participation in higher education postgraduate taught (PGT) student mentoring initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach: By applying two theories, social exchange theory (SET) and equity theory (ET), faculty participation in postgraduate mentoring was explored and examined. A qualitative methodology, comprising 19 semi-structured interviews with faculty participating as mentors, was conducted. Data was analysed using template analysis, with SET and ET used to create thematic templates.
Findings: The application of SET and ET enabled faculty participation to be understood in terms of the perceived equity, costs and rewards of mentoring. Costs can be significant, sometimes outweighing the benefits, thus endangering the viability and sustainability of the PGT mentoring initiative. Analysis suggested two distinct types of ‘mentor mindsets’ exist, which influence the perception of investments, equity, costs and rewards.
Originality: As higher education institutions face increasing pressure to support student welfare, it is imperative that personalised support is put under scrutiny so management practices can be established that support and encourage academic faculty participation in these support initiatives. This paper recommends how institutions can allay the costs of mentoring by considering mentor recruitment, selection, training and other supportive measures