Svava BjarnasonObservatory on Borderless Higher Education

‘Borderless’ Higher Education - Competition or Collaboration?

Today’s Presentation

• Introduction ~ BBE / OBHE• Challenges• GATS• Scenarios• Responses• Threats and opportunities

Future Challenges• Pace of change is accelerating• Managing is more complex• Traditional boundaries are becoming

blurred• Lack of clarity in identifying competitors

Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership 2000

Borderless higher education involves the interaction between...

New technologies

Public / Private / Not-for-profit providers

Traditional HE / CPD / Lifelong

learning

Time / Space / Geography / Level

Distance learning / Transnational education

Internationalisation

Forces Driving Change in HE• Continuing growth in demand• Increased recognition of the economic returns• Expanding and shifting frontiers of knowledge• Communications and information technology• Economic globalisation and inter-

nationalisation • Democratic quest for cohesion, justice and

equity in social arrangements

The University Challenged: a review of international trends and issues 2001

General Agreement onTrade in Services (GATS)

• Liberalization of trade in services• Education one of twelve service sectors• Five levels of education services• 21 of 44 countries committed to trade in

HE• Request/offer stage ends 30/03/03• Negotiations close 31/01/05

Modes of trade• Mode 1 ~ Cross-border supply

• distance learning• Mode 2 ~ Consumption abroad

• students travelling abroad• Mode 3 ~ Commercial presence

• branch campuses• Mode 4 ~ Presence of individuals

• visiting scholars

• Global ‘mega’ universities• Traditional public universities• Private universities• Corporate universities• Media & Publishing Houses• Professional Associations• Brokers

Global Players

Scenario 1: Invaders Triumph• Large, ‘higher learning businesses’ enter national

markets

• Varied forms: commercial, public/private consortia, public and expanded on-line

• Target markets: business, healthcare, engineering, IT

• Undergraduate, postgraduate, CPD

• Use of local centres in convenient locations

Scenario 2: Trojan Horse

• Foreign HEIs seek local partnerships

• Content designed elsewhere with delivery local

• External on-line exams

• On-line teaching options from foreign partner

• Full range of curricula

• High fees for ‘international currency’

Scenario 3: Community Champions

• International media companies & government & external funding

• Investment in local/regional DL universities

• Community learning opportunities - all levels

• International collaborations possible

• Community projects as vehicle for learning

Scenario 4: Explorers International

• International educational consortia of Professional Associations

• Consortia provide modules/programmes

• Associates study in several countries

• Accreditation: consortium or HEIs

• Target market for international qualifications: managers in private/public sector

Issues

• Accreditation • Quality assurance• Access / capacity building• Public ‘good’• Collaboration vs competition• ‘New’ providers • Cost

Expectations of the University

• To be more outward looking• To provide leadership and service• To make efficiency gains• To maintain standards and high quality• To demonstrate ability to obtain

additional sources of revenue

The University Challenged: a review of international trends and issues 2001

• New strategic positioning of the university

• Need for explicit strategies for eLearning

• Human resources requires more investment

• Competition versus collaboration• Challenges from corporate providers

Strategic Challenges for Managers

European Union Policies and Strategic Change for eLearning in Universities 2002

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Rationale for online provision

Keeping up with competition= 71%

Distance learning= 59%

On-campus enhancement= 94%

Widening access= 65%

New international markets= 53%

Safeguarding international markets= 33%

New corporate markets= 33%

Safeguarding corporate markets= 20%Cutting costs= 20%

Opportunity or Threat?

• Depends on one’s perspective!• International: increased mobility of

knowledge and people ~ global understanding(!?)

• National: increased capacity ~ diversity of provision

• Institutional: new modes of partnership

“We tend to under-estimate change

in the longer term and

over-estimate it in the shorter term.”

Gill Ringland 1998

The Observatorywww.obhe.ac.uk

• Major reports ~ 10 per year• Briefing notes ~ 10 per year• Weekly breaking news• Links to other resources• Empirical research• Conferences and seminars• Consulting

www.obhe.ac.uk