The International Higher Education Environment: Human Jungle or Garden of Eden?

1. The International Higher Education Environment: Human Jungle or Garden of Eden? Presentation to the Multi-National Higher Education Forum New Zealand 15, 16 & 17 March 2006 Colin Walters Department of Education, Science and Training Higher Education Group Manager

2. Factors influencing the internationalisation of education Increased mobility of: • Students • Labour • Employment • Research

3. Factor – Student Mobility • International student mobility to OECD countries has doubled over the past 20 years • The number of international students coming into Australia has tripled since 1990 • In 2004 Australia received approximately 230,000 international students Source: Internationalisation and Trade in Higher Education, OECD (2004)

4. International Students Coming to Australian Universities Source: DEST data

5. The UK Experience Source: Higher Education Policy Institute, UK

6. Destination of professionals leaving Australia

7. Factor - Employment Mobility • Example - India: • The Bangalore miracle • Outsourcing legal services from the US & the UK • By 2015 80,000 legal jobs expected to shift from the USA to developing countries Infosys

8. Factor - Research Mobility • The BRIC countries • Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China • India to overtake Japanese spending on R&D by 2035 • Science & Technology in Asia • China to increase R&D spending by 2.5% of GDP by 2020 • new emphasis on science parks which focus on biotechnology and life sciences • Additional R&D spending in US, Europe: • But an ageing demographic in many countries • Where will the workforce come from?

9. Responses to the Internationalisation of Education • Australian Government Initiatives • Collaboration • Between institutions • Bilateral & multi-national agreements • International Organisations & Fora • Who are the major players & what are they doing?

10. Responses.. Australian • The Endeavour Scholarships Programme - AUS$111 million over 4 years • Australian Mobility in Asia & the Pacific (UMAP) Programme – AUS$6.2 million over 4 years • Federation Fellowships – AUS$38 million over 4 years

11. Response – Collaboration Between Institutions • In 2003 38 Australian universities had approx 4,485 formal agreements with overseas higher education providers • Increased focus on Study Abroad arrangements • Growth in agreements with the USA, China and several European countries (particularly Germany and Sweden)

12. Collaboration Between Institutions cont… Source: International Links of Australian Universities, AVCC (2003)

13. Collaboration Between Institutions cont… Source: International Links of Australian Universities, AVCC (2003)

14. Response – Bilateral and Multinational Collaboration • International Programmes • Erasmus: the Higher Education action of the European SOCRATES II programme • Framework: a budget of $17.5 Euros (2002-06) to integrate research activities across Europe • Bilateral Relationships • The Australian Government currently has in place approx 20 MoUs with other countries • Agreements cover staff exchange, co-operation in R&D, information exchange, recognition of qualifications & credit transfer & the development of twinning programmes

15. Response – International Organisations & Forums • UNESCO • International dialogue on the recognition of qualifications • The Lisbon Recognition Convention • Building capacity in the area of trade in education services • OECD • Thematic Review of Tertiary Education • Education at a Glance • Guidelines on “Quality provision in cross-border higher education” (2003-2005) • Focus on developing countries

16. More OECD … • Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) • Monitoring & efficient management • Attracting & retaining high quality staff • Managing & supporting research • Committee for Science & Technology Policy (CSTP) • Next meeting being held in Sydney March 06 • Research into the use of patented knowledge • Review of China’s science & technology policy • Evaluation of publicly funded research

17. International Organisations & Forums cont… • The Bologna Process • 45 European signatory countries introducing reforms intended to create an ‘integrated European higher education area’ • This process has implications for other countries • Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) • Industrial Science & Technology Working Group (connecting research & innovation) • Human Resource Development Working Group - Higher Education Quality Assurance and Accreditation Project - aims to collect and disseminate information on APEC economies' quality assurance and accreditation arrangements and identify best practice elements

18. Towards the Garden of Eden? • International qualifications frameworks • Relating to international professional accreditation & the spread of postgraduate entry level qualifications • Better credit transfer and articulation systems • International accreditation standards • Transnational development of research qualifications • (e.g. soft skills considered in the Bologna process) • Interaction with visa regimes • Bilateral and multi national research frameworks • Transportable student finance? • International quality standards and assessment processes • The role of “league tables”?

19. …the League Table Phenomenon

20. And keeping down the jungle….

21. Setting to work.. • The role of Governments, institutions and NGOs • Putting together the grand design?

22. The International Higher Education Environment: Human Jungle or Garden of Eden? Presentation to the Multi-National Higher Education Forum New Zealand 15, 16 & 17 March 2006 Colin Walters Department of Education, Science and Training Higher Education Group Manager