Designing Quality International Postgraduate Education: Opportunities and Principles for Collaborating Universities

1. Institute of Education (IoE), University of London Colloquium and EdD Seminars Designing Quality International Postgraduate Education: Opportunities and Principles for Collaborating Universities Steven Tan National Institute of Education Nanyang Technological University Singapore 10 June 2013

2. Reasons for International Collaboration between Universities Effective collaboration across international boundaries between universities has always been an important yet challenging issue for institutions of higher education. • Such cooperation has become particularly essential in recent years, almost to the extent of mandatory practice, due to the nature of globalisation, rapid developments in electronic communication, and the increased internationalisation of higher education.

3. Reasons for International Collaboration between Universities At the institutional level, such collaboration can lead to a more extensive pattern of activity where partner institutions can cooperate to share knowledge, advocate and take action as mutually agreed. At the individual level, such collaboration provides opportunities for the sharing of ideas and co-learning, where academics have an opportunity to examine multiple perspectives, both at the individual and group level.

4. Reasons for International Collaboration between Universities Areas of strategic collaboration between universities include: • Designing innovative and relevant curriculum • Enhancing academic staff professional development • Stimulating global research agendas • Increasing academic quality • Improving social and professional networks

5. Purpose of Presentation The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the opportunities and principles that can facilitate the successful collaborative efforts of international universities in the design of international educational programmes.

6. Purpose of International Educational Programmes Universities and institutes of higher education collaborate on international educational programmes to stimulate mobility of individuals and to contribute to the understanding among people and cultures. A core priority appears to be to produce graduates with global education, and (hopefully) undertake research that aims to address strategically important educational problems.

7. Purpose of International Educational Programmes The advantage of research programmes is the creation of potential research activity and networks, where seminars are organised to facilitate interactions between students and research-active faculty.

8. A Challenge for Collaborating Universities Universities have different missions and they deal with very different issues related to student objectives, budget restrictions and educational goals resulting in two different cultures.

9. A Challenge for Collaborating Universities One current example is the establishment of the Yale-NUS liberal arts college in 2011 and set to open in August 2013. A major issue of some Yale faculty and alumni is their discomfort with the lack of freedom in Singapore and the concern that there will be political interference at the Yale-NUS campus.

10. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations A mere memorandum of understanding (MOU) would not be enough to establish a productive partnership between universities or institutions. There is a need for clear definition and recognition of purposes, flexible strategies for achieving the purposes, and the continued and active participation of all as being important. Mutual respect, continuous resource allocation and a rewards and recognition system that is equitable and fair are also significant elements of successful partnerships.

11. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Shared Goals and Purposes One key characteristic is that the overall goal and purpose must be developed collaboratively (based on needs assessment), taking into account the different interests of the partnering institutions, and maximising results that could not be achieved by a single partner operating alone.

12. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Shared Goals and Purposes This is essential as such shared goals and purpose help facilitate commitment in the partnership as partners will see that the focus of the collaboration as relevant to their own core work. Of high importance to successful partnership is the buy-in, direct involvement, and support provided by individual faculty members and university leaders from both sides.

13. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Clear Objectives and Flexible Strategy Clear objectives coupled with flexible strategies help collaborating universities to tap on their capabilities and strengths to better meet the diverse needs of their clients. It must be recognised that institutions possess different manpower capabilities, and technical and financial resources to meet both academic and regulatory requirements as required to undertake any comprehensive learning programme.

14. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Mutual Respect for the Beliefs, Perspectives, Experiences, Expertise and Knowledge of Partner Universities and Staff Trust and collegiality would be challenging in situations where university staff and universities are differentiated by status and power. Partnerships have to emphasize and make explicit the equality of all partners, recognizing that each one has its own expertise and critical perspective to contribute.

15. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Mutual Respect for the Beliefs, Perspectives, Experiences, Expertise and Knowledge of Partner Universities and Staff To help foster respect and trust to raise the level of understanding, productivity and collegiality among stakeholders, partners need to structure regular, clear and responsive communications between them.

16. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Mutual Respect for the Beliefs, Perspectives, Experiences, Expertise and Knowledge of Partner Universities and Staff For example, regular exchanges and/or meetings between a small core group of stakeholders at both institutions could lead to better insights of the challenges and issues (e.g., academic rigour, course articulation) faced by the partners, in order to avoid, dispel or replace any previous misunderstandings and faculty perceptions that would help in future effective planning.

17. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Adequate Continual Resources Many collaborative projects are long-lasting in nature, and as such, stable structures in financing are essential to ensure the sustainability or long-term probability of success. For example, the hiring of a fulltime staff to coordinate the recruitment of students into the international programme. This individual actually promotes both institutions to prospective students and highlights the partnership between the two universities.

18. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Adequate Continual Resources For selected outstanding prospective (international) students, other examples would include bridge scholarships to support travel, tuition reimbursement, and/or conference participation.

19. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Compensation and Rewards Successful partnerships have creative ways of compensating the faculty – stipends and teaching fellowships, travel reimbursements, provision of teaching and other professional materials, state-of-the-art technology and software, and such compensations have to be adequate and sensitive to the needs of individual collaborators. More importantly, collaborators must be given formal recognition for their contributions and in helping to promote and sustain the partnership.

20. Characteristics of Successful Collaborations Compensation and Rewards More importantly, collaborators must be given formal recognition for their contributions and in helping to promote and sustain the partnership. This could include international activities as part of the tenure and promotion processes.

21. Thank You Time for Dialogue and Questions