Search results
1 – 10 of over 2000Hei-hang Hayes Tang and Chak-pong Gordon Tsui
The purpose of this paper is to examine the way in which higher education participation is democratized in the entrepreneurial city of Hong Kong by the policy innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the way in which higher education participation is democratized in the entrepreneurial city of Hong Kong by the policy innovation that encompasses internationalization. There is a dearth of empirical studies about transnational education in Hong Kong, except for a few which examine students’ perceptions of transnational education from a user perspective, situated in marketized conditions (Leung and Waters, 2013; Waters and Leung, 2013a, b). The minimal volume of existing research has ignored the innovative aspects of democratizing higher learning by internationalization, namely, the operation of international degrees by overseas universities on offshore campuses. This policy innovation by transnational institutions is significant in an era of the globalization of higher education, as access to higher education cannot be otherwise realized given the local education policies.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing documentary research, this paper presents and assesses the growth of community college international education at The University of Hong Kong and its unique facets, juxtaposing it with the marketized context of East Asian higher education. It engages in specific reviews surrounding the operational mode and academic collaborations of the international educational programs and practices at the Hong Kong University’s School of Professional and Continuing Education.
Findings
This documentary research finds that the internationalized academic profession of partner universities enables curriculum design, pedagogy, teaching ideas and assessment methods to be informed by a diversity of international academic cultures and indigenous knowledge. Through this policy innovation, international education is institutionalized in such a way that it takes Hong Kong students beyond the community college context, which is relatively localized. It also illuminates the way in which the “ideoscape” of American community colleges and international partnerships with Australian and British universities have been manifested in the Hong Kong education hub for transnational student flows and intellectual exchanges across the Asian region.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the academic literature of higher education studies, particularly in the areas of massification and democratization, as well as their connection with internationalization and policy innovation. It also delineates various forces that are propelling the development of higher education’s internationalization and massification.
Details
Keywords
Norazlyn Kamal Basha, Jillian C. Sweeney and Geoffrey Norman Soutar
In recent times, many universities have been pressured to become heavily involved in university branding. The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ perceptions…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent times, many universities have been pressured to become heavily involved in university branding. The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ perceptions of different international universities (brands) in terms of important university attributes, including the country in which the university’s main campus is located and educational programs are designed (COD) and the method by which the educational services are distributed internationally (DM).
Design/methodology/approach
Using a conjoint simulation procedure, this paper predicts the impact that university attributes have on Malaysian and Chinese students’ preferences for international universities.
Findings
The results suggest that, although COD and DM are important factors, the extent to which these factors dominate student preference differs significantly across students according to nationality.
Research limitations/implications
The simulation suggests how international universities can improve their branding strategies, and highlights the need to understand students’ preferences when developing marketing strategies.
Originality/value
Past research has compared the importance of university attributes across countries from the perspective of students, but failed to assess this issue in the light of existing university brands (at an institutional or country level). Such knowledge can provide an indication of student preferences and competitive performance, which are of great interest to education marketers. The present study predicts the impact of various university attributes on Malaysian and Chinese students’ preferences for specific international universities (brands) in four different countries, and changes in preference that occur when the style of delivery or course suitability is altered.
Details
Keywords
The principal goal of the article is to examine how Singapore, one of the East Asian tiger economies, has attempted to diversify its higher education system by developing…
Abstract
Purpose
The principal goal of the article is to examine how Singapore, one of the East Asian tiger economies, has attempted to diversify its higher education system by developing “transnational education” in the island state.
Design/methodology/approach
With particular reference to the most recent education reforms and changing higher education governance in Singapore, this article focuses on how the Singapore government has changed its higher education governance models in enhancing the global competitiveness of its higher education system by adopting more pro‐competition policy instruments and allowing the growth of transnational education in the city state.
Findings
The findings suggest the choice of policy tools (the choice of market forces in higher education and the rise of transnational education in the present case) is highly political and governments should pay particular attention to the particular socio‐economic and socio‐political contexts of their countries when making such choices.
Originality/value
The paper shows that the role of government in East Asia is still important, especially when there is a strong need for government to set up appropriate regulations, social protection and welfare, hence, governments in East Asia are very much conceived as a complement to the markets.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges of managing transnational education (TNE) partnerships from the perspective of the home university managers.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges of managing transnational education (TNE) partnerships from the perspective of the home university managers.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a qualitative, “insider researcher” methodology’. It uses a sample set of eight mangers who operate from the home university and 13 “in-country” managers who are seconded to head up the overseas TNE partnerships. The samples are all drawn from UK universities to standardise for other variables (e.g. legislative framework).
