Vista Autumn 2013

VISTA AUTUMN 2013

ENGAGING WITH ASIA

PERSPECTIVES ON CHANEY BEYOND THE CHALLENGES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE

INTERNATIONALISATION BEGINS WITH THE CURRICULUM | COUNTRY IN FOCUS: TURKEY

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CONTENTS President’s Column 4

Beyond the Rhetoric: Engaging With Asia 8 Perspectives on Chaney 12 ELC Symposium in Review: 18 Beyond the Challenges of English Language Competence TEQSA Terms of Reference for English Language Proficiency

20

National Symposium: 21 Learning And Teaching Across Cultures Country in Focus: Turkey 22 Internationalisation Begins With the Curriculum

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AIEA in Review: Who Says Recruitment is a Dirty Word?

26

Updates from the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) 28

Professional Development 34 Calendar 35

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Global forces, Global connections, Global collaboration.

I have been privileged over the past few months to hear and participate in a number of global conversations, both in Australia and overseas, on issues impacting all of us who work in international education, writes Helen Zimmerman.

AIEA, New Orleans

Universities Australia

In February, I attended the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) conference, ‘Re-imagining Higher Education in a Global Context’. Themes that were much debated related to:

These themes were evident in sessions at the excellent Universities Australia conference the following week in Canberra. Particularly valuable sessions included digital technologies by Dr Diana Oblinger, CEO of Educause (The Beginning of Something Big) and Dr Ellen Junn from San José State University on working with MOOCs.

■■ disruptive technologies ■■ regional and global partnerships – public and private ■■ issues of ‘interdisciplinarity’, internationalisation and leadership ■■ new funding models and ways to be more entrepreneurial, and ■■ changing demographics and socio-cultural landscapes (“... a lot of the discussion focused on the fact that the conversation in the field of international education is still mostly driven by developed nations (West) as opposed to developing countries.”)

In a panel session on hot topics in international education – where I was joined by Hans-Georg van Liempd from the European Association for International Education (EAIE) and José Celso Freire Junior from Brazil – we discussed how governments and government policies assist or hinder growth and sustainability of international education and internationalisation; the changes higher education institutions need to make to ensure sufficient funding base to deliver quality education outcomes; how well prepared institutions are to respond to disruptive forces (particularly digital technologies); and the role of host governments and institutions in facilitating internship and career opportunities for students.

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APAIE, Hong Kong The Asia-Pacific International Education Association (APAIE) conference, ‘An Ascendant Asia Pacific: International Education in the 21st Century’, in March was an outstanding success and congratulations must go to Prof.

Gordon Cheung, APAIE President, for his leadership.

A highlight of the conference was the Presidents’ Roundtable where we were privileged to hear a number of university presidents provide insights into three questions: 1. Given the rapidly changing nature of higher education, what are the top 3 trends?

2. How are higher education institutions positioning strategically in response to competitive pressures? What does it mean to internationalise and for universities to operate in a globalised world?

3. What are higher education institutions’ responsibilities locally and globally?

Insights from the APAIE Presidents’ Roundtable The Roundtable involved 75 participants, the majority being Presidents or Vice-Presidents of leading universities from China (including Peking and Tsinghua Universities), Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Norway, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Senior representatives from Sydney, Melbourne and Griffith Universities were also present.

Is there a way to respect culture at the same time as bringing in the Western processes of critical, analytical thinking?

There was a very interesting discussion on the role of cultural tradition in globalisation. Is there a way to respect culture at the same time as bringing in the Western processes of critical, analytical thinking?

The presidents also shared their insights into working with government policy makers. Unfortunately there were no magic answers, but I’m happy to share their key insights into the top three trends (see right).

Continued overleaf.

‘

Dr Duck-Ho Lim, President of Hanyang University, Republic of Korea

■■ Domestic education has become global education, with unlimited competition where survival is not guaranteed ■■ We are transitioning from offline to online higher education with open sharing of content ■■ Society is ageing, which requires changing curricula for the ‘silver’ generation.

Dr Tom Apple, Chancellor University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA

■■ Maintaining access for all means lower costs and lower revenues ■■ Universities will need cost efficiencies ■■ More effective use of technology will give new insights into learning and ‘co-opetition’.

Professor Joseph J Y Sung, Vice-Chancellor & President, The Chinese University of Hong Kong ■■ Globalisation of education means we are all interconnected ■■ Key issues to address are global problems, e.g. disease, poverty, and the mobility of students who will work anywhere ■■ Institutions must expand their scope while balancing the need to preserve unique cultural traditions.

Professor Ian O’Connor, Vice-Chancellor & President, Griffith University, Australia ■■ The digital revolution is compressing barriers to research, teaching and delivery and democratising access ■■ The corporatisation of private education and emerging middle classes are driving demand for higher education and raising the question of whether current higher education models are scalable ■■ The shift of intellectual power is moving from the West to the East.

Professor Chorh Chuan Tan,

President of National University of Singapore, Singapore ■■ Commoditisation of information is changing what students can access outside universities. What is the value-add of universities?

■■ Increasing complexity and volatility is multi-dimensional.

How do we educate students and manage complexity?

■■ The shift of economic power to the East will see the centre of gravity in knowledge generation and thought leadership for future global advancement shift there as well.

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IEAA had an active presence at the APAIE conference. I presented with EAIE on a joint Delphi leadership study. The results of the second phase of the Australian study, undertaken by the LH Martin Institute and IEAA’s Research Director Dennis Murray, identified very clearly the importance that Australian leaders in international education place on enhancing their ‘broker’ and ‘innovator’ attributes and skills (see Figure 11). Findings of the Delphi study will be published in coming months.

Figure 1: Quinn’s Model of Leadership Roles

These priorities were also reflected in the ‘New Colombo Plan’ forum organised by The Menzies Institute in March. This forum sought the education and business sectors’ input into the Coalition’s plan to encourage and support Australian undergraduates to study for part of their degrees in the Asia-Pacific.

While similar in some ways to the Government’s AsiaBound initiative, it was very refreshing to hear the commitment from members of the Australian business community to provide internship opportunities as part of the proposed scheme.

The closing session at APAIE was a global dialogue facilitated by Will Archer, CEO of i-graduate, with Gordon Cheung representing the Asia-Pacific, Donna Scarboro, Immediate Past-President of AIEA, Leolyn Jackson representing the International Education Association of South Africa, Hans-Georg van Liempd of EAIE, and myself representing IEAA. We focused on just four questions: 1. Is the rise of MOOCs likely to cause a major re-evaluation in how we deliver and resource higher education?

The Asian Century IEAA Executive Director Phil Honeywood and I were joined by Aleem Nizari, President of the Council of International Students Australia (CISA) in presenting a session on ‘Australia in the Asian Century – Reality or Rhetoric?’ (see p.8) This is a timely subject given Ken Henry’s address at the Universities Australia conference, lamenting our lack of understanding of the issues facing us as a nation and our lack of preparedness to engage with the Asian Century.

The launch of the Chaney Report at the end of February also identified the need to “encourage Australian institutions and governments to develop strong and diverse international and multinational partnerships that encourage exchange, capacity building and collaboration”.

1 Denison, D.R. Hooijberg, Quinn, R.E. (1995), ‘Paradox and Performance: Towards a Theory of Behavioural Complexity in Managerial Leadership’, Organization Science, Vol. 6, No. 5 (pp. 524–540).

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2. Is the rise of Asia exaggerated?

3. As countries grow increasingly competitive in the race for global talent (for staff and students), is global cooperation between institutions becoming less likely?

4. Are universities still the right places to solve the big global problems?

It was a fascinating and very positive conversation that augers well for increasing cooperation.

Greater collaboration between peak bodies IEAA in conjunction with APAIE initiated a post-conference workshop, again facilitated by i-graduate, which involved peak bodies and stakeholders from the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Asia Pacific and Australia.

Will Archer provided a short presentation using i-graduate data to illustrate emergent themes in international education. These themes suggested possible areas for cooperation and planning across the different associations that may provide shared benefits to members.

Some of the areas of agreement were that: ■■ Professional associations have shared global responsibilities to facilitate conversations that need to occur between stakeholders (soft diplomacy).

■■ The benefit of identifying common themes for Association conferences, such as integration of local and non-local students; diplomacy through education; cultural identity in a global world; and access to higher education.

■■ The role of associations in developing leadership skills and sharing best practice in professional development and capacity building by drawing on each other’s strengths and capabilities.

Professional associations have shared global responsibilities to facilitate conversations that need to occur between stakeholders (soft diplomacy).

Languages One other conversation occurring globally is about languages. I picked up on two issues that were raised at all conferences.

