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u DEATH BY RED TAPE.................. 1 u Ieaa Awards 2012............ 13 u president’s column.............. 4 u Publication..................... 14 u news from the secretariat 5 u prof. development......... 16 u Country

focus :

Mexico......... 6 u around the world.......... 17 9 u mark your calendar...... 20

u Sector News........................ u news

from the sigs ..............

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June 2012 t h e n e w s l e t t e r f o r a u s t r a l i a n i n t e r n at i o n a l e d u c at i o n professionals

Death By Red Tape?

by Phil Honeywood IEAA Executive Director The recent Federal Budget engendered a great debate in the Australian media around big business and industry’s complaints of too much “green tape”. The argument went that existing and new regulations imposed by Federal, State and local government were unnecessarily holding up, and putting at risk, key infrastructure projects. Many international education professionals would have taken some interest in this debate as our sector appears to have been at the forefront of the recent “red tape” regulation imposition. Welcome to our world may well have been an appropriate riposte! However, whatever colour or shade of tape you prefer, the increasingly heavy burden of so called “regulatory reform” is cause for genuine concern.

In examining the cause and effect of international education’s current regulatory malaise a clear culprit has been the series of reviews, and recommendations that have emanated from them. The downturn of international students’ enrolments has also had the effect of placing enormous pressures on institutions staffing profiles as well as their engagement with professional development programs. While many in our industry see the student recruitment, admissions and tracking of student academic progress reforms as good for “brand Australia”, surprisingly there are still some gaping holes left. Furthermore, the recent COAG Communiqué’s expansion of the regulatory reform agenda to embrace the full range of education providers (public and private) raises other questions about how far we stretch the red tape.

These Infernal Reviews: “Stronger, simpler, smarter ESOS: Supporting International Students” was the somewhat ironic name given to the report of the review by the Hon. Bruce Baird when it was released in March 2010. The recommendations of this review have, according to the Federal Government, now been fully implemented through legislation introduced into Parliament (the TSP Bills being the final tranche). Before the dust had a chance to settle on the Baird Report, our industry was then subject to “The Review of the Students Visa Program”, conducted by the Hon. Michael Knight. The report of this review was released in September 2011. Importantly, the Federal Government response to this report was to accept all 41 of its recommendations.

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While government reviews are not always instigated to elicit major changes to practices and procedures, this was not the case with the Baird and Knight reports. Under the catch cry of improving standards, and establishing more transparency and accountability in our sector, the devil has very much proven to be in the detailed paperwork requirements. When education institutions now apply for CRICOS codes for a course, they are faced with a twelve page application form, a list which goes to the extent of requesting all library holdings and other resources pertaining to that course. For institutions enrolling international students in multiple courses, this requires enormous staff time diversion. With a fee of $1,000 per CRICOS course application, this is also an expense that many institutions have not budgeted for. The term “paperchase” was also given a whole new dimension recently, when universities were only provided with ten days turnaround time for completing their complex risk assessment documentation for the streamlined visa processing inclusion. New time limits required under the TPS legislation for reporting nonreturning students, the additional administration burden of monitoring student’s academic progress, attendance and financial status, are also key concerns.

If regulatory authorities and Government Departments had comprehensive and customised systems in place to reduce education institutions’ administrative burden, then the new regulatory regime might be more acceptable.

However, with the existing PRISMS system requiring manual data entry and checking of additional students’ information, this is definitely not conductive to efficient practices. A modification to PRISMS so as to make it capable of downloading directly from providers databases would clearly be in the interest of all parties. If Government were to go one step further and establish a simple identifier to track students throughout their various ELICOS, Diploma and Higher Education studies, then this simple initiative would also reduce workloads.

Staff Cuts and Professional Development Concerns Ironically, at the very time when Australia’s education institutions are coming to grips with all of these complex new regulations, declining international student enrolments are leading to significant staff cuts in our sector. The intellectual property and institutional memory that is being lost in the process of staff restructures and redundancies is presently causing severe strains at both public and private education providers.