Findings
It finds that the managers based at the home campus report a generally negative attitude, emphasising the riskiness and the lack of scalability, sustainably and profitability, as well as the general resistance to TNE from staff on the home campus. The in-country managers, in contrast, experience the same lack of empathy from their peers at home, but this group tends to more closely associate themselves with their local colleagues and to be drawn into building relationships with local stakeholders.
Research limitations/implications
The limitation of this research is that it is based on a sample of managers from the same country.
Practical implications
In practical terms, the findings suggest that universities need to do more to increase awareness and commitment to their TNE partnerships amongst staff at the home campus, while providing better professional development and more frequent rotations for their in-country managers.
Originality/value
This paper extends the very limited literature on the management of TNE partnerships.
Details
Keywords
Norazlyn Kamal Basha, Jillian C. Sweeney and Geoffrey N. Soutar
The purpose of this paper is to determine factors that influenced international university preference, looking at country of origin (COO), that is the COO of the course…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine factors that influenced international university preference, looking at country of origin (COO), that is the COO of the course and program modes (PMs). This study specifically focusses on differences in perceptions across students from Malaysia and China.
Design/methodology/approach
Conjoint analysis was used to examine the relative importances and part-worth scores of these attributes on international university preferences.
Findings
PM and country of design (COD) had a major influence on Malaysian and Chinese students’ preferences for international universities. Online distance learning was the least preferred option, while offshore campuses were more acceptable to Malaysian students compared to Chinese students. Malaysian students preferred to study in the UK, while Chinese students favored Australia. Malaysian students were also found to be more cost sensitive compared to Chinese students, while the latter were more motivated by job prospects offered by an institution.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations include the specific sample, pre-university students only from developed countries (Malaysia and China), which limits the generalizability to students from other countries.
Practical implications
This study offers insights in the effect of COD and PM on students’ preferences for international universities, as well as other previously studied university-level attributes in a higher education setting. With a better understanding of factors affecting these preferences, higher educational institutions are better placed to implement a suitable marketing strategy to attract more international students.
Originality/value
This study examines the impact COD, Delivery Mode (DM) and other university level attributes have on Malaysian and Chinese pre-university students ' preferences for international universities. COD and DM were found to be extremely important factors that dominated the students ' preferences. The study highlights the need to focus on different university attributes in different markets and to consider COD and DM issues in order to gain a larger market share of international students.
Details
Keywords
What are the current trends that mark out the process of internationalization of higher education? In what directions do these trends influence the direction of research…
Abstract
What are the current trends that mark out the process of internationalization of higher education? In what directions do these trends influence the direction of research and development in African universities? Does internationalization of higher education have the potential to boost knowledge production relevant to Africa’s development needs or it will further hasten the marginalization of both African universities and African development agendas within the global network of scientific knowledge? Internationalization of education is not new. Historically, students have sought better higher education abroad influenced by the desire to benefit from better opportunities provided by universities in the developed countries. The current phase of higher education internationalization has however emerged more vigorously in the 21st century and is associated with the twin trends of globalization and liberalization. Proponents of globalization have argued that higher education is bound to be more strongly affected by worldwide economic developments. They also point out that higher education institutions in developing countries should embrace aspects of internationalization to boost their efforts to be ranked among the best league of universities globally. At the national level, internationalization of higher education is presented as a process that institutions in developing countries must embrace in order to address the persistent challenges of sustainable development. For universities in Africa, the literature argues that internationalization provides them with opportunities that cut across disciplines, institutions, knowledge-systems, and nation-state boundaries thereby exposing the institutions and academics to the world’s best scientific research and infrastructures. In summary, it is contended that internationalization is a strategy to realize success in human-capability and institutional-capacity development in the universities. This chapter revisits these assertions and their tenacity to developing a culture of research and innovation in African universities, and linking the universities to the continent’s development aspirations.
Brendan Boyle, Anthony McDonnell, Rebecca Mitchell and Stephen Nicholas
This article discusses the opportunities presented by the globalization of education and the role of knowledge management in successful global expansion. It seeks to…
Abstract
Purpose
This article discusses the opportunities presented by the globalization of education and the role of knowledge management in successful global expansion. It seeks to explain why the tacit dimensions of the knowledge transferred during international education provision makes it difficult to provide educational services in offshore campuses, absent the transfer of people.
Design/methodology/approach
The article draws on literature in the discipline of international business to explain why internationalizing universities need to consider the role of knowledge transfer as a strategic imperative. As this is a conceptual article, arguments are built on insights from extant theoretical and empirical work.
Findings
Based on the analysis of a diverse body of academic literature in the areas of international business, knowledge management and education theory, this article demonstrates the role of foreign assignments in the transfer of tacit knowledge in universities with offshore campuses.
