Internationalization: Malaysian Librarians and expanding roles in foreign branch campuses

1. Internationalization: Malaysian Librarians and expanding roles in foreign branch campuses Presented by:Dayang Zarina Abang Ismail

2. Transnational Education (TNE) The challenges of globalization and great demand for quality education has encouraged the MOHE to collaborate with reputable foreign universities in United Kingdom and Australia. > Transnational education – international trade in higher education; aimed at servicing fee-paying students in the country of residence • Cost-saving – programs and credit transfer at a reasonable cost, Unique 3+0 programs to study in Malaysia or 2+1 programs

3. Foreign Branch Campuses

4. Australian Universities • Diversity and autonomy are central features of Australian universities. • Each university has the freedom to specify its own mission and purpose, modes of teaching and research, constitution of the student body and the range and content of educational programs. • The wide variety of needs and expectations from employers and students is reflected in the range of institutional goals and objectives, staff profiles and the emphasis placed on particular courses. This plurality of approach is one of the most important strengths of the Australian system, and one hard fought for in legislative changes in late 2003.

5. Swinburne University of Technology • Swinburne University of Technology has six campuses in Melbourne, Australia and one is in Malaysia. • In Australia, it is a public funding university – a public university. Although in the recent year, all public universities in Australia are increasingly seeking funds from community

6. Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus • Swinburne University of Technology (Sarawak Campus) was established in 2000 as Swinburne Sarawak Institute of Technology and on gaining university status in Malaysia changed its name to Swinburne University of Technology (Sarawak Campus) in June 2004. • The Branch campus occupies a 16.5 acre site in central Kuching, the state capital of Sarawak.   • The branch campus university in Sarawak is a joint venture between Swinburne University of Technology in Australia and the State Government of Sarawak through two of its Foundations – Yayasan Sarawak and the Sarawak Higher Education Foundation. • The academic operations of the campus are integrated with and controlled by the University in Australia.

7. Transnational Education (TNE) • Foreign Branch Campuses in Malaysia are governed by various acts such as: • Education Act 1996, • Universities and University Colleges (Amendment) Act 1996, • Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 and the • MQA Act .  

8. Internationalization: SUTS Information Resources • Internationalisation in the library : the process of integrating local and international practice and perspective into resources and services to suppor the univer’s teaching and research program. • The challenge is to seek a cadre of Malaysian librarians and information professionals who can work effectively in international setting • The University Library and its staff have an important role to play in supporting TNE

9. The role of librarians and its challenges • Collection Development • Multitude of surveys and findings • Staff Training • English and other languages • Students attitudes – Australians, Malaysians and international students • Cultural & Language • Accreditation processes

10. Collection Development • FBC Libraries need to look into how they can meet the growing both local and international information needs of both institution – schools, faculty, students, researchers and visiting students and scholars • Acquisition Librarian – help to choose library materials rather than just acquiring them.

11. Numerous of library surveys and findings • Numerous of library surveys are carried out at Swinburne Library. • This is to ensure that the services and facilities are useful to students and staff? Focus group discussion (twice a semester) SSSC Forum Feedback form (suggestion box) Library Liaison Program SES Library statistics Library Client Survey (May 2009) Other library survey > How does the library feedback feed into library planning and strategic goals? Information gathered from all the feedbacks/surveys is administered under the Student & Corporate Services. The results are valuable in gaining an understanding of current and future expectations for the library.

12. Library Client Survey • Library Client Survey is administered and analysed independently by InSync on behalf of the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL). This survey has been used widely in Australia to understand clients requirements, to benchmark performance and to promote continuous improvements) • At SUTS, we participated in this survey May 2009. • It will be done every two years. Feedback will be gathered from both staff and students to provide benchmarks for improvement in the library. • It was formerly called the Rodski Survey which was first done 2006 • SUTS is benchmarked against other off shore Australian Universities

13. Accreditation – AUQA, MQA • Foreign Branch Campuses Universities here in Malaysia also has to go through AUQA (Australian Universities Quality Agency ) • The AUQA audit is an Australian government requirement to ensure that all Australian self-accrediting higher education institutions i.e. Swinburne University of Technology, including its international campuses, meet a number of guidelines, codes of practice and codes of conduct relating to specific aspects of higher education. Malaysia’s Qualification Agency (MQA) • SUTS was invited to apply for self-accrediting status. Once approved it will provide the university a self-accredited institutions with greater autonomy. (Australian universities are all self-accrediting institutions. It means they design and “accredit or approve” their own courses leading to the different types of awards)

14. Staff Training There is the pressure of globalizations and internationalization that drive change for librarians and information professionals to internationalize their working environment: • Training involves international collaboration and international exchange of staff • Limitations – due to finance crunch • Higher expectations

15. Other issues to explore • Malaysian students attitudes vs Australian students • Australian University Libraries – client centred approach, vs. Malaysian university libraries • CAUL in Australia • Strategic Planning dealing with issues on internationalization

16. Way Forward Partnership and collaboration – local and internationally Librarians seek to integrate their library activities

17. Internationalization: Malaysian Librarians and expanding roles in foreign branch campuses Dayang Zarina Abang Ismail