Firstly how the English language competencies of learners in environments where English is the medium of instruction, and whose first language is not English, are being developed during their academic studies.

The recent IEAA national symposium on English Language Competence of International Students in Melbourne demonstrated to me how much Australia has to contribute to this discussion (see page 18).

A second emerging topic of conversation is around the increasing disadvantage of monolingual speakers in the global talent marketplace, an important issue for many of Australia’s monolingual graduates.

Helen Zimmerman President, IEAA

■■ The importance of curriculum methodologies to address work experience expectations – PBL, mentoring, practicums and other strategies as well as direct placement.

■■ The need to include peak bodies from other regions of the world (e.g. the Middle East and India).

■■ And lastly, the importance of involving students in these discussions and having their representation at professional meetings and conferences.

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BEYOND RHETORIC THE

ENGAGING WITH ASIA The rhetoric surrounding Australia’s engagement with the Asian Century is strong, but not always matched by the reality. Therein lies the challenge, writes Phil Honeywood.

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Photo: oneclearvision (iStock)

Those of us who gained inspiration from the ‘Australia in the Asian Century’ White Paper hope, in the years to come, a majority of Australians will not only be Asia-capable but will have very high levels of engagement with the region. However, we are also realistic enough to know there will be hurdles for Australia to reach this goal.

Australia’s attributes

When we look at the characteristics and attributes of Australia and its citizens, we are a somewhat unusual cultural fit in the region: ■■ Unlike many of our Asian neighbours, we live in a capitalist society that also has a strong social safety net to look after its most marginalised and disadvantaged members.

■■ We understand risks and generally manage them well; our banking system is testimony to this part of our culture.

■■ While our citizens are becoming deeply exposed to Asia, they are also open to the world.

■■ We are a pluralist society with 27 per cent of our population born overseas and 10 per cent of our total population born in Asia. This percentage is growing every year.

■■ Unlike some countries in Europe and Asia, our population growth is high by OECD standards, largely through migration.

Indeed Australia’s current population of 22 million is

predicted to increase by 3.5 million extra people every decade for the next four decades.

■■ Partly as a legacy from the UK system of government – but also as a result of our own strong work ethic – Australia has developed very high safe work standards, low levels of corruption, and exceptional standards of corporate governance.

■■ We are also relatively tolerant of other cultures and religions in our community, not riven by deep seated sectarian violence as in some regions of the world.

■■ We are a land of bushfires and floods. As a result, Australia has developed high levels of academic leadership and intellectual property in the fields of water, food and energy security as well as environmental management.

These are just a few of the many Australian attributes that inform our engagement with Asia.

As Australia attempts to find its place in the Asian Century, we look increasingly to the wonderful relationships that our universities, TAFE institutes and quality private colleges have developed and continue to pursue today. These relationships are indicative of many which will ensure Australia is increasingly accepted as a good neighbour and a genuine nation-building partner, thereby becoming an integral part of our joint regional destiny. As is so often the case, it has been our education institutions and leaders who have shown the way ahead with the genuine partnerships they have established in many Asian countries over many years.

Some recent achievements which have put in place the building blocks for more meaningful engagement with our Asian neighbours have stemmed from the Asian Century White Paper.

Happily, this blueprint for the future has been endorsed by Australia’s major political parties.

They agree with the White Paper’s recommendations that all young Australians should be encouraged and supported to learn an Asian language. They also agree that thousands of young Australians should have access to Government-funded scholarships to study in Asia as well as scholarships for young citizens of Asia to study in Australia.

Moreover, as an outcome of the White Paper report, the Australian Government has now provided real money: $37 million over 3 years for 3,500 AsiaBound scholarships per annum (up to $5,000 for each student), plus $1,000 for intensive Asian language tuition. The Federal Opposition has announced its own policy which they call ’The New Colombo Plan’, which was the subject of a major policy workshop at Federal Parliament in March 2013.

The White Paper also calls for every Australian post-secondary education institution to develop a genuine multi-layered relationship with at least one Asian university.

Other Government Departments such as Austrade have also been provided with initial funding to provide grants to assist with business-to-business and industry partnering programs in Asia.

So the building blocks for more meaningful engagement with our neighbours in Asia are now being put very much in place. We have cause for optimism, in spite of the many challenges we face.

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The multicultural challenge

AsiaBound abounds

The first challenge relates to multiculturalism in Australia. This was a Federal Government policy that took hold in the 1970s as a way of acknowledging that we are a country of immigrants: from the wave of immigration resulting from the Gold Rushes of the 1850s, the massive flow of displaced families from Europe after World Wars I and II, to Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon. As a policy, multiculturalism was both necessary and very far sighted. The influx of refugees after the Vietnam War, in particular, provided a catalyst for a positive expansion of the policy.

The second challenge to note is that historically, Australia’s higher education students have a low level of participation in study abroad programs compared to students from Asia, Europe and the US. When they do study abroad they often prefer a short term six-week program rather than a semester or full year of cultural and language immersion. While our young Australians are tech-savvy and strongly motivated by global issues such as the environment, climate change and human rights, many of our young graduates are not Asia-capable and very few of them take any real interest in political debate. Maybe this is due to a frustration with the quality of their elected representatives, but it is there nonetheless.

However, as a policy framework it has been driven from the top down; it had to be implemented and driven by Government departments.

In other words, multiculturalism was not something that the population promoted within and by itself. By contrast, in the US where there has been no government policy promoting multiculturalism, the teaching profession has developed a whole curriculum around the study of intercultural competency. It is not surprising then, that in Australia we have had to wait for a Federal Government policy that encourages us to engage more with Asia. The challenge is: will this resonate within the population itself?

Having said this, Australians had cause to be proud of the Colombo Plan in the 1950s and 1960s – as well as other aid scholarships – which assisted future leaders from Asia to study science, business and politics in Australia and gain a world class education.

Photo: powerofforever (iStock)

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This raises a concern that not enough students in Australia will even take up the opportunity of an AsiaBound scholarship. Almost 10 per cent (or some $3 million) of the $37 million that has been allocated for the AsiaBound project has been earmarked for Universities Australia to “inform students and their families of the opportunities to live and learn for short and long-term periods in Asia”. Governments in Asia do not need to spend millions of dollars to explain to their citizens and their children why they should experience some study abroad. But if this raises awareness of what is available then it will be a good initiative.

Foreign language take-up Another major challenge is the low enrolments in the study of Asian languages in Australia. There are many reasons for this including the additional time involved in studying a language, perceived lack of language-based employment opportunities, historical links towards European languages and the perception that people from other countries should “just learn English”. Once again, Australian Governments have attempted to use interventionist policies to increase foreign language enrolments:

■■ In the early 1990s the Keating Government provided extra funding to State Governments who agreed to focus on teaching Asian instead of European languages.

■■ In the late 1990s, the Victorian State Government agreed to provide bonus points for university entry to any student who studied foreign languages in their final years of secondary school. I was the Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Council for Foreign Languages in that Government that was responsible for this decision. Within three years, this initiative saw the number of final year secondary students studying languages double. But again, this was driven by Government policy.

The concern with policies such as AsiaBound, which provides $1,000 for intensive Asian language training before an Australian student travels to Asia, is that it may be seen in the student’s subsequent host country as tokenistic.

Collaborative research Another issue of concern is that while Australia’s universities have, and will continue to play, a unique role in getting Australians to better understand and interchange with Asia, it is important that we examine collaborative research in this regard. The latest statistics show that 60 per cent of Australia’s research collaboration actually occurs with the United States. The next largest percentage is with Europe and only then with Asia. The irony is that Asia recently overtook Europe’s global share of research and development (R&D) funding.

Clearly, if Australia is to enhance its involvement in the Asian Century it will have to put more effort into establishing and building on its alliances with Asian-based research centres. In fact, a key recommendation of IEAA’s submission to the White Paper called for the formation of an Asia-Australia International Education Research Network, which would build on the

While Australia’s universities have, and will continue to play, a unique role in getting Australians to better understand and interchange with Asia, it is important that we examine collaborative research. work of our already established International Education Research Network (IERN) within Australia.

Almost every Australian university is, fortunately, involved in collaborative research with Asia, but more incentives need to be provided.

If we are going to have all these additional young Aussies studying in this region; if we are going to assist our world-class researchers to embark on greater collaborative research with their peers and colleagues in Asia; and if we are going to construct even more Australian university and TAFE campuses in Asia, then this will require specialist education advice and support from our Australian embassies. However, a recent article in the Australian Financial Review indicated that our Federal Government is planning not to renew Australian Education International (AEI) Counsellor positions in four Asian countries.

Instead, the funds currently spent on these education counsellors will be diverted to more counsellors in China. Again, we have the reality versus the rhetoric.