As the international education industry in Australia, and globally, is relatively new, then many professionals in our industry have very much learnt on the job. With no specific qualifications available that cover the multitude of tasks and skills that our industry confronts, professionals in our industry have had to adapt quickly to constant changes in Government regulations that impact heavily on their work. Now more than ever they need professional development to enhance both their knowledge base, and to cope with increasing demands on them to multi-task (as members of their team depart).

Unfortunately, the IEAA has detected a trend (also noted by other peak industry associations) of declining participation in professional development workshops, seminars and short courses. Therefore, at the very time when people in our industry need more training and support, they are not able to access it. Whether this downturn in participation is a product of time release or budgetary constraints by employer institutions, it is definitely exacerbating our profession’s ability to overcome the red tape burden.

Plugging the Remaining Regulatory Holes With the advent of ASQA and TEQSA it was hoped that Federal jurisdiction over international education would ensure some predictability of decision making and a comprehensive regulatory framework.

It would be fair to say that the jury is very much still out on this issue. For some months now, English language colleges have been bedevilled by uncertainty as to which of the new national regulatory bodies has coverage over them. In Western Australia, individual TAFE Institutes are not permitted to directly recruit their own international students – state rights appear to have prevailed in some quarters.

Complaints have also been made about the lack of uniform application of the GTE test for new student visas.

Some DIAC posting in Latin America, for example, have refused to permit further study applications if a student applies for an initial short course in Australia – but wants to keep their options open for further study.

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Lack of uniformity in the implementation of our new regulatory framework causes more than just red tape concerns.

It also has the potential to compromise our education institutions’ ability to market Australia as having finally put together fair and objective criteria for assessing student visa applications and guaranteeing consistency in the quality of course delivery.

The IEAA has taken many of the above concerns directly to the policy makers and administrators involved in the international education sector. A recent meeting with the Chief Commissioner of TEQSA, Carol Nicol, proved that she is very much aware of these concerns and will soon be making announcements that will go some way to alleviating some of the key regulatory pressure points. In a similar vein, through the IEAA’s membership of the Education Visa Consultative Committee (EVCC) we have gained a hearing (and in some cases acknowledgement) that DIAC regulations need to be monitored and applied consistently.

The COAG Communiqué By far the most curious Government announcements related to the new international education reform agenda have been the inclusion of all education providers into the mix. The Knight Review made it clear that Post Study Work Rights (PSW) would only apply to public higher education institutions. This was the policy subsequently announced by the Federal Government. However, within a few months of this announcement, the Government did a policy backflip and amended PSWs so that private education providers with higher education accreditation could have their degree courses included.

Similarly, public higher education institutions were informed by Government that they would have exclusive access to the new streamlined visa procedures (SVPs). The price that they would have to pay was to make themselves subject to rigorous risk assessment auditing and tests. For some institutions this was an extremely painful affair and the burden of red tape weighed heavily on all staff involved. Yet again, within months of SVPs being approved for public higher education providers a COAG meeting decreed that private education colleges would also be eligible to gain access to SVPs by in the second half of 2012.

The IEAA fully supports the concept of open and competitive education provision. There are many excellent TAFE and private education providers who deserve support in the education system. The only issue here again is a concern that decisions are announced, expectations are then created only to have the policy landscape change yet again.

Conclusion As VISTA goes to press, we await with some trepidation the outcomes of the “Australia in the Asian Century” and the “International Education Advisory Council’s” respective reviews. It can only be hoped that these two most recent Government reviews will lessen the burden rather than create new demands on our beleaguered sector.

The move towards a truly national regulatory reform agenda was, in the main, welcomed by the international education sector in Australia. The hope was, and remains, that consistency in implementation of regulations will prevail.

Hon. Phil Honeywood Executive Director International Education Association Australia

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President’s Column

by Stephen Connelly IEAA President

I attended the recent NAFSA conference for the first time since 2008. I won't be leaving it that long before I attend my next one. I was impressed by the overall conference organisation, the line up of speakers, the Australian booth and the quality of interactions over the three days I was there. NAFSA President Meredith McQuaide was a great host to international association representatives and is planning to attend AIEC in October, so we will be able to return the favour. The Network of International Education Associations met during the NAFSA week, as it does at each NAFSA and EAIE conference, and discussed approaches to planning, themes and issue identification at the various association conferences currently being planned. This is a collaborative group and its approach counters the arguments from some quarters that the conferences are not internationalised enough or appear to be too regionally or locally focussed.