Research limitations/implications
The implications of the proposition raised in this article are presented with a focus on how they affirm the need for foreign assignments for effective knowledge management in internationalizing universities. Those implications include the need to use assignments to deliver courses offshore and to create face‐to‐face interactions with academics at partner universities.
Originality/value
Drawing on a diverse body of academic literature, this article provides theoretical and practical insights into how assignments can be utilized in international educational management, international educational delivery, and the creation of an environment in which knowledge resources can be utilized on an international basis.
Details
Keywords
Yousra Asaad, T.C. Melewar, Geraldine Cohen and John M.T. Balmer
The purpose of this paper is to explore how post-92 UK universities perceive and manage market orientation (MO) in their export operations of educational services to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how post-92 UK universities perceive and manage market orientation (MO) in their export operations of educational services to international students (i.e. export market orientation (EMO)) in the context of international student recruitment.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a case study design, this qualitative research was undertaken amongst eight post-92 UK universities. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with managers in the international offices of universities.
Findings
The results indicate that EMO in universities consists of information-based activities geared towards foreign markets. Superior knowledge and awareness of the market components is central to the implementation of these information-based activities. This involves market information generation and dissemination, as well as the need for rapid responsiveness due to the changing nature of the higher education market.
Research limitations/implications
The selected methodology makes these results alone unfit for generalising to a larger population. Improved theoretical models are needed for generating more knowledge about the antecedents and consequences of EMO in universities.
Practical implications
The authors believe the findings are particularly relevant for international marketing managers of exporting universities. The current paper suggests some implications for international marketing managers when actively managing their marketing activities towards foreign markets.
Originality/value
The paper identifies a gap in current higher education marketing research. The original contribution of the paper is to address this gap so that researchers and practitioners have some understanding of the export marketing behaviour of UK universities in the context of the recruitment of international students.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to examine recent literature for a review of the concepts of collaboration in library and information science and related disciplines and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine recent literature for a review of the concepts of collaboration in library and information science and related disciplines and to develop a conceptual framework for application in academic contexts globally.
Design/methodology/approach
An investigation of literature exploring the multifaceted meanings and dimensions of collaboration and subsequent development of a framework for analysis. To exemplify the use of the framework in analysing collaboration between academics and librarians, and to demonstrate the impact of context on collaboration, the paper explores the situation and educational contexts in two national settings – one a developed country (Australia) and the other a developing country (Vietnam).
Findings
Contextual factors have a substantial impact on the nature of collaboration between academics and librarians. The collaboration framework developed is applied to academic settings in two countries, Vietnam and Australia, and dimensions of collaboration are compared and contrasted in the two countries. Insights and implications are drawn concerning the distinctive features of effective collaboration as well as the achievements and challenges of such collaborative partnerships.
Research limitations/implications
This literature-based article reports on the first part of a larger research project. Further development and application of the conceptual framework in studying the collaborative relationship between academics and librarians empirically are deemed important.
Originality/value
This paper provides insights into the current condition and challenges in developing collaboration between academics and librarians. The proposed framework is beneficial to academics, librarians and universities interested in addressing the issues of this partnership in various academic contexts.
Details
Keywords
Chenicheri Sid Nair, Nicolene Murdoch and Patricie Mertova
The purpose of this paper is to look at the role of the student experience questionnaire in collecting students' perceptions of their experiences in studying at an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to look at the role of the student experience questionnaire in collecting students' perceptions of their experiences in studying at an offshore campus of an Australian University, compared with the experiences of the University's students in Australia. In particular, it seeks to highlight the difference in perceptions of students resulting, for example, from the size of the campus versus the size of other campuses and the whole institution.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study is based on a student learning experience questionnaire utilised by a large research‐intensive Australian tertiary institution (with two overseas campuses). The results of the questionnaire are compared between one overseas campus and the whole institution. The case study looks at the experiences of the overseas campus compared with the Australian experience. Although the case study is situated within one institution, there are aspects and lessons that are applicable to other institutions internationally, in particular when considering collecting student feedback in relation to multi‐campus or multi‐venue programmes.
Findings
Higher satisfaction rates for different aspects of student learning experience were identified at the overseas campus in comparison with the whole institution. This was attributed to the smaller size of the overseas campus and thus better engagement of and personal attention to students at this campus. This finding may be particularly relevant to other international institutions in relation to the role of an institution's size and collection of student feedback.
Practical implications
The case study outlines a number of strategies adopted to enhance student engagement and subsequently to improve the aspects which they have indicated as being less satisfactory. The institution was chosen as an example of how particular strategies may be adopted in other institutions.
Originality/value
Enhancement of student experience is pre‐conditioned by good survey response rates among students for an institution to base its actions on opinions of a sufficiently high number of students. This paper describes a successful strategy of engaging students adopted by a large research‐intensive Australian university, and thus increasing survey response rates.
Details