Importantly, the above issue also raises the whole question of how Australians define Asia. This remains one of our key challenges.

Not surprisingly, the buzz word is now China. Our schools are constantly advertising for Mandarin language teachers, we are told by our Government that we must better understand China, our media responds often on the front page to every small change in China’s trade or manufacturing statistics. While China is no doubt vital to Australia’s interests, there is a danger here that instead of focusing on the Asian Century, Australia will be content to look to only a few countries when so much good work has been done by our universities in all the countries of Asia.

Such a focus surely overlooks the important people-to-people, institution-to institution and businessto-business relationships that many Australians have worked hard to build up in all countries of the Asian region.

If we look at the high population growth occurring in Indonesia and India, and their increased demand for education services, compared to the ageing populations of some other countries in the Asian region (including Australia), then we must accept that the Asian Century will involve much more nuanced partnerships and policy settings than just focusing on relationships with one or two countries in our region, important as those countries clearly are.

A final key challenge impacting on Australia’s engagement with Asia are constant changes in Federal Government policy. Recent policy changes have made it increasingly difficult to obtain a student visa to study in Australia. They have made it much more difficult to migrate to Australia.

And they have put up barriers to foreign workers under 457 visas being able to contribute to building our economy.

Such policies will not assist Australia in its attempts to engage better with our neighbours and find our place in the Asian Century. After all, many Australians are currently living and working full-time in the Asian region.

Many of them have also been allowed to become permanent residents in Asia.

Notwithstanding the many opportunities presented by Australia’s engagement in the Asian century, there clearly remain significant challenges which need to be addressed before the rhetoric transpires into reality.

This is an excerpt of an address given by Phil Honeywood, IEAA Executive Director, and Helen Zimmerman, IEAA President, at APAIE, Hong Kong, in March 2013.

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PERSPECTIVES ON CHANEY

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Photo: RichVintage (iStock)

The International Education Advisory Council’s longawaited Chaney Report, ‘Australia – Educating Globally’, was released to much fanfare earlier this year.

Although the report’s 35 recommendations and seven key themes were widely endorsed by many across Australia’s international education industry, it was not met without its critics.

IEAA invited a number of key players from different sectors to provide their response to what could shape the future of international education in Australia for years to come. Here’s what they had to say...

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END OF AN ERA, ICEBERGS AHEAD in the countries of our near region – is acknowledged and supported. And the imperative of deep global engagement of Australian researchers is also better understood if not yet fully acted on.

The Chaney Report doesn’t quite give the sense of rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic, but there is a definite fin de siècle feel about it – the end of something as much as a beginning, writes Dennis Murray.

All in all, international education is now recognised as an important export sector and foreign relations tool, as a generator of a sizable number of Australian jobs and as having broad economic, social cultural and political impact on the Australian community.

The report affirms many of the pillars sustaining Australian international education:

The Chaney Report acknowledges some of the challenges ahead: the rise of multiple competitor countries including in the Asian region; the increasing costliness of Australia as a study destination; the threat to Australia’s market share; the rise and the unclear impact of new delivery models, including MOOCs.

■■ a coordinated, whole-ofgovernment approach ■■ an industry consultative mechanism ■■ effective quality assurance ■■ enhancement of the international student experience ■■ stability in the critical policy settings, and ■■ recognition of the importance of research to underpin development of the sector.

That being said, the report exudes little sense of urgency about responding promptly to these challenges. The Chaney vision is modest, essentially enjoining us to remain on well-worn paths.

Again, this has an end-of-era feel about it, an affirmation and endorsement that Australia has been on the right track and has strayed only occasionally from it.

No revolutionary impulses here.

These are the very pillars that international education leaders have been striving for 10 years, if not a generation, to have recognised and supported. The advent of this recognition effectively closes a number of doors.

It is even hard to see impulses for meaningful forward development.

After a year-and-a-half of work, the promise of a national strategy has dissolved into the suggestion of a “workplan” for the proposed Ministerial Coordinating Council on International Education (MCCIE).

The sector has finally gained the attention of government across a broad front. No more do the benefits of international education go unrecognised and unacknowledged.

It is now much more clearly understood that the international students living, studying and working within our midst make substantial contributions to Australian intellectual, social, cultural and economic life.

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Given that the MCCIE is to meet only twice a year, the machinery, resources and ideas behind its deliberations will need to be substantial if the task of developing and successfully implementing a comprehensive strategy is to be achieved.

It is not surprising the Council did not develop a fully-fledged strategy; one that governments might adopt or shelve. The careful thinking required, the evidence base, the necessary consultations, and the conundrum of how any strategy

might be resourced are complex matters the report has avoided.

They are possibly best addressed at a second stage after framing principles are elucidated and agreed. The IEAC has succeeded in providing a framework out of which a sensible Australian strategy could emerge. We should hope that the principles involved are now accepted in a bi-lateral political sense.

Much now falls to the education community. What strategic and what program elements does the sector believe are necessary for Australian education institutions to achieve deep global engagement? And what exactly should government do as a facilitating co-contributor, to provide sustainable, strategic and targeted investment in areas that the education community itself should not or cannot do?

The university sector has its ideas formulated in outline (A Smarter Australia: www.smartestinvestment. com.au). The call to expand the global engagement of Australia’s universities is significantly broader than the field ploughed by Chaney given its rather narrow focus on the teaching of international students.

Other sectors should also be in a position to articulate their vision for deeper global engagement by their member institutions.

Bi-partisan political acceptances of the Chaney principles, collaborative agenda setting for the MCCIE (or whatever consultative mechanism might emerge from any change of Government in September), the shared investment of resources and some fresh thinking will be the touchstones of whether the Australian Government and Australian institutions succeed in navigating through the ice pack ahead. There is some urgency.

A new era is on the horizon, but ‘steady as she goes’ is likely to be as risky as full steam ahead.

Dennis Murray is Director, Research and Major Projects, IEAA.

ACTION NEEDED, NOT JUST WORDS In his media release, the education Minister at the time, Minister Bowen, said the Government welcomed the recommendations and would establish a Ministerial Coordinating Council on International Education (MCCIE) to oversee implementation over the next five years.

English Australia has urged the government to act immediately on the Chaney Report’s recommendations, writes Sue Blundell.

The IEAC, chaired by Michael Chaney, was asked to provide advice to the government that would contribute to the development of a five-year national strategy to support the sustainability and quality of international education.

The original discussion paper asking for industry input was released in April 2012, so this report has been a long time coming. Whilst no report such as this is ever a silver bullet, the embattled international education industry has seen it as providing a critical opportunity for the government to demonstrate more than just rhetoric. We need acknowledgement of the importance of a healthy international education industry to Australia’s future and the leadership to ensure its sustainability.

As the only sector that delivers programs solely to international students (and a sector that has experienced a 30 per cent decline in student numbers over the last three years), the ELICOS sector obviously has a keen interest in what will happen to the report.

Whilst English Australia welcomes the focus of the 35 recommendations which address 7 key issues identified as crucial to a sustainable future for international education, we have genuine concerns that the government will not give the report the immediate priority that the industry needs.

The MCCIE’s top priority would be the development of a five-year strategy to ensure the sustainability and quality of Australia’s international education sector. Since then we have seen a Canberra re-shuffle and silence from the new Minister, Minister Emerson, and his department, with no indication of a response to the other 34 recommendations and no indication of a process to move this forward.

that will benefit all sectors – not just universities, as we saw happen with the government’s response to the Knight Report.

The English language sector has struggled to combat a 30 per cent decline in student numbers over the last three years and is keen to see any action taken that has the potential to reverse this decline.

The implementation of GTE, which warranted a recommendation all of its own in the Chaney Report, is one of the biggest issues currently confronting English language colleges.

We not only want to see prompt action, we want to see a focus that will benefit all sectors – not just universities, as we saw happen with the government’s response to the Knight Report.

The interest of English Australia is therefore not only focused on the content of the report and its recommendations, but on how the government will respond (and how soon!) and what actually gets done.

A recent article in the Canberra Times reported commentary on the Asian Century white paper as follows: “There is some level of angst because a lot of work went into getting this out fast and now it is just sitting there,” one senior public servant said. “It is shaping up to be another big idea from the government but with no real plan to make it happen.”

At this stage, the Chaney report is just “advice” and has no status. We need a prompt response from the government that will ensure there are no further delays in supporting this important industry.

We also need to see how the MCCIE will ensure that the sector is genuinely engaged in developing and driving the international education strategy.

We not only want to see prompt action, we want to see a focus

Genuine students, particularly those applying to study English in Australia, are being rejected by immigration officials. This is hampering the much-needed recovery in enrolments for English language training which is an essential pre-requisite for many international students particularly those from Asian countries.