Submissions to the Chaney review are in and we await outcomes and responses.

Delegates at NAFSA were interested to hear of the review and the objective to develop a national strategy for international education, so the world, not just Australia, is watching. A comprehensive strategy, properly resourced and with a coherent implementation plan, is a great opportunity to place Australia at the forefront of education internationalisation globally.

One thing we should be considering is a reprise of the study of appetites and capacities of Australian universities to enrol increasing numbers of international students. This would be interesting in light of: two recent British Council reports (The Shape of Things to Come: Global Trends and Emerging Opportunities to 2022; and STUDENT INSIGHT HOT TOPICS - An examination of host destinations from a student perspective); the uncapped domestic student enrolment environment; and should consider impact on other sectors. A companion piece could examine future trends in international student enrolments unrelated to university studies as a destination. These would be two large pieces of research, highly relevant to strategy development over the next ten years. Any takers?

Finally, I echo Sue Blundell's congratulations to Chris Bundesen on her recent Queen's Birthday honour.

Stephen Connelly Deputy Vice Chancellor (International and Development) and Vice President RMIT University President International Education Association Australia

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News from the IEAA Secretariat New members to join the team Emily O'Callaghan commences in the new position of Operations Manager on 4th July. Emily comes to us from Victoria University where she has worked for the past nine years. She is currently Regional Recruitment Manager for South Asia and the Middle East but also has been Inbound Student Co-ordinator and has held Admissions roles as well. Emily is currently completing her Bachelor of Business (Marketing) Degree.

Peter Muntz will take up the new position of Communications and Client Services Co-ordinator on 9th July. Describing himself as an " experienced communications specialist with a focus on international education", Peter has worked at Swinburne University for the past five years. He is currently Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator at Swinburne College and was previously the E-Marketing Officer. Peter has also worked in the UK assisting with the British Council's "Going Global" Conference. He has a Bachelor Degree in Professional Writing and is currently completing a Masters in Global Media Communication.

The IEAA welcomes both Emily and Peter to their new roles and believes they have the skills to take the Association forward!

Departure of Simone and Bernhard At the same time that we welcome two new staff members, the Association will be farewelling Bernhard Buntru and Simone Rutten.

Bernhard will finish his 6 month contract with IEAA on 27th July. He then intends to travel back to his home country of Mexico before settling back in Australia. Simone finishes her 6 month internship with IEAA on 9th July and then returns to complete her degree in the Netherlands.

The Association sincerely thanks both Bernhard and Simone for their efforts in supporting our IEAA members. We wish them well in their respective futures.

Call for Contributions - IEAA Members Have you written an article on a topic related to International Education that can be published in VISTA? Do you have news or information that you want to share with IEAA members?

Do you want to react to an article that was published in the newsletter?

Members contributions are welcomed! For more information and to submit you own piece of news, email assocdirector@ieaa.org.au Please note that the IEAA Editorial Committee reserves the right to accept or reject any contribution.

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Country Focus: Mexico The System of Higher Education in Mexico

by Thomas Buntru (Dean of International Programs at Universidad de Monterrey and former AMPEI President) and María Cristina Moreno-Gutiérrez (Coordinator of School Climate, Citizenship Education and Intercultural Education at the Instituto de Investigación, Innovación y Estudios de Posgrado para la Educación (IIIEPE).

The higher education system of Mexico consists of 2995 public and private institutions that enroll 3,322,646 students.

1,099,462 students attend one of the 2067 private institutions, that comprise universities and teacher training colleges, while 2,223,184 students attend one of the 928 public institutions that comprise federal universities, state universities, technological institutes, technological universities, polytechnic universities, intercultural universities (for indigenous groups), teacher training colleges, research centers, and others.

