Ethical issues in transnational higher education: the case of international branch campuses

Wilkins, Stephen

doi:10.1080/03075079.2015.1099624

Cited by 58 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The WHO, for instance, urges medical institutions to be socially accountable to their host country contexts and to address the needs of the host population [32]. In a similar vein, scholars have warned against a copy-paste approach to curriculum partnerships, stressing the need to adapt the home program to the host context as much as possible [26, 31]. Yet, we have seen that students often aspire to future careers outside the host country healthcare setting, hence an overemphasis on curriculum adaptations to fit the host context may not be in their best interest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A large survey outside the medical domain, for instance, noted that graduates of the host institution were highly skilled, but that their skills were not necessarily aligned with host country needs [25]. In such cases curriculum partnerships can be criticized for contributing too little to the host country context [26]. A related concern is the potential loss of human resources for host country healthcare if only a small proportion of graduates of these programs continue their training and professional career in the host country [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Crossborder curriculum partnerships: medical students’ experiences on critical aspects

et al. 2018

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BackgroundThe past decade has witnessed an upsurge in medical curriculum partnerships established across national boundaries to offer students at the foreign institution (host) a learning experience comparable to that of students at the exporting institution (home). However, since the learning environments and national healthcare contexts differ greatly between institutions, concerns have been raised in the literature about potential low quality of curriculum delivery, inadequate preparation of students to practice in the host country healthcare setting, and a culture shock for host students having to study a home curriculum.. The experiences and opinions of medical students related to these concerns have not been investigated. This study takes an explorative approach on key challenges faced by host institution students.MethodThree hundred sixty-one host students recruited from 3 partnerships completed a survey about their motives, transition from high school, language, preparedness for practice, future career planning, and general satisfaction. Descriptive statistics of closed-ended items and thematic analysis of open-ended items were performed.ResultsFindings revealed that students generally held positive views of the education they received. Switching to a new language of instruction (English) and learning environment was not perceived as a major obstacle. However, a significant portion of students who as non-nationals did not speak the language of the patient population felt this complicated effective workplace-based learning.ConclusionDespite differences in learning experiences, host students felt the partnership afforded opportunities to acquire unique academic competencies and boost their career. Further adaptation of the home curriculum to the host country healthcare system may be beneficial, without losing sight of medical curriculum partnerships’ potential to offer graduates an international outlook on global healthcare.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-018-1239-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crossborder curriculum partnerships: medical students’ experiences on critical aspects

et al. 2018

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“…For example, what is good for the university as an organisation (eg, high tuition fees) may be disadvantageous to individual students (eg, a barrier to access) or society (eg, weaker students acquire access). Similar dilemmas were identified in a study on ethical issues in international branch campuses, in which home and host country stakeholders reported conflicting interests and different ethical norms across borders . International diversity thus further complicates the concept of ethics: when the interests of stakeholders in one country conflict with those in other countries, what, then, is the ethical choice? Although existing theoretical frameworks may help to identify these levels of impact, they do not readily offer a direction towards ethical choices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

‘Being international is always a good thing’: A multicentre interview study on ethics in international medical education

et al. 2020

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Context: Internationalisation in medical education raises ethical concerns over, for instance, its for-profit orientation, the potential erosion of cultural diversity and the possibility that standardised education may not meet the needs of patients everywhere. These concerns fit into a broader debate on social responsibility in higher education. This study aims to explore how academic staff in international medical education experience and act upon the ethical concerns that pertain to their programmes. By adding their perspectives to the debate, this study helps us understand how theory-based ethical concerns are reflected in practice. Methods:We conducted a multicentre instrumental case study across three international medical programmes, all of which were characterised by an international student intake, an internationalised curriculum and international partnerships, and all of which used English as the medium of instruction. We conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled curriculum directors and teaching staff. Participants shared their personal experiences and responded to ethical concerns expressed in the literature. Our multidisciplinary team performed a template analysis of the data based on theoretical frameworks of ethics and social responsibility.Results: Participants primarily experienced the internationalisation of their institutions and programmes as having a positive impact on students, the university and the future global society. However, they did face several ethical dilemmas. The first of these involved the possibility that marketisation through international recruitment and the application of substantial tuition fees might widen access to medical education, but might allow weaker students to enter medical schools. The second concern referred to the homogenisation of education methods and content, which offers opportunities to expose students to best practices, but may also pose a risk to education quality. The third issue referred to the experience that although student diversity helped to promote intercultural learning, it also jeopardised student well-being. Conclusions:In the eyes of teaching staff in international medical education, internationalisation can benefit education quality and society, but poses ethical dilemmas through the forces of marketisation, homogenisation and diversification. The findings reflect a tension between the views of scholars and those of practitioners. The critical perspective found in academic debates is largely missing in practice, and theoretical frameworks on ethics possibly overlook the benefits of international education. To facilitate ethical decision making, we propose that scholars and practitioners globally try to learn from each other.

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“…Although a minority pursuit within the broader category of transnational education (TNE) (BIS 2014, 33), they are the subject of considerable attention (Wilkins and Huisman 2011;Lawton and Katsomitros 2012;Wilkins 2013;Healey 2014;Redden 2014Redden , 2015. Campus closures tend to generate significant media interest (Maslen 2015), as do any suggestions that money is being lost (Morgan 2015) or academic freedom compromised (Mangan 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embedding marketing in international campus development: lessons from UK universities

Lewis¹

2015

Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education

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This paper provides recommendations for embedding a market-and marketing-informed approach within the development process for a new international campus. It includes a brief outline of the current global profile of international campuses (as one form of transnational education) before highlighting the role of marketing at key stages of campus development from initial business case through to full operation. Recommendations for integrating marketing into campus development are derived from a series of structured interviews with eight senior staff at three UK universities, all with campuses in Malaysia. Some participants were UK-based, others Malaysia-based; all had responsibility for marketing the international campus at some level. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence-informed marketing guidance and good practice that is relevant to institutions considering establishment of an international campus.

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Ethical issues in transnational higher education: the case of international branch campuses

Cited by 58 publications

References 38 publications

Crossborder curriculum partnerships: medical students’ experiences on critical aspects

Crossborder curriculum partnerships: medical students’ experiences on critical aspects

‘Being international is always a good thing’: A multicentre interview study on ethics in international medical education

Embedding marketing in international campus development: lessons from UK universities

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