The report notes that there is a new generation of students for whom a global career and mobility opportunities are major driving factors in their choice of study destination. English language skills are key to being able to access these opportunities, a fact that immigration officials do not seem to recognise.

English Australia eagerly looks forward to working with the new MCCIE to start the process of getting this industry back on track.

Sue Blundell is Executive Director, English Australia.

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A NEW SCHOOL OF THOUGHT? can link a certificate-level program with a university undergraduate program but cannot link a Year 12 (final secondary qualification) program with a university program.

The Chaney Report is to be commended for providing a general guide for the continued development of the international education industry, writes schools sector representative Tony de Gruchy.

Typical of most international education reviews, however, the schools sector receives only passing coverage (schools are not mentioned until well into the report).

As with other sectors, schools have faced falling demand due to the strong Australian dollar, competition from other international education hubs, negative perceptions about Australian immigration policies and the high fees charged by destination institutions (i.e. Australian universities).

Quality and security have not been issues as they have been in other sectors. Schools have not closed leaving students stranded.

Results obtained by students (e.g.

WACE, VCE, HSC) and the like are recognised by universities throughout Australia and overseas.

Selection of school graduates for universities has public transparency and is not subject to commercially confidential agreements.

What can be done? If Australian governments are serious about including the schools sector in the international education industry, there needs to be a focus on the sector. Schools require in-depth research to determine strategies to revitalise the sector.

Factors restricting schools’ operations must be addressed.

For example, traditional style schools, being low-risk providers, need to be included in the SVP system and negative student visa eligibility criteria (e.g. the 16 month minimum length of schools courses for students from Assessment Level 3 and 4 countries) removed.

In the case of non-government private schools, consideration needs to be given in terms of risk being balanced with regulatory compliance requirements.

Currently, it seems that regulation is excessive compared to the risks – visa integrity and tuition assurance.

It may well be that the sector is relatively small and certain providers The low risk nature of (mainly multi-sector The best preparation for success at standard public and private colleges) have schools might also be an Australian university is through an recently suffered major considered as part of the Australian school. However, in recent declines. However, review of DIAC’s assessment years, government policy settings schools remain a levels.The appropriateness of have put schools at a competitive major pathway to the Genuine Temporary Entrant university. They provide disadvantage compared to private (GTE) test in assessing visas students with excellent for school-age students also multi-sector providers. academic preparation needs careful consideration. In for success in tertiary Unlike other sectors, schools have addition, it might also be worthwhile studies as well as an environment in not been able to expand courses considering years spent in school-level which students can adjust to living offered into other sectors – higher studies in Australia when assessing and studying in Australia before education and VET. Instead, the potential migrants. facing the rigours of university-level school sector’s area of operation The coordination between education. has been raided by universities and Austrade’s efforts to increase VET providers which offer courses As Michael Kirby said at the 2011 demand for Australian schools’ registered as schools programs, Australian International Education programs and immigration and alternative university entry Conference (AIEC), the best regulations needs urgent pathways of various types. preparation for success at an attention. A recent Austrade Australian university is through an For our universities and VET report, ‘Demand for high school Australian school. However, in recent providers, school students provide education in China’, indicates years, government policy settings a pool of potential enrolments that Chinese families are have put schools at a competitive where marketing costs are relatively sending students for international disadvantage compared to private low. Establishing reliable inflow of education at a younger age. multi-sector providers. students lies at the heart of many Due to Australian immigration commercial agreements between restrictions, these students are This is evident in student visa universities and private pathway going to competitor countries such eligibility criteria and excluding providers. A robust schools sector as the USA and the UK. Australian schools from the new Streamlined would fulfil a similar function. providers and the economy are Visa Processing (SVP) system. With missing this opportunity. the current SVP policies, a student 16 | VISTA

THE VIEW FROM CISA To promote a genuine reciprocal engagement with China in the Asian century, it may be appropriate to encourage Australian schools to establish links with schools in China; as Chinese schools are encouraged to internationalise by establishing links with schools in Australia. This may be a role for Austrade or AEI or a new specialised agency.

The demand for international high school education is being driven by the increasing demand for international university qualifications in China. More international students in Australian schools will lead to more students flowing through to Australian universities and other providers.

Another growing trend is for students to visit Australia before deciding to study here on in-bound short-term courses. Students who visit Australia for study tour, study abroad or student exchange are more likely to return to continue education at school and higher levels. It would be helpful if Australia could offer incentives for such activities. For example, discounted student/ visitor visa application fees could be offered to students participating in short-term group visits.

The focus of the report, as with predecessors, is the economic side of international education. Care needs to be taken in recognising the impact of international students on Australia’s cultural development – including its schools and its young people.

Remembering that a school program is not usually an end in itself, any substantial increase in schools sector enrolments will produce flow-on enrolments in other sectors – higher education and vocational education and training.

The Chaney Report has again shown that reforms friendly to the schools sector are urgently required and that such reforms will make a positive contribution to the international education industry.

Tony de Gruchy is an IEAA Board Member and Director of the International Office at Canning College, Perth.

The Council of International Students Australia (CISA) is pleased the IEAC consulted with the international student community, writes Aleem Nizari.

With increasing competition and the rise of the Australian dollar, encouraging a positive student experience is key to promoting Australia as a destination for international education – a destination that focuses on quality of education and experience, rather than numbers.

CISA is happy that the recommendations in Section C (Student Experience) are within its scope and in line with our recently established ‘Good Practice Program’, which seeks to effectively guide education providers on how best to fulfil their duty of care obligations for international students.

CISA commends the report’s suggestion that travel concessions be made available in each jurisdiction to all international students. The availability of travel concessions nationally will minimise the division between local and international students, eliminating the feeling of inequality within the international student community.

Accommodation is an important part of the student experience and often has a direct affect on educational outcomes for international students. We support a review of off-campus accommodation options and believe it will significantly decrease instances when international students are taken advantage of by their landlords.

The recommendation of ‘seeding initiatives for innovative online education delivery’ is widely regarded by the international student community as the best way to support international students across Australia who find themselves struggling as a result of events in their home countries (i.e. natural disasters or civil disorder).

CISA has shared the Chaney Report with our members, who make up the international student representatives at various education institutions. The overall feeling was supportive of its recommendations, but disappointment with the lack of time frame allocated.

CISA and its members have consulted with various State Governments on their state strategies. With the release of the Chaney report, we hope to see individual states align their plans to a national, coordinated strategy.

CISA and its members have consulted with various State Governments on their strategies.

With the release of the Chaney Report, we hope to see individual states align their plans to a national, coordinated strategy.

CISA and its members would like to see the MCCIE take action to see the report’s recommendations are put into place within a reasonable time frame. We hope there will be consultation with CISA as the peak representative body for international students in Australia and the best source of feedback on international student support.

Aleem Nizari is President of the Council of International Students Australia (CISA).

AUTUMN 2013 | 17

ELC SYMPOSIUM IN REVIEW

BEYOND THE CHALLENGES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE Five years on from the landmark national symposium in 2007, IEAA re-visits the challenges facing institutions around the English language competence of international students, writes Dennis Murray.

140 delegates from education and training institutions across Australia engaged in a lively dialogue at the RACV Club, Melbourne, for a national symposium organised and presented by IEAA on 25 February.

Five Years On: English Language Competence of International Students discussed the challenges facing institutions in ensuring international students have the English language skills to succeed in their tertiary studies and to transition into the workforce.

Five years on from the landmark national symposium in 2007 – which led to the development of the influential AUQA Good Practice Principles for English language Proficiency for International

Students in Australian Universities – the 2013 symposium critically reviewed and addressed the challenges now facing tertiary education institutions, including: ■■ the establishment and emerging responsibilities of TEQSA and ASQA; ■■ streamlined visa processing (SVP) requirements for universities and potentially other sectors; and ■■ continuing media interest and coverage about English language competence of international students.

The Symposium was particularly important and timely in light of the emergence of the Higher Education Standards Framework which sets threshold standards for higher education providers and courses; and, especially, given TEQSA’s intention to undertake a quality assessment of English language proficiency as its second quality assessment exercise under the threshold standards (see page 20).

Delegates came from education and training institutions across all sectors, peak bodies, state and territory governments, quality assurance agencies, student organisations, professional bodies, industry and employer groups.

Katie Dunworth from Curtin University delivers her research paper on ‘In-course Student English Language Development’.

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Participants came to grips with current context and the trends in the English language competence of international students and to understand what works in practice.

The implications for institutions, standards authorities, professional bodies and employers and students were all canvassed, with many innovative ideas and suggestions emerging during the day.

