An examination on the growth and sustainability of Australian transnational education

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the dynamics facing transnational education (TNE) in Australia through literature review in three major areas: policy changes in Australia and major importing countries of Australian TNE, and recent development in online learning and the impact of the prevailing TNE models. The paper concludes by shedding some light on how these changes could affect the sustainability of the growth of Australian TNE in the future. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on review of literature and use of secondary data on TNE in Australia. The paper analyzes the external quality audit reports with focus on TNE. It finally analyzes the future sustainability of Australian TNE based on growth of higher education in Asia and emergence of online learning. Findings TNE is experiencing growth in Australia. Based on the current model such as setting overseas campus and partnerships, the growth may not be sustainable. The emergence of online learning and developments in Asian higher education may pose increased risk and competition. TNE has been subject to external scrutiny through the external quality agency in past. The current compliance-driven quality assessment may put the transnational quality assessment at risk with increased focus on assessing the quality based on review of documentation. Originality/value The paper is original and it is based on Australian TNE.

Cross-Border Higher Education and Quality Assurance. Results from a Systematic Literature Review

“…21 documents discuss the role of quality assurance at institutional level in CBHE institutions. According to Lim and Shah (2017) home institutions should have strong and robust quality control over their overseas activities, namely to ensure that the host partner follows the standards and the rules of the home campus (Edwards et al, 2010). In a CBHE environment each stakeholder has its own interests (Henderson et al, 2017), being essential for home institutions to guarantee that the host programmes will be equivalent to those at home (Castle & Kelly, 2004).…”

Transnational education provision in a time of disruption: Perspectives from Australia

“…Since the mid-2000s, a major contributor to this development has been MOOCs. ‘MOOCs have made possible the expansion of how universities reach out to the world’ with this growth due to ‘the increasing speed and accessibility of the internet, and the growing IT literacy of the world’s population’ (Lim and Shah, 2017:259). An example is the way universities join with MOOC providers (for example Coursera, edX, FutureLearn) or specific online programme managers (for example 2U, Wiley, Pearson, Keypath Education) in supporting wholly online programme course delivery.…”

The end of transnational education? The view from the UK

“…The population cliff in East Asia is encouraging governments to rationalise their domestic higher education systems and embark on aggressive policies to grow the number of international students (Luo 2017). TNE is no longer a policy priority for many host governments (Lim and Shah 2017).…”