Even for an insider, but even more so for an outsider, it is very difficult to understand the diversity of the Mexican higher education landscape, especially the great variety of public institutions and the varying quality levels of some of the private institutions. Public institutions carry out most of the academic research in Mexico, they prepare students in fields that require greater social investments, contribute significantly to upward social mobility, and take part in interinstitutional committees and national examinations. They suffer, however, from political and social pressure for the admission of students, and are very much dependent on public funds with all the ensuing implications this has in their governance. Private institutions have relieved the public sector from a great financial burden, but have also chosen their own academic standards in the light of a lack of public supervision. Many private institutions provide excellent environments for study and prepare well-performing graduates for both the private and the public sectors. They tend to concentrate, however, on the more “marketable” disciplines, very often disregard broader social goals,

and concentrate more on teaching than research because of the huge investments that the latter requires.

Loose oversight and supervision by government authorities have led to the creation of many institutions of doubtful quality. Levy and Kent have classified private Mexican institutions of higher learning into three categories: First there are the catholic universities that were created by more conservativeminded people in reaction to the secularism of the post-revolutionary public universities dominated by leftist political thought. Second are the “secular elite” universities that were created by business people to provide upper-level administrators and technicians to private industry, motivated by dissatisfaction with the public sector, the desire to maintain class privileges, or just an effort to provide settings of academic tranquility as opposed to the heavily politicized public universities. Third are the so called “secular non-elite” institutions that were created to respond to the enormous demand for higher education not met by neither of the other types of institutions or the government. These institutions are usually unselective in their admissions and provide only job-related training delivered by faculty with or without proper credentials. Many of these secular non-elite institutions are for profit.

Quality control mechanisms Quality control, not only in higher education, but on all levels of the Mexican education “system” is still a major problem, and many institutions without adequate supervision and control mechanisms are allowed to operate by the federal and state ministries of education. In order to

Country Fast Facts: Capital city: Mexico City Surface area: 1,972,550 km² Population: 112.3 million Political system: Federal presidential constitutional republic Official language(s): Spanish / 68 distinct indigenous Amerindian languages Head of State: Felipe Calderón Number of Mexican students in Australia: 1588 (including 565 in higher education).

“Australia figures among the ten most important sending and receiving countries for student mobility programs with Mexico".

Source: AEI June, 2011

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(Continued)

address this problem, strategies to improve the quality of higher education have been put into place since the 1990s.

Among them are the reinforcement of faculty training, the introduction of general education requirements, educational innovation, stronger linkages between universities and the labor market, national entrance and leaving exams, and the creation of assessment and accreditation bodies. The federal or state ministries of education issue permits to institutions of higher education to operate and recognize degrees granted by private universities. The Council for the Accreditation of Academic Programs (COPAES, Consejo para la Acreditación de la Educación Superior) recognizes the organizations that accredit specific academic programs.

The number of accreditation agencies recognized by COPAES and the number of accredited programs has risen continually in the recent past. There are also the socalled Inter-institutional Committees for the Assessment of Higher Education (CIEES, Comités Interinstitucionales para la Evaluación de la Eduación Superior), a collegiate organization that also accredits particular academic programs. The National Center for the Assessment of Higher Education (CENEVAL, Centro Nacional de Evaluación para la Educación Superior) designs and administers national admission and leaving exams in higher education. The National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología) accredits certain postgraduate programs by including them in their “catalogue of excellence” (padrón de excelencia). This organization also provides scholarships for graduate studies both for Mexicans abroad and for foreign students in Mexico, and is Mexico’s most important funding agency for research projects. The Federation of Private Mexican Institutions of Higher Education (FIMPES, Federación de Instituciones Mexicanas Privadas de Educación Superior) has a very solid and reliable accreditation scheme in place that is modeled on the procedures of regional accreditation bodies in the U.S.A. Like the U.S.-American regional accreditation bodies, FIMPES accredits institutions as a whole, not particular programs. Another criterion for determining the quality of a Mexican institution of higher education is its membership in the National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (ANUIES, Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior). Although ANUIES, the Mexican rectors’ conference, does not accredit institutions, membership in the association is selective.