Pamela Humphreys from Griffith University delivers her paper, co-authored with Cate Gribble from Deakin University, on ‘English Language and the Transition to Work or Further Study’.

Leading researchers in the field also joined the discussion. Three specially commissioned research papers examining entry, in-course language development and the transition to work and further study, provided the evidence base and stimulus for discussion.

Presentations, panels and working groups reviewed progress, critically assessed achievements

and considered the research evidence to assist institutions to make decisions about how best to enhance the English language competence and the learning outcomes of international students – particularly within the now broader requirements imposing English language proficiency standards for all students.

Australian Education International (AEI), generously provided financial support for the Symposium. ACPET, Cambridge English Advanced, ETS TOEFL, English Australia, IELTS, Navitas and PTE Academic kindly provided additional sponsorship support.

The outcomes report, research papers and highlights video will be available on the IEAA website in April 2013.

Dennis Murray is Director, Research and Major Projects, IEAA.

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AUTUMN 2013 | 19

TEQSA: Terms of Reference for Quality Assessment of English Language Proficiency (ELP)

The Quality Assessment of English Language Proficiency Explained

The quality assessment will investigate and report on higher education provider approaches and practices relating to ELP in the following areas:

The Quality Assessment of English Language Proficiency is the second quality assessment to be undertaken by TEQSA as part of its quality assurance and quality enhancement responsibilities.

1. Overall plans, strategies, policies or similar that set out institutional-wide philosophies for developing ELP in students, and staff development in the area of assessing ELP, as well as mechanisms used to ensure that such strategies, policies or similar and ELP practices are adequate, effective, and appropriately resourced, implemented and monitored to ensure that a provider maintains compliance with the Threshold Standards.

2. The type and content of communication to prospective and enrolled (including conditionally enrolled) students in relation to: ■■ English language requirements for admission ■■ support to develop ELP throughout their studies.

3. How effectively minimum levels of ELP for admission relevant to a particular course of study are established and upheld. This includes criteria used to determine what a sufficiently competent student is at the time of enrolment.

4. The type and effectiveness of processes used after enrolment to ascertain that students are sufficiently competent in the English language in order to participate effectively in the course of study and achieve its expected learning outcomes.

5. Performance measures/data to track students’ academic performance in a course of study according to various pathways; and how such data is used in decision-making.

6. Processes used to: ■■ identify students requiring English language support ■■ develop students’ ELP and academic language proficiency both prior to and following enrolment (including any students offered conditional enrolment) ■■ seek feedback from students on ELP support.

7. How, and how effectively, expected ELP learning outcomes are established, monitored, assessed, and achieved throughout the course of study. This includes identifying the definitions of appropriate levels of English used for various cohorts of students.

8. The extent to which practices are in place to ensure that students have attained key graduate attributes and learning outcomes relating to ELP at the completion of a course of study.

20 | VISTA

With the introduction of the Higher Education Standards Framework there is now a set of Threshold Standards that apply to higher education providers and higher education courses. Requirements for registered higher education providers relating to students’ English language proficiency are embedded in the Course Accreditation Standards (see below). The quality assessment will take as its starting point these requirements.

The over-arching purpose of the quality assessment is to engage with the higher education sector in a stock-taking exercise to identify issues and challenges including, but not limited to, provider compliance with the Threshold Standards, and to make recommendations for enhancing students’ English language proficiency.

The quality assessment will be undertaken through the lens of the Threshold Standards that define the requirements for ELP and underpinned by four explicit assessment principles.

The quality assessment will use a survey tool covering eight areas listed in the Terms of Reference (see left).

The following standards should be noted:

Course Accreditation Standard 1.2 There are robust internal processes for design and approval of the course of study, which ... provide for appropriate development of key graduate attributes in students including English Language Proficiency.

Course Accreditation Standard 3.2 The higher education provider ensures that students who are enrolled are sufficiently competent in the English language to participate effectively in the course of study and achieve its expected learning outcomes and sets English language entry requirements accordingly.

Course Accreditation Standard 5.6 The higher education provider is able to demonstrate appropriate progression and completion rates and students who complete the course of study have attained key graduate attributes including an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

More information www.teqsa.gov.au/for-providers/quality-assessments

National Symposium Thursday 30 May 2013 Melbourne

LEARNING AND TEACHING ACROSS CULTURES The Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) and the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) are pleased to announce a one-day National Symposium, Learning and Teaching Across Cultures.

The OLT-funded project, Learning and Teaching Across Cultures, aims to consolidate and disseminate outcomes of Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) funded projects and fellowships to improve the learning of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Good Practice principles and a number of quick guides focusing on specialist topics are being prepared by the project research group.

The draft principles and guides will be disseminated to symposium participants in advance. The symposium will also consider the draft principles and guides prior to their finalisation.

Register online at www.ieaa.org.au/events/LTACsymposium

COUNTRY IN FOCUS: TURKEY

Signs of growth from It may be a relatively small market for Australia, but demographics and demand drivers in Turkey indicate potential for growth, writes Abizer Merchant.

With a population of 74.7 million, Turkey is the 17th largest global economy in terms of its total GDP, and has increasingly been grouped with the rapidly-growing BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) economies. It is predicted to be the second-fastest growing economy in the world by 2017 and among the top 10 world economies by 2050.

Turkey has been actively seeking to become a part of the European Union since the 1990s. However, those aspirations have eased off in light of the current Euro zone financial problems and Turkey’s rapid economic growth in recent times.

Turkey is also the only Muslim country to have secularism written into its constitution even though 99 per cent of the population are Muslim.

Demand for international education Around 40 per cent of the Turkish population is under the age of 22.

In 2012, 1.8 million Turkish students attended the national university exam; however, Turkish universities only have the capacity to absorb just 450,000 of these students. Of its 170 universities, one third are private or ‘foundation’ institutions. This leaves a large proportion of prospective university students who may consider studying overseas if they don’t receive a local university place.

22 | VISTA

Currently, there is considerable demand for English language programs and tertiary education.

A recent survey conducted by the Association of International Educational Counselors Turkey (UED) revealed that 40 per cent of agency business was for language schools, with summer school type programs accounting for a further 22 per cent. 12 per cent were for postgraduate courses and 9 per cent for undergraduate courses.

The survey also revealed that the UK was the first choice for Turkish students for language study and the US was the destination of choice for tertiary study. Along with Canada, Australia was listed as the destination from where they had least visa approvals.

There is growing awareness of Australian education in Turkey.

However, we continue to be perceived as a destination that is hard to get to and suffers from typical stereotypes of being a popular tourism destination, rather than a serious destination for pursuing an education. Australia’s relatively large Turkish community (around 65,000) seems to have a limited effect in attracting prospective students to our shores.

Purchasing patterns Referrals from friends and family continue to be the strongest influencing factor for Turkish students, as it is for many other students across the world. The UED survey indicated that 48 per cent of enquiries from prospective students converted into enrolments.

Digital and online marketing was identified as the most effective medium of engaging prospective Turkish students, with online techniques more likely to convert an application to an acceptance.

The use of agents is widespread in Turkey, with students preferring to discuss their study options and receive assistance via an agent to submit an application for their preferred education provider.

Agents also provide assistance in obtaining a visa and additional services via their local contacts based overseas. As English is one of the foreign languages being taught at local schools and universities (the others being German, Russian and French), agents are also required to overcome the language barrier for students that may not be fluent in English.

The market for English training courses tends to be price sensitive, however for those seeking tertiary education programs, it is worth noting that some private or foundation universities in Turkey have annual tuition fees of around TL 30,000 (A$16,700 approximately).

Turkey Market entry For those seeking to develop the Turkish market from a student recruitment perspective, selecting and working with the right network of agents is important. There are hundreds of agents to choose from; however a majority of the market tends to be controlled by a handful of large agents who organise their own recruitment events/ exhibitions each year.

It is worth working with some agents who may have small operations, but tend to be focussed on recruiting students primarily for Australia.

Austrade in Istanbul does offer assistance in identifying agents that may suit the types of programs you may like to promote in Turkey.

Partnering with local universities is an effective way of developing your brand and market presence in Turkey.

Being a relatively safe and welcoming destination, coupled with its proximity to Europe, Turkey can also be an attractive destination for exchange students from Australia. Some private universities are active in recruiting international students to their campuses and there are approximately 26,000 international enrolments in Turkey on a student visa. It is worth noting that some private business schools hold coveted international accreditations such as Association of Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (ACCSB), with many programs taught in English.

In November 2012, a draft bill proposing public debate on allowing foreign universities to establish campuses in Turkey was introduced by the Council of Higher Education. Its aim was to diversify the university sector. The bill also proposes for a condition calling for a minimum of 25 per cent of the student population to be comprised of local students. The law is expected to be legislated in 2014.

