Cross-border education or transnational education (TNE) has been one of the critical international activities for Australian universities. In 2017, about 120 000 students (Department of Education and Training, 2018a) were studying an Australian higher education course offshore. Of this 120 000 students, around 60% of them are doing it with an institution involving some form of partnerships.
The establishment of TEQSA in 2011, and the introduction of the Higher Education Threshold Standards changed the regulatory regime higher education institutions operates in the TNE space. In this presentation, the presenter will share how an Australian university introduces a Third-Party Quality Review Framework, underpinned by an evidence-based approach, managed to engage its partners in improving quality of teaching while ensuring compliance to different Australian legislations. The presenter will showcase the framework, the rewards as well as the challenges the institution face in implementing the reviews. While the process to introduce this framework requires much effort and can be ‘messy’ at times, the presentation proposes that where partnerships are involved, compliance and quality improvement is as much a partnership commitment as the Australian university obligations. After all, in a partnership arrangement, it requires both parties to work together to assure and improve quality.
Department of Education and Training (2019a). Offshore delivery of Australian higher education courses in 2017. Retrieved on 28 May 2019 from https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/Research-Snapshots/Documents/RS_Offshore%20HE_2017.pdf