Call for Proposals

UK-East Asia TNE Forum – Beyond Institutional Partnership: Engaging TNE Students and Academics

3 March 2020, Kuala Lumpur

Please submit the completed form to ies.china@britishcouncil.org.cn by 16 December 2019.

Overview: Transnational Education (TNE) in East Asia

Governments in East Asia are increasingly seeking innovative and cost-effective ways to boost their higher education capability by investing in their countries’ education infrastructure, boosting local capacity, and expanding access to quality local and global education to their students.  They also have ambitious plans to create regional education hubs to attract top talent and education resources to their countries.  Many of these ambitions are underlined by policies which have an internationalisation element.  Universities are encouraged to develop partnerships, exchanges and relationships with overseas counterparts, with TNE partnerships being one of the key outcomes.

East Asia and the UK have developed close collaborations in TNE through bi-lateral, multi-lateral, regional, and sector level agreements. East Asia is home to the top four TNE markets; and hosts over a third of all UK transnational education students. More than 148,000 students across the region were following a UK higher education programme in the 2017-18 academic year; including over 122,000 on in-person courses and more than 26,000 following distance learning programmes. [1]

The foundations of successful TNE delivery are built around people. However, interviews and surveys show that there are challenges. It is mostly agreed that a key challenge is attracting and retaining high-quality UK and international faculty and supporting academic professional development, as well as ensuring that the structure and diversity of teaching staff meets students’ needs. There are also various discussions on how to ensure that TNE students get the positive and unique experiences that the UK offers and ensure engagement and recognition of local employers and communities.

Forum - Beyond Institutional Partnership: Engaging TNE Students and Academics.

The British Council will be hosting the UK-East Asia TNE Forum in Kuala Lumpur on 3 March 2020 with the theme of Beyond Institutional Partnership: Engaging TNE Students and Academics. It will provide a platform for key decision makers, TNE providers and practitioners from the region and the UK to discuss and explore how we could jointly ensure quality assurance, positive student experience and faculty collaborations to shape the future of UK-EA TNE partnerships.

Target audience:

Call for proposals

We are interested in receiving session proposals related to the theme and in context of UK-EA transnational education. A combination of keynote speeches, case studies and panel discussions are expected to support delegates to explore and discuss the engagement and support for TNE students and academics.

Proposed Sessions and focuses

  • Quality assurance – Measuring and enhancing the student and academic experience is at the heart of quality assurance for TNE, and will inform improvements to governance and management, operation and administration, as well as programmes and courses. The UK Quality Assurance Agency and its counterparts from Malaysia, as well as other East Asia countries will be invited to share their experiences of joint quality review, and the best practices that have led to optimal student experiences and academic development.

[format: keynote speech & panel discussion]

  • Student experience – At last year’s Forum, Malaysian TNE students expressed that they are expecting flexibility, opportunities to engage with partner universities overseas, availability of learning resources, and connections with employers and industries. In a TNE survey, Chinese students stated that they are least satisfied with advice and support received, access to learning resources, language learning and academic integration. Facing a new generation of students with sophisticated demands and higher expectations, how should TNE policy makers, providers and practitioners make changes and adopt innovative approaches to respond to their needs and challenges and ensure positive student experience?

[format: keynote speech & panel discussion]

  • Academic engagement – With new models and growing demands of UK TNE programmes in the region, institutions are facing increasing challenges and difficulties, culturally and academically, in various aspects such as capacity building, teaching environment, academic integrity and integration, research and career development, industrial engagement, as well as support in language and cultural issues.  A key question to be addressed is how local government and providers can enhance overall TNE quality through support for teaching and administrative staff.

[format: keynote speech, case sharing & panel discussion]

Please submit your proposal(s) by completing the attached application form and send to ies.china@britishcouncil.org no later than 16 December 2019.

We will cover selected speakers’ international flights to Kuala Lumpur in economy class, and 2-night hotel accommodation.

We look forward to receiving your submission.

Many thanks
British Council East Asia Higher Education Team

[1] Excluding students registered at Oxford Brookes through their partnership with the ACCA Students studying for the ACCA’s professional accountancy qualifications overseas (registered on Oxford Brookes University’s BSc Accounting course on an opt-out basis.)

Attachment
UK-EA TNE Forum - call for proposals with application form.docx