Although the student numbers from Turkey continue to be small for Australia, reflection on the demand drivers and demographics indicate the potential to develop if we are able to improve our presence and positioning in this emerging market.

Abizer Merchant is the Acting Executive Director International, La Trobe University, Melbourne.

AUTUMN 2013 | 23

INTERNATIONALISATION

BEGINS WITH THE CURRICULUM CRAIG WHITSED & WENDY GREEN “You can’t have comprehensive internationalisation without internationalisation of the curriculum,” said Professor John Hudzik to a diverse gathering of academics and managers at a recent International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) event in Brisbane, Australia.

Hudzik, author of Comprehensive Internationalisation and a professor at Michigan State University, was in Australia as a guest speaker for the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Teaching and Learning week and the launch of the UQ Global Strategy and Internationalisation plan in late 2012.

Members of the IEAA Special Interest Group on Internationalising the Curriculum caught up with Hudzik between his engagements. Sitting at a café overlooking the Brisbane River, we invited him to elaborate further on internationalisation of the curriculum.

24 | VISTA

Hudzik explained that universities today have to be reminded of their core mission, namely the production of graduates who can live, work and contribute as productive citizens in an increasingly fluid and borderless global context.

“The research agenda is important,” he stressed, but went on to explain that concentrating solely on research is detrimental for all stakeholders because a more balanced approach to the provision of higher education in the current globalised environment is critical to the ongoing sustainability of higher education worldwide.

Discussing his conceptualisation of “comprehensive internationalisation”, Hudzik observed that increasing attention to rankings has caused universities to place significant emphasis on, and devote resources to, the production of research.

Notwithstanding this, institutions are still responsible for facilitating

opportunities for all students to develop global perspectives and intercultural communication competencies.

Echoing earlier commentaries by Professor Elspeth Jones, Professor Hans de Wit and Associate Professor Betty Leask, Hudzik observed the limited attention paid to internationalisation of the curriculum, and the importance of viewing internationalisation as a significant facet of all students’ learning experiences, whether local, international, mobile or at home.

‘Yes Minister’ approach to internationalisation The frenetic activity across the higher education sector to build research capability is somewhat reminiscent of an episode of the satirical British sitcom Yes Minister. In the episode ‘The Compassionate Society’, Jim Hacker, the Minister for Administrative Affairs, learns of a fully staffed and operational hospital that

has no patients. When questioned about the situation Sir Humphrey, the leading protagonist, quips: “We don’t measure our success by results but by activity.”

The measures of successful internationalisation utilised across many universities concentrate on input and output factors, often excluding learning outcomes and the student experience. That is, they focus on activity and not results as indicators of quality.

Neglecting to measure the impact of internationalisation on students and concentrating on ‘activity’ while excluding learning outcomes is as satirical as operating a hospital without patients. Universities are in danger of losing sight of their key stakeholders: undergraduate and non-research students.

However, shifting the focus to student outcomes is not without its challenges, as leaders in the field have observed across numerous publications.

False assumptions

As Hudzik acknowledged, it is often assumed that internationalisation intersects with teaching-pedagogy, assessment and learning across different disciplines in similar ways.

This assumption is problematic.

In recent editions of University World News, leading contributors have emphasised the importance of faculty-level engagement with internationalisation of the curriculum.

Echoing their concern for a more sustained and strategic move from rhetoric to action, Hudzik stressed the need for wider inter- and intra-disciplinary collaboration, to assist academics in realising the development of global engagement within their curricula.

Hudzik maintains that if institutions are seriously to engage with internationalisation of the curriculum they need to foster an ongoing, pervasive, campus-wide dialogue about the dilemmas this involves.

“Neglecting to measure the impact of internationalisation on students and concentrating on ‘activity’ while excluding learning outcomes is as satirical as operating a hospital without patients.”

“You are operating within an institution, but it is a discipline issue. Academic institutions are organisations that have priorities, but academic staff belong to their own idiosyncratic disciplines that have their own standards and the two are not often in sync,” he said.

Referring to his own discipline as an example, Hudzik observed wryly that there are half a dozen really important things that academic staff must do to meet their obligations to an institution, but only one thing they do. They work to maximise their research publications output.

Drawing on his experience, Hudzik noted that academic staff are encouraged and more importantly even rewarded for this. Consequently they place significantly less attention on teaching in the classroom and learning outcomes.

Signs of change

But there are signs of change.

Hudzik talked of universities that are now recognising and acting on internationalisation of the curriculum as part of a more comprehensive approach to internationalisation – UQ is a case in point, he noted, as evidenced in its Global Strategy and Internationalisation plan, which was launched during his visit by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) Dr Anna Ciccarelli.

The plan “promotes a university-wide approach to the development and integration of international, intercultural and global perspectives in institutional policies, programmes and initiatives”, including “a commitment, confirmed through action, to infuse international and comparative perspectives throughout the teaching, research and service missions” of the university.

Central to UQ’s vision is embedding opportunities for all

students to develop intercultural communication skills and international perspectives on their chosen discipline.

There is no single ‘best’ model of internationalisation, Hudzik stressed, but UQ represents one example of an institution moving to provide all of its students with a broad, internationally relevant education.

Rather than diminishing a university’s capacity to build research and international reputation, internationalisation of the curriculum needs to be part of a strategic, comprehensive internationalisation strategy, a fundamental component and signifier of a university that bridges the local and global domains.

Hudzik concluded the conversation observing that the business of universities is now and will increasingly be cross-border. To be relevant, universities will have to seriously re-engage with the notion that they are also “collegiums of learners at different stages” and not solely for the production of new knowledge.

As such, universities are responsible, in addition to building research capacity, for facilitating opportunities for all students to develop global perspectives and intercultural communication competencies – in other words an internationalised curriculum.

Dr Craig Whitsed is a senior lecturer in the Centre for University Teaching and Learning at Murdoch University in Perth. Dr Wendy Green is a lecturer in higher education in the Teaching and Educational Development Institute at the University of Queensland.

This article first appeared in University World News.

AUTUMN 2013 | 25

AIEA IN REVIEW

WHO SAYS

RECRUITMENT

IS A DIRTY WORD? SONIA CHAN

This year’s Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) conference in New Orleans, 17–20 February, brought together nearly 800 senior international educators who were challenged with the theme of ‘Re-Imagining Higher Education in a Global Context’.

Photo: Craig Huey

Eric Liu from the University of Washington kick-started the opening plenary. The author, educator, civic entrepreneur, former speech writer for Bill Clinton and founder of the Guiding Lights Network – which promotes and teaches the art of creative citizenship – made his point clear: “Innovation begins with imagination”.

26 | VISTA

The rapidly changing landscape of higher education in the US certainly raised a number of tough topics. Focusing on international partnerships and alliances that bring together innovation and imagination, conference participants reflected on critical arguments for resources and strategic visions that aim to preserve and strengthen the reputation of higher education across many sectors.

One major hot topic – and a much less comfortable one – was the issue of international student recruitment. From an Australian point of view, it was eyeopening to look at how the US sees itself as a competitor and to hear the arguments continuing at the roundtable discussions on international student recruitment. “Philosophically, I don’t believe in paying for students,” said Stephen C. Dunnett, Vice Provost for International Education at State University of New York, Buffalo.

Some institutions clearly don’t have to use agents. With over 3,000 applications for 1,600 freshmen places, institutions like Vanderbilt University in Tennessee can afford to take a conservative approach and cap international student places. Other institutions – such as the University of Cincinnati and California State University, Long Beach – are closing the loop and funding comprehensive internationalisation through international student recruitment to build sustainable funding models.

For many years, Australian institutions have worked closely with US partners but politely skirted around the word “recruitment”. We have sometimes been seen to be too narrow in our interests, investing in a commercial approach to international recruitment and tainting the true heart of international education.

We respected that our American counterparts didn’t understand the potential of the international education industry and preferred not to talk about it. However, we always wondered what the competition would be like if the US institutions realised the potential. Now that the sleeping giant has woken, institutions that are ahead of the game are in a position to talk about the benefits.

Although not all US institutions are actively recruiting international students, more and more are paying close attention – particularly those looking for ways in which to survive revenue shortfalls, funding uncertainty and fewer enrolments.

With many US institutions experiencing dramatic growth

in international enrolments, the other hot topic at AIEA was how to integrate dominant cohorts of students from countries like China. Other conference sessions centred on the rise of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and the use of technology in bringing collaboration and globalisation into the curriculum; models of strategic alliances; measuring internationalisation and student mobility; and reimagining higher education from other regional perspectives, the international experience and global partnerships.

