Director, Quality Assurance Authority for Education and Training, Kingdom of Bahrain
In 2001, the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain took a precedent decision to open its higher education sector to private investors. As a result, the number of universities operating in the kingdom has increased to 16 institutions, 12 of which are private. As part of a major national education reform which was started in 2005, the Quality Assurance Authority for Education and Training (QAAET) was established in 2008. The Higher Education Review Unit of the QAAET conducts both institutional and programme reviews. The first institutional review cycle started in September 2008, followed by the first programme review cycle which commenced in January 2009. The Authority published its first reports in June 2009. These were conducted across six different universities, one programme each, in the field of Business Administration at Bachelor level. The reviews did not show a correlation between the type of institution (branch, affiliation or local) and the performance of the university. Almost all reviews raised some concerns in relation to governance, teaching and learning, and quality assurance arrangements, whether within the institution or between the institution and the parent university. They also raised a major concern with the amount of monitoring parent universities conduct towards its branches. This poster will discuss the reviews and the rest of their findings.
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International Project Manager, Hackney Community College, UK
Hackney Community College (HCC) and Lagos State Ministry of Education in Nigeria have established a partnership through Education Partnerships in Africa (EPA). HCC’s international strategy includes a focus on transnational education and previous success in this field, combined with local Nigerian community links, encouraged HCC to support the ambitious education modernisation programme in Lagos State. Dominated by a dependency on oil, Lagos State Government has identified a need to diversify the industry, tackle unemployment and increase competitiveness in the global market. A relevant curriculum in effective colleges is crucial to meet employer needs (employability and entrepreneurship alongside traditional skills). Currently, there are only five colleges, with a success rate under 40%, and 5,500 students, with a total population of around 20 million. Lagos State aims to increase the capacity of colleges; align curriculum to emerging industries; modernise facilities; prepare students for employment through closer work with employers; improve the quality and strategic management of education through HCC’s commitment; help the government identify priorities and support the delivery of the agenda; support college leaders with strategic planning, employer engagement and quality assurance systems; and train staff to plan and deliver employability skills. HCC has attended a Lagos State Education Department briefing on the modernisation programme, attended a Lagos State meeting with the World Bank, agreed to bid for further World Bank funds to support the initiative, visited all five colleges in Lagos and designed a training programme for the first group of Lagos college leaders (in the UK). By April 2010, training will be delivered in Lagos, and by October 2010 assessment and a review visit will take place. HCC welcomes discussion around achievements and the approach for their next steps.
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Research Authority Director, Open University, Israel
Innovation is essential for education systems to cope with social and economic changes and perform efficiently, however previously it has not been regarded as an important issue by policy makers, education stakeholders and leaders. Innovation in education is now gaining attention, including systemic study of innovation, innovation strategy and implementation of innovation strategies by policy makers and leaders. The nature of the knowledge-generating process is evolving towards a more network-embedded process, with an increased emphasis on stakeholder partnerships, trans-disciplinary growth, and heterogeneity of all players involved. This poster will present a systematic method and model for bringing innovation to higher education systems, embedding it as managerial practice. Its research will be guided by three principal questions: How to inform policy makers of the vital importance of innovation as a key to economic growth, so they can benefit from a better understanding of the innovation process? How to involve policy makers who are aware of the importance of innovation to push for a policy change? How to consolidate insights from different countries to provide useful advice to national and regional policy-makers? This poster will identify the variables that affect leadership in higher education institutions, as well as the information required for universities and stakeholders to compile a body of knowledge, methodology and tools for the successful implementation of innovation and change. This information will build their capacity to steer themselves into the future and impart a valuable legacy for students, employees, the community and society as a whole.
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Marketing Director, StudyLink, Australia
With changing source market demographics, increased competition, intense media coverage of international student issues and an ever demanding value and experience driven customer base, what leadership and policy changes are required to maintain the UK’s position as a leading importer of international students? This poster will present three core emerging trends and their impact on future policy and leadership faced by education providers and the UK government. The use of social media in student recruitment and marketing, and the rapid sharing of information, lead to new challenges for institutions and governments wishing to not only engage with Generation Y students, but also in managing their reputation. Recent case studies will include the Indian student protests in Australia. This poster will ask how the industry can do more with less, whilst enhancing the experience of their brand by students, agents and partners. It will look at the global drive towards a paper-less admissions process, and finally, the need for transparency in agent and partner relationships with the provider and its prospective students.
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Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, Leeds Business School, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
The higher education sector has experienced an increasing trend in the internationalisation through the diversification of delivery modes and the changing patterns of international student recruitment. Programme mobility rather than student mobility provides the new format of international strategy in the higher education sector. Whether these students can benefit from an authentic UK experience without being in the UK can be problematic and controversial. This poster will examine the impact of these strategies on the foreign students’ education experience, employability and career development. The aim is to explore the relationships between higher education and employment and thus assess the actual value of degree studies within the Hong Kong labour market. Preliminary findings reveal that a residual colonial heritage plays a significant role on the creditability of the British Higher Education degrees in Hong Kong. Even still, data show that socio-political and economic factors may contribute negatively to Hong Kong students’ mobility to study physically in an overseas university.
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