Internationalising Higher Education Christian Duncumb British Council

The British Council and Higher Education Education UK Partnership programmes (BRIDGE, UKIERI, INSPIRE, DeLPHE etc) Science Scholarships Internationalising Higher Education

BRIDGE - Background Delivered Evaluation 2010 Core aim: To increase collaborative effort between Russian and UK universities by means of joint programme development leading to dual degrees or other mutually recognised academic qualifications.

BRIDGE Achievements 58 partnerships (44 dual awards and 14 research projects) UK-Russia Expert group Involved institutions from across Russia High proportion of success - Nearly half of Russian dual award projects say their course has been validated in the UK and accredited in Russia - More than half the courses developed have been delivered in Russia for at least one year already - Three quarters of UK institutions report that their BRIDGE partnership is still ‘alive’ - Some fruitful research collaboration projects BRIDGE has helped Russian HEIs align themselves more closely with the Bologna process from BRIDGE evaluation report

BRIDGE – some lessons learned Quality assurance and validation Marketing and recruitment Financial management Language issues Importance of concluding a formal agreement

BRIDGE – some reasons for success BRIDGE is regarded by the participating Russian universities in a very positive light, because: The programme set out to benefit institutions across the whole of Russia It did not seek to impose UK courses / approaches on Russia; rather, it required Russian institutions to work as equal partners in developing entirely new courses that would suit Russian needs The UK approach to teaching and assessment is increasingly highly regarded, and BRIDGE has acted as a catalyst to help Russian HEIs promulgate this approach It provided sufficient funding to enable courses to get off the ground, but more importantly, it enabled institutions to access the expertise that they needed. from BRIDGE evaluation report

Internationalising Higher Education Connecting agendas - Policy and Ideas Connecting partners – teaching and research partnerships Connecting students – student mobility and networks English

Connecting Agendas – Policy and Ideas Aim - To support and strengthen the Higher Education sector through the sharing and exchange of knowledge to inform strategic policy making at Government and institutional level

Connecting Agendas –Mechanisms Policy dialogues UK-Russia visits Seminars and symposia Publications Going Global Hong Kong

Connecting Agendas – IHE issues? TNE Quality Assurance Student mobility Graduate employability Global universities Building research cultures Innovation & commercialisation of knowledge Leadership in HE Global universities

Connecting Agendas – Examples DateLocationTitle NovBeijingInternational conference on Graduate Employability NovPakistanBuilding international research cultures NovTurkeyUniversity excellence and the role of QA JanMalaysiaKnowledge transfer in agricultural biotechnology JanUKPractices around student mobility FebThailandDeveloping leadership in Higher Education FebGreeceTNE policy debate MarchTaiwanThe East Asian university MarchHong KongGoing Global

Connecting Agendas – Questions What are the key issues and priorities for Russia? What are the best mechanisms to stimulate dialogue and share experience? Are there any challenges to overcome?

Connecting Partnerships Aim - To build a new generation of structured knowledge economy partnerships which link Higher Education Institutions, government and business, and which satisfy UK and Russian agendas in IHE and drive forward knowledge economies

Connecting partnerships Higher Education Institutions Industry Government

Connecting Partnerships - Issues Building on BRIDGE – keep what worked Sustainability Multilateral – HEIs, business and government Themes Collaborative teaching programmes and research Mechanisms (finding partners, stimulating partnerships etc)

Connecting Partnerships – Themes? Energy Creative industries Nanoscience through Engineering to Application Finance Digital Economy

Connecting Partnerships - Questions How do we bring partners (HEIs and business) together? What are the key barriers to successful partnerships and how do we overcome them? What partnership themes resonate most?

Connecting Students – student mobility and networks Aim -To promote student mobility both to and from the UK, build the International student experience and grow networks of Alumni

Connecting students UK student mobility International student mobility Internationalising student experience Alumni

Connecting Students – student mobility Russia UK Brief cultural/study/work experiences Full-scale qualifications

English Aim - To support the IHE agenda through providing information and access to English language support to partnerships

The English escalator Increase in English-medium university courses School-leavers need higher English proficiency English increasingly used to teach curriculum at secondary school English introduced earlier and earlier at Primary school

English English for student mobility - English for Academic purposes - English for the student experience English for English Medium Instruction (EMI) - English for lecturers - EMI pedagogy – how to teach in L2 - English for administrators

Conclusion What are the key issues within IHE in Russia and through what mechanisms/interventions/events could relevant debate and discussion be developed? What are the most relevant type of partnerships for Russia and in what areas? And what mechanisms can support their sustainable development? What are the key issues within the development of the use of English in Higher Education in Russia and what mechanisms could support the appropriate development?