As AIEA President-elect Sabine Klahr pointed out: “the role of leaders in international education is becoming more complex.”

Indeed, there is increasing pressure on leadership to steer institutions through such uncertain times.

Another worthy note was the official welcome to the special Chinese delegation organised by Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE), an indication of the increasing engagement between China and the US.

We also need to look at ways we can better assess the outcomes of our initiatives and stretch our imaginations to navigate and participate in international endeavours.

The delegation included Beijing Foreign Studies University, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Sanming University and Beijing Yinhong International.

The ‘take aways’ from this year’s conference were an understanding that we need to be more innovative than ever before. We need to understand our institution’s priorities and be aware of the opportunities presented by technology as a tool to achieve specific goals.

Sonia Chan is the Strategic International Development Manager at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne.

IDEALS and IMPACT in INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

Don’t miss the world’s largest gathering of international educators!

REGISTER BY APRIL 19 TO SAVE www.nafsa.org/AC13_IEAA AUTUMN 2013 | 27

UPDATES FROM THE SIGs

Internationalisation of the Curriculum SIG I want to start this update with a thank you to Shanton Chang, Lorne Gibson and Jos Beleen. Last year at a meeting of Special Interest Group (SIG) leaders, we decided that – in this ‘Year of the Snake’ – the Transnational Education (TNE) and Internationalisation of the Curriculum (IoC) SIGs would run a number of combined workshops as part of our professional development commitments.

Joining forces with TNE Shanton and Lorne have put together what will be an excellent workshop in Melbourne on Friday 31 May. It will focus on internationalisation of the curriculum and best practice in TNE. It will not only cover the challenges and opportunities involved in TNE delivery, but engagement between staff, approaches to curriculum development, learning and teaching.

L–R: Marion Myhill, Craig Whitsed, Jos Beleen and Anita Mak.

Late last year, following a meeting with Jos Beleen, the convener of the European Association for International Education (EAIE) Internationalisation at Home (IaH) SIG, it was decided we should combine our efforts to promote collaboration and to encourage the formation of new SIG groups outside of established regions.

With increased institutional and national emphasis placed on international collaborators, 28 | VISTA

particularly for research purposes, solidifying existing and establishing new networks is important and beneficial for academics looking to research beyond their borders. To that end, Jos (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences), Marion Myhill (University of Tasmania), Anita Mak (University of Canberra) and myself travelled to Hong Kong.

Jos organised and led a combined SIG presentation as part of the 8th Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) Conference in Hong Kong. Speaking on the topic ‘Internationalisation at home as a moving concept’, Jos gave an overview of IaH in the European context.

Marion outlined her work on internationalisation of the curriculum at the University of Tasmania and Anita presented on work she has done in collaboration with Michelle Barker (Griffith University) as part of their Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) project Internationalisation at Home (https://sites.google.com/site/ internationalisationathome/home).

I spoke on internationalisation of the curriculum in the Australian context.

We were left wondering whether internationalisation at home and the curriculum still have some way to go in the Asian region? Exciting possibilities exist, and we look forward to future collaborations between the SIGs’ current and new members.

In closing, up to and beyond the forthcoming ‘Year of the Rat’, one thing is sure: internationalisation of the curriculum will increasingly become an important facet of higher education in the Asian Century.

Craig Whitsed SIG Convener

Marketing and Communication SIG It’s been an interesting year to say the least in international education.

We’ve been through the decline, stressed and developed a few grey hairs over Streamlined Visa Processing (SVP) and the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) test. And we’ve scrambled to produce marketing materials to reflect courses that international students will be eligible for under Post-study Work Rights (PSW).

Finally, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Most of us have seen increases to our ELICOS programs since late last year, which mirrors data from English Australia.

Some of us have also seen small increases in our pre-university and diploma programs from the first intakes this year. So is the pipeline back? I don’t want to jinx anything but the signs are there. Let’s hope the trend continues for second semester and Australia once again becomes a favourable destination for international students seeking quality education options.

All eyes on Turkey In addition to the growth in some of our sectors, we are seeing growth from particular countries. AEI data shows that Turkey is perhaps a new market for Australia. Enquiry levels certainly lead us to believe it is a country worth exploring (see Country in Focus, p.22).

On Thursday 11 April, Dr Stephen Holmes and Mr Sam Ang from the Knowledge Partnership will provide first-hand insights to optimise your marketing strategy for the Middle East, focussing on Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The market overview will draw on specific findings from extensive, in-country research and strategy development conducted by The Knowledge Partnership in 2012.

Most of us have seen increases to our ELICOS programs since late last year, which mirrors data from English Australia. Some of us have also seen small increases in our pre-university and diploma programs from the first intakes this year. So is the pipeline back? I don’t want to jinx anything but the signs are there.

This research encompassed over 15 international education markets and involved targeted surveys, interviews and focus groups with prospective students, parents, agents, counsellors, employers and alumni.

South-East Asia in focus On Friday 12 April, Stephen and Sam will also present a market overview of South-East Asia, focusing on Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia – again, key countries where data shows us there is a strong international student market. Participants will leave this workshop with the latest, robust market evidence that can be readily translated into a targeted institutional, faculty and/ or departmental strategy.

Paperless pipedreams?

We’ve also been busy organising a workshop titled ‘Paperless Pipedream or Virtual Reality? Best Practice in (Online) International Admissions’ for Friday 10 May in Adelaide. It will be a timely session, given the introduction of SVP and what this means for admissions staff.

students consider multiple providers and study destinations before making their final choice.

The workshop will showcase studies from 3–4 different providers around Australia, and will provide a first-hand insight into some best practice examples in online international admissions.

Finally, on behalf of Abizer and myself, we’d like to say goodbye and good luck to Kylie Davies, the third member of the Marketing and Communication SIG. Kylie has decided to move into a field outside of international education. Thank you Kylie for your contribution to the SIG thus far and we wish you all the very best.

If anyone is interested in joining the SIG Leadership, please contact IEAA at admin@ieaa.org.au.

Justine Morris SIG Convener

Having an effective admissions team – with efficient online systems in place – can be a great source of competitive advantage, particularly at a time when AUTUMN 2013 | 29

UPDATES FROM THE SIGs

Student Mobility SIG Student mobility continues to be a hot topic internationally and nationally, with discussions around growing internships and other forms of mobility, the link to career and professional development outcomes and, of course, funding (Government and other). All being said, most press or discussion is valuable, as it places us firmly within public debate.

Outbound Mobility Forum The Mobility SIG’s first professional development event for 2013 is the ‘Outbound Mobility Forum: Back to the Future’, on Friday 19 April at Murdoch University, Perth.

In the spirit of mobility, book your plane, train or bus ticket now and discover all the great things the West has to offer – including an inspiring organising committee who have put together a magnificent program to end the Australian Exchange Fair Circuit. The day is themed around returning students and leveraging value from the mobility experience.

The opportunity to profile your institution (via AUIDF data collection) is a valuable part of our continued advocacy for funding, discourse with academic and other interested parties and, of course, presence in political dialogues.

Moving On Up Our second event is set for Friday 28 June with a one-day workshop in Melbourne on career development and enhancement in student mobility. Addressing feedback provided in 2012, this session will identify career pathways, present a panel of personal ‘case studies’. It will not only assist staff in their own 30 | VISTA

development but their wider development in the mobility field.

So register now at www.ieaa.org. au/events/moving-on-up and share the link with your colleagues both in and outside our industry.

Homecoming Forum The Victorian Universities Exchange Group (VicX) recently held the second annual ‘Homecoming Forum Melbourne’ to engage returned exchange students in conversations about cultural competency and career enhancement (see right). This event is now firmly embedded on the calendar and supports the upcoming Mobility Forum theme of re-entry.

Data collection AUIDF surveys covering student mobility for the 2012 academic year have commenced via Alan Olsen’s group, so we encourage your preparation and ongoing rigorous data collection to assist this representation made to AUIDF (and beyond). The opportunity to profile your institution is a valuable part of our continued advocacy for funding, discourse with academic and other interested parties and, of course presence, in political dialogues.

Planning and development We were represented recently at the IEAA professional development planning meeting to review feedback from the annual IEAA member survey and build this into future planning.

There are initiatives progressing around webinars, linkages with other professional bodies and collaboration on workshop delivery with other SIGs (watch this space for a combined session on social media, in collaboration with the Marketing SIG later this year).

HOMECOMING FORUM MELBOURNE More than 130 students from eight Melbourne universities came together on Friday 15 March 2013 to celebrate their overseas study experiences at the second annual ‘Homecoming Forum Melbourne’.

