Almost half of IT staff in higher education (HE) are not involved in the delivery of transnational education (TNE) by their own institution overseas, according to a joint report by Jisc and the Observatory of Borderless Higher Education (OBHE).
The research – which was designed to uncover the current state of TNE in UK HE institutions – found that 45 percent of IT staff were in the dark regarding TNE activities. This finding is despite technology being integral to universities delivering teaching and qualifications to students in other countries.
The finding is reiterated by IT departments' exclusion from TNE decision making, with only 27 percent claiming they were involved in institutions' development plans. When it comes to deciding on future TNE activities, this number falls to a worryingly low 1 percent, which suggests that where IT infrastructure is being considered at all, it is only as an after-thought.
There is also a lack of awareness regarding system risks and threats. When asked if data-related problems had previously been encountered abroad through their university's TNE activities, just over half (52 percent) answered 'don't know', while 57 percent were unaware if their institutional risk assessments included IT infrastructure.
TNE is increasingly being recognised for the important role it plays in the UK economy and has been named by the government as one of the key policy strands in the education component of the industrial strategy. A report by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in late 2014 on the value of TNE to the UK estimated that £496m was generated in 2012/13 alone from this activity stream.
In order to better understand the market, Jisc commissioned OBHE to undertake research on current trends in UK institutions' delivery of TNE, future direction of travel, challenges and opportunities for the HE sector.
The research involved two distinct groups: international offices, and IT departments. A total of 84 institutions responded, all of which were either members of Universities UK or GuildHE.
Other findings to emerge include 'online provision, blended or distance learning' being the preferred method of delivery, chosen by 54 percent. Establishing a branch campus abroad was the least popular, named by just 10 percent of respondents.
