A new surge of research examining Transnational Education (TNE) in greater detail coincides with the anticipated offshore campus enrolment goldrush deftly dangled by the Federal Government.
Many institutions have moved to hang their shingle on offshore campuses, as the move to stunt onshore international numbers effectively funnels international enrolment growth ambitions to offshore campuses – at the same time as the Indian Government have opened new doors to delivery by Australian institutions..
A range of papers analysing the outcomes and operations of TNE campuses have been published in recent months, and three significant questions arise, ready for contemplation over the festive period.
1. Who owns a TNE discovery?
What happens if your PhD student discovers technology that enhances national security? Australia must call dibs on Intellectual Property of research undertaken with Australian institutions, even by a foreign national studying in an Australian-affiliated campus offshore. But how do we sit with the ethics of that? Let alone, how ready are we for espionage and international legal challenges?
Nicolas Dominguez-Vergara and colleagues from Mexico’s Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana recently presented a paper on STEM education in times of conflict. The authors noted that “STEM education now intersects critically with national security, technological dominance, and international diplomacy.”
With significant implications for TNE, as well as considering potential changes to the purpose of STEM education at home, the authors note that recent conflicts,” have driven the advancement of cutting-edge military technologies such as AI-enabled drones, hypersonic missiles, nuclear systems, bunker-busting weaponry, and virtual warfare platforms.
“These developments generate new educational inequalities and increase volatility in global migration, as countries compete for talented students and researchers while tightening controls on low-wage migrant labor.”
2. How do we avoid intellectual colonialism – and can institutional belonging be the same at campuses in different continents?
Deakin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin spoke earlier in the year about the importance of tailoring curriculum and delivery for Deakin’s Indonesian partnership with Lancaster University. How much does course delivery and research prioritisation need to change for TNE’s to be successful not just for the institution, but also the host country?
Coventry University’s Samir Alamad recently wrote an article about the importance of locally-relevant learning models, asking whether the common approach of constructive alignment was ultimately superficial – undermining opportunities for deep learning. “Few studies consider how CA might accommodate intercultural outcomes or dual-degree standards in TNE programmes,” Dr Alamad says.
“Educators and curriculum designers need explicit guidance to integrate constructivist methods (such as active learning activities, peer collaboration, and real-world contexts) into their aligned designs.”
Kelly-Ann Allen and colleagues from Monash looked at issues of belonging for secondary students across four countries and found a number of consistent themes that drove students to feel they belonged at school, regardless of national and cultural differences. A study of 611 students from India, Iran, Australia and Greece found schools could foster belonging by nurturing a sense of safety, autonomy with guidance, inclusion and diversity and positive relationships. Can the same be said for TNE? Will the future students of the new Monash KL campus feel as much affinity to an institution named for an Australian WW1 hero as those undergraduates that choose to frolic in the wilds of Clayton? It seems obvious that the relationship of offshore students with an Australian institution will be different to that of Australian students, even though both may find ways to belong. Understanding how to foster culturally relevant values and belonging in each campus locality will presumably be a factor in sustaining student demand and therefore TNE campus viability.
Michael James Day from the University of Greenwich and Tracy Zhang from the Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University write that joint venture Sino-British universities have created a third culture – a hybrid of philosophies and pedagogies that are neither Chinese nor British. Their paper suggests that successful TNE joint ventures involve the creation of this hybrid environment. If true, what does this say for the preparation of graduates for an employment market that may be more nationalistic? Does this suggest TNE degrees are only useful for those pursuing careers in multinationals? It appears that more research into TNE cultures and belonging is required to understand the value proposition for institutions, host nations and students in greater detail. Plonking an Australian institution offshore is clearly not the approach of today’s universities, but who is capturing and measuring best-practice approaches to TNE?
3. Are our tech tools helping liberate or oppress in TNE host countries?
In a new book, Deakin University’s Professor Ihsan Yilmaz and colleagues look at the impact of authoritarian regimes using digital technology, particularly social media platforms to, “mobilise diasporas, control narratives and silence dissent.” While this work focuses on the impact of digital oppression rather than the role of campuses, it is interesting to reference, given the impact of technology on communities offshore, as well as our own. Limitations on academic freedoms for students and staff are shaped by the laws and cultures of host countries, not by institutional jurisdiction. How prepared are we to try to successfully interpret institutional values to allow for intercultural differences?
On the other hand, some simple tools have the potential for educational liberation. Duong Thi Thuy Nguyen and Thuy Linh Nguyen from Hanoi University researched the use of gen AI tools in helping English as a Foreign Language students practice their pronunciation. While all will be heartened to hear that the students did not believe AI models could replace teachers, they struggled to find an AI model that would provide sufficient feedback and examples – highlighting the potential but also limitations of resources provided.
Closer to home, Victoria University’s Kathy Michael has produced a paper looking at the use of AI tools within TNE programs delivered by an Australian University in China. Like the Hanoi University researchers, Dr Michael found students were using AI to help them translate terms, improve writing skills and as a study aid, but the high frequency of usage also meant that staff faced significant challenges in monitoring assessment and addressing the issue. Local staff must teach and assess to TEQSA standards, but in a different cultural context and often with reliance on different AI tools to those favoured in Australia. “It has become evident that universities need to invest in professional development to ensure AI literacy, pedagogical skills, and an understanding of ethical AI practices,” Dr Michael wrote.
While TNE growth is Australia’s de facto international education policy, until Julian Hill unveils his plans in the new year, it is just possible that the rush to build and brand enough spaces to get to the point of ribbon cutting might turn out to be one of the easiest parts of the process, despite the attendant hurdles.