It provided an opportunity for students to network and participate in sessions such as a cultural debrief with Dr Barb West from Culture Works. Participants also spent time developing their career goals with Carolyn Vark from Monash University Employment and Career Development and Stephanie Fletcher from RMIT University Work and Careers.

Chantelle Baxter, co-founder of One Girl, delivered a keynote speech which inspired students to use their passion to better the world.

Students came away inspired and are now organising opportunities to ‘Do it in a dress’, as Ms Baxter does to raise money for women in Sierra Leone.

Thank you to those who completed the IEAA member survey. This feedback was constructive in designing future PD sessions and to understand what our members want from the Mobility SIG. Our committee was also represented at the IEAA Board planning day, to update the strategic plan and feed into IEAA priorities in the lead-up to the Federal election. With the recent election announcement, the Government and the Coalition are both stepping up their policy development, so we watch with interest announcements around AsiaBound and the New Colombo Plan for the impact they will have on our industry.

We are investigating a move to a similar communications platform as other SIGs and establishing a LinkedIn group to facilitate discussion. Our email group of course remains at this point, if you would like to offer input please feel to contact Trevor Goddard at trevor.goddard@monash.edu

The event ended with a global employer panel including Helen Mosse, HR Manager from L’Oreal, Becky Last from Australian Volunteers International and Nivy Balachandran, who is a recent graduate with overseas experience.

Kim Siemensma, Mobility Coordinator at La Trobe University and member of the Homecoming Forum working group, thought the collaborative aspect of the event was particualrly beneficial. “The event was an outstanding success from the point of view of student participation, guest speakers and the student feedback. It has set a high precedent for Homecoming Forums in years to come.”

Jessica Ippolito, a student from Deakin University, recognised that her experience abroad will benefit her career. “Thank-you for encouraging us all to go to the Homecoming Forum! It was a great day and the speakers were so knowledgeable and full of useful hints that I found really helpful for my future career plans.”

The event was held at Victoria University’s City Convention Centre.

It was coordinated by student mobility professionals from Australian Catholic University, Deakin University, La Trobe University, Monash University, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, The University of Melbourne and Victoria University.

Sarah Argles Promotions and Outreach Coordinator Monash Abroad Find out more about the Homecoming Forum at http://homecomingforummelbourne.com/

Student Mobility SIG Leadership Team)) AUTUMN 2013 | 31

UPDATES FROM THE SIGs

Pathways SIG IEAA and the SIGs have published the professional development program for the first half of 2013.

You can view the program at www.ieaa.org.au/step-up.

Planning is already underway for the remainder of the year, so we would love to hear from you with suggested topics and volunteers to run workshops (including our preAIEC workshop in October).

ELC symposium The recent IEAA Symposium on English Language Competence of International Students (see p.18) contained a discussion paper on ‘Student Preparation and Selection’. This highlighted the need for large scale, evidencebased tracer studies of students’ later performance, based on standardised metrics. The development of such standard measures, to enable benchmarking and sharing of good practice remains a SIG priority.

IEAA’s recent national symposium on English language competence highlighted the need for large scale, evidencebased tracer studies of students’ later performance, based on standardised metrics.

Pathways meeting Following successful meetings of university pathway colleges in Sydney and Melbourne in recent years, we’re planning a similar event at QUT International College in Brisbane, from 1–4 pm, Friday 3 May 2013.

For more details, please contact Ken Beutel, Associate Director, QUTIC on +61 7 3138 5914 or at kenneth.beutel@qut.edu.au.

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Data trends DIAC and AEI data on international student visa applications and actual commencements in 2012 show signs of recovery in ELICOS and higher education. However, there are continued declines in Foundation (FP) and HE diploma programs, where commencements in 2012 fell by 12 per cent and 14 per cent respectively over the previous year.

Note that some providers offer pathway programs similar to FPs, but no longer classified as such on CRICOS; this has artificially lowered recent reported commencement figures. Also, while most HE diplomas are bachelor pathways (based on the corresponding first year of the degree), there are also some exit qualifications. In spite of these caveats, many providers report real recent declines in enrolments in FP and HE diploma pathways.

China remains the dominant source country for both courses: 57 per cent of FP commencements, and 52 per cent for HE diplomas.

No other country reaches 10 per cent share. In HE diplomas, management and commerce is the largest general field, with 70 per cent of the market; all other fields are less than 10 per cent each. More detailed data analysis will be provided at IEAA workshops, or from the Pathways SIG. Paul O’Halloran, Rosie Giddings and Andrew Dawkins SIG Conveners

Transnational Education SIG The Transnational Education (TNE) SIG held its first professional development workshop in March, ‘Understanding TEQSA Provider Standards: Due Diligence and Evaluation of TNE Partners’. It was extremely well attended, with an interesting mix of education professionals and academics.

This workshop was very timely as TEQSA has just started to undertake its first thematic review of thirdparty arrangements. Therefore many institutions, both public and private, are wanting to discover more about how TEQSA would interpret the provider standards and their approach to the review.

TNE and the Chaney Report The last couple of months have also seen some interesting developments in TNE. The Chaney Report, ‘Australia – Educating Globally’, highlighted that approximately one quarter of Australia’s international student population is located in TNE environments.

The Chaney Report acknowledged that Australia has a wealth of experience in successfully delivering TNE and that we need to use this experience to further strengthen our international education reach.

The SIG will be collaborating with the Pathways and Internationalisation of the Curriculum SIGs to conduct other professional development activities throughout the rest of the year.

We encourage anyone interested in TNE to join the SIG, sign up to our LinkedIn group and share their thoughts, experiences and ideas.

Lorne Gibson SIG Convener

It also stressed that while the sector needs to address ongoing concerns around ‘integrity in education’ and the potential ‘risk to brand Australia’, it acknowledged that Australia has a wealth of experience in successfully delivering TNE and that we need to use this experience to further strengthen our international education reach.

Shape of Things to Come The British Council’s report ‘Shape of Things to Come 2’ identified how TNE is and has taken a critical role in achieving hosting governments’ national education goals and that students from TNE programs have strong and meaningful outcomes as a result of their studies.

AUTUMN 2013 | 33

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Leading Your Institution in the Asian Century Developed in collaboration with the LH Martin Institute, this first module in a series of three is targeted at leaders in international education.

■■ What will be required to differentiate your institution to gain industry, government and NGO support for your Asian engagement?

■■ What intercultural competencies and skills will you need to take your institution in the right direction?

■■ What are the gaps between the reality of your daily responsibilities and the skills most useful and relevant for effective leadership?

It will also draw upon research recently conducted by IEAA and the LH Martin Institute which developed a conceptual framework to identify ‘competing’ leadership roles and encompassed the key issues facing leaders in international education.

Date:

Location: Cost:

Thursday 2 May (Networking dinner) Friday 3 May 2013 Sydney $1,320

Register online at www.lhmartininstitute.edu.au

Using Stats with Alan Olsen: Where to Find Them and How to Incorporate Them Into Your Strategy

Paperless Pipedream or Virtual Reality? Best Practice in (Online) International Admissions

Navigating the New International Education Environment: What Schools Really Need to Know

Unlock some of the richest sources of data with Alan Olsen, one of Australia’s foremost industry experts.

Get a first-hand insight into some best practice examples in online international admissions.

Enhance your school’s ability to cater to the diverse needs of your international student cohort.

Date: Thursday 2 May Location: Webinar Cost: $70 members $100 non-members

Date: Friday 10 May Location: Adelaide Cost: $270 members $390 non-members

Date: Friday 31 May Location: Sydney Cost: $270 members $390 non-members

Full program at www.ieaa.org.au/step-up

CALENDAR

April 5th Global Meeting of Associations (GMA V): Institutional Diversity in Higher Education: Advantage or Threat for Associations? Manchester, United Kingdom 24-26 April

May QS-MAPLE (Middle East and Africa Professional Leaders in Education) Conference; Johannesburg, South Africa 7–8 May NAFSA: Ideals and Impact in International Education St Louis, Missouri, US 26–31 May

July UKCISA Conference Glasgow, Scotland 2–4 July

August Asia Education Foundation: First National Conference Melbourne, Australia 12–14 August 2013

September EAIE Conference: Weaving the Future of Global Partnerships Istanbul, Turkey 10–13 September English Australia Conference: It’s still about the students Perth, Australia 26–27 September

October Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) Global Imperatives, Local Realities Canberra, Australia 8–11 October AUTUMN 2013 | 35

Contact us IEAA Secretariat PO Box 12917 A’Beckett Street Melbourne VIC 8006 Australia +613 9925 4579 admin@ieaa.org.au

www.facebook.com/ieaaustralia

www.twitter.com/ieaaustralia

www.ieaa.org.au

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