Australia’s Transnational Education Quality Strategy

1. International Forum on Online Education(IFOE 2006) : Quality Assurance October 14-15, 2006, Beijing, China Australia’s Transnational Education Quality Strategy Anne Forster President Open & Distance Learning Association of Australia

2. Five key points • Online learning is integrated in all forms of delivery in Australia with parity of esteem in qualifications • The link between Quality and perceived value creates multiple perspectives and QA approaches • Australia’s dependence on cross border education trade is reflected in increasing rigor of QA processes • Australia’s TNE Quality strategy is aimed at enhancing learning outcomes, improving practice and growing market share in both Vocational education and higher education • Professional development and shared resources to improve practices and integrity of TNE established in key centres of excellence: eg AII, IDP, IEAA and TNEF

3. Online-learning? “Interaction and independence, getting the mixture right”

4. Globalisation, the knowledge economy and education • World-wide flow and integration of people, knowledge and money • Participation as a basic human right • Access, affordability, lifelong learning • Elite and mass education divide • Quality based on brand/price/research rankings • Quality based on performance outcomes to fit the purpose

5. TEACHING & LEARNING PRICE CONTENT/ LEARNING RESOURCES PRODUCT ACCREDITATION VALUE QUALITY E-COMMERCE Buyer: Individual, family, corporation, government? CUSTOMER SERVICE LEARNER SUPPORT (adapted from source: Standing Stones Consulting Ltd, 2000)

6. Product Identification Initiation Resources Process Model adapted from Standing Stones 2000 Design Teaching Development Interaction Lifelong learning Production Assessment Professional learning Graduation/ CRM E- Business Process Delivery Customer/ Sales Marketing & Research Information & Advice Recruitment Community Building Career change External Partners Quality Agencies Policy makers Governments ICT providers Researchers & experts Development banks Private Investors COMPLEXITY Delivery process

7. Strategic Planning Program framework, blueprint Course development: infrastructure, design, pedagogy, Motivation: materials, assessments, student support, evaluation Marketing and student recruitment strategy and processes Induction and orientation Realisation/implementation Cooperation with experts, sponsors, instructors, industry Student support Teacher support Evaluation Central database A quality framework for technology and learning processes:CEN/ISSS Workshop on Learning Technologies

8. Selecting a quality system • CEN model for the classification of quality approaches in eLearning: CWA 15533 (2006) • European Committee for Standardisation There is a diversity of quality approaches ELearning is complex and context specific • Analyse quality needs • Analyse different quality approaches • Select best fit • Adapt, apply and recycle

9. Elite online protect competitiveness Closed re intellectual property Brand & Research rankings Income $ Mass online protect effectiveness & efficiency Open education resources Access, affordability, equivalence Learning Outcomes Context and diversity

10. Top 100 research universities 2005 data from Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Higher Education Others: Israel, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Russia, Italy each 1. Source Simon Marginson

11. Mega Universities (<100,000 students)

12. Impact of brand rankingsref: Marginson 2006 • Rankings perpetuate biases, • favour English-speaking science-strong universities • Rankings use data based on student choice & • financial inputs • Research publications/citations • student-staff ratios • Data does not reveal • the quality of teaching or • professional preparation • Rankings reflect and manufacture university reputation. • They are self-reinforcing • They block genuine merit and upward mobility

13. A culture of quality QA survey of mega universities (Jung, 2005) • An institutional culture that • Promotes internal QA system • Values capacity building for implementing QA • Stresses link between QA and public accountanbility • Focuses on learning rather than teaching • See also Commonwealth of learning; www.col.org

14. Institution & program level Accreditation & quality processes • CHEA: Council for Higher Education Accreditation (USA) • Reviews Q of Distance (online) Learning through the accreditation process • External review of institutions & programs • Diverse approaches • EFMD CEL: European Foundation for Management Development Accreditation of eLearning enhanced management courses • Programme strategy: stakeholder relevance of ICT? • Pedagogy: added value of ICT to the learning? • Economics: efficient and effective? • Organisation: appropriate systems? • Technology: functionality and accessibility? • Culture: Change and innovation considerations?

15. Australia’s QA Culture • AQF articulates vocational education and HE • Parity of qualifications independent of mode of delivery • Universities are self-accrediting: subject to external and internal QA • Government QA through research and teaching performance fund • External audit agencies (AUQA) and professional accreditation • Alignment with international standards and approaches, eg Bologna process

16. Transnational education: defined • UNESCO and OECD guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher education: • …when students follow a course or programme of study that has been produced, and is continuing to be maintained, in a country different from the one in which they are residing…

17. Exporters of cross-border degrees2003 OECD data

18. Largest Australian providers

19. Australia’s Commitment to Quality in the Global Education Market • Preserving Australia’s competitive position. • Australia is the third largest exporter of education in the world. • Education is Australia’s sixth largest export earner ($5.7 billion in 2004). • Australia’s commitment to quality and to the integrity of its transnational education provision, is upheld by Federal and State governments and by all 44 approved providers.

20. Australia’s trading position • Current focus on capacity to sustain competitive position in the elite market • Global future will depend on capacity to shift to being a mass supplier • Leverage existing capacity • Scale design of programs • Develop cost effective distribution and support systems • Manage partnerships

21. Australia’s TNE strategy:key areas for action • better communication of Australia’s QA arrangements to all stakeholders; • increased access to data and information; • strengthened national quality framework.

22. Identifying good practice • Industry-led projects commissioned by the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee • Good practice in quality delivery of education to students residing outside Australia. • selection and management of partners; • determining the equivalence of the student experience; • delivery in languages other than English; and • staff development and training.