Internationalisation strategy, faculty response and academic preparedness for transnational teaching

Abstract

Transnational education (TNE), interpreted as the mobility of education programmes and providers between countries, has grown exponentially as a worldwide phenomenon in recent years. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have mainly used such opportunities to internationalise their degrees and programmes, and have paid scant attention on preparing academics to teach cross-culturally. As a result, academics being at the coalface of teaching and learning often feel under-informed, under-supported, underprepared, and under-confident when it comes to cross-cultural teaching, suggesting that universities have largely failed to prepare their academic faculty members to face the challenges of internationalisation. This is particularly important for new and young players such as the Post-92 Universities in the UK.However, such institutions have largely been ignored by the previous research in this area.Reverting the research focus on young HEIs, this paper highlights the importance of preparing faculty staff members to teach cross-culturally via the TNE route. In doing so, the paper adopts Deardorff's intercultural competency process model to develop a framework (focusing on three core elements of knowledge, skills and attitudes) that could help the academic faculty members to prepare for teaching internationally. The paper is based on a detailed analysis of university's internationalisation strategy, policy documents and related reports for the 1999 -2016 period. The initial analysis is further supplemented by 11 interviews with the main stakeholders i.e. academics, educational developers and policy makers. Informed by the best practices, the paper also discusses the implication of intercultural competencies for cross-cultural teaching.

Impact of Training and Development Practices on Job Satisfaction: A Study on Faculty Members of Technical Education Institutes

“…A research in 92 universities in the UK stated that, 'universities should strategically plan and firmly committed towards providing training of transactional teaching to the faculty members so as to make them competitive to deal with students belonging to different cultural backgrounds' (Nawaz, 2018).…”

Inclusive Learning Environment in Transnational Education: A Case Study of a First Year Software Engineering Programme

“…Professional growth and training can improve their grasp of inclusive teaching, cultural understanding, and aiding diverse students. This continuous backing promotes a more inclusive learning atmosphere in TNE programmes (Nawaz, 2018).…”

Enhancing Teachers’ Intercultural Competence with Online Technology as Cognitive Tools: A Literature Review

“…To date, this aspect receives little recognition, even in established host countries. Nawaz (2018) investigated transnational teaching strategies by analyzing a United Kingdom's (UK) post-1992 university's documents of internationalisation strategy, annual reports, staff training and development programs etc. for the period between 1999 and 2016, and interviewing 11 stakeholders consisting academic staff member, educational developers and professionals services staff members.…”

“…for the period between 1999 and 2016, and interviewing 11 stakeholders consisting academic staff member, educational developers and professionals services staff members. His study found that the faculty members at the university lacked the knowledge and skills needed for effective pedagogical teaching, and there was less interest at the university or faculty level in ensuring that faculty members received appropriate training before departing for international teaching assignments (Nawaz, 2018).…”