Internationalization Internationalization of Mexican universities is just as diverse and heterogeneous as the Mexican higher education system. It has been driven mainly by individual universities, without or with only very little support from the federal and state governments. The first mention of the importance of internationalization in higher education by the federal ministry of education (SEP, Secretaría de Educación Pública) dates to 2007 in its five-year planning

document Programa Sectorial de Educación 2007-2012.

It remains to be seen whether this is actually the first step toward the development of a national vision and policy for the internationalization of higher education.

Not surprisingly, the first initiatives of internationalization were undertaken, some as early as the 1970s, by some of the leading federal and state universities because of their international research links and networks. Catholic and other faith-based universities got involved because of the international nature of the catholic church and other churches and religious groups, and some of the “secular elite” institutions because they were among the first to recognize the importance of internationalization in the age of globalization due to the international business links of their benefactors and board members.

In 1992, representatives of some of these universities, with the assistance of SEP, ANUIES and the Mexico City office of the Institute of International Education, founded The Mexican Association for International Education (AMPEI, Asociación Mexicana para la Educación Internacional). AMPEI has been instrumental in the professionalization of the field through its training seminars and workshops, its annual conference, and the publication of its journal Educación Global since 1997.

ANUIES published documents that stress the importance of internationalization in 1999 (Cooperación, Movilidad Estudiantil e Intercambio Académico) and 2000 (La Educación Superior en el Siglo XXI: Líneas Estratégicas de Desarrollo. Una propuesta de la ANUIES). ANUIES also offers workshops and other training opportunities, as well as an annual conference, to international education professionals who work at member institutions. Most Mexican universities, with the exception of the “non-elite secular” private universities and some more locally-minded public institutions, have included internationalization in

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their activities. However, only very few have anchored it in their vision and/or mission statements or have developed strategic plans for institutional internationalization.

The focus of internationalization also varies from institution to institution. The research-intensive universities concentrate more on research consortia and networks, while most of the catholic and elite secular universities have student mobility programs and the internationalization of the curriculum in the center of their activities. Today, most Mexican universities have central offices in charge of international cooperation and exchange from which they manage the negotiations of international cooperation agreements, student and faculty exchange and study abroad programs, the attraction of international students and faculty to their campuses, participation in international networks and consortia, the implementation of internationalization-at home activities such as dual-degree programs or the internationalization of the curriculum. At some universities, internationalization has moved to the core, but at most it is still on the fringe.

Funding is scarce and data collection is weak and not very reliable. A very notable effort in this aspect is the publication of the first edition in April 2012 of Patlani, the National Survey of International Student Mobility.

Encouraged by the Presidency of Mexico, a committee comprised of representatives of SEP, AMPEI, CONAHEC and various Mexican universities and research institutes, designed and applied the survey which produced some interesting data, all corresponding to the academic year 2010-2011. According to Patlani (a word from the Nahuatl language which means “to fly”), about 1% of Mexican students registered at Mexican institutions of higher education studied abroad, while 0.73% of the students enrolled at Mexican universities were international students. 67% of the Mexican students abroad were from private universities. The ten most important countries of origin of international students in Mexico are, in this order, France, U.S.A., Spain, Germany, Colombia, Canada, Australia, Korea, Argentina, and the Netherlands. The ten most important destinations for Mexican students abroad are, in this order, Spain, U.S.A., France, Canada, Germany, Argentina, Italy, Chile, Australia, and China.

Most of the outgoing Mexican students study engineering and technology (33%), social sciences (23%), humanities (10%), and health sciences (6%). Most of the incoming international students study social sciences (35%), humanities (24%), health sciences (21%), and engineering and technology (16%). 115 institutions of higher education participated in the survey, representing 35% of the total student population in Mexico. In spite of this somehow limited participation, Patlani provides certain tendencies in international student mobility. It is certainly a first step into the right direction. With more reliable data, it will be easier for decision makers at Mexican higher education institutions and organizations to develop internationalization strategies and policies.

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Cooperation with Australia Australia figures among the ten most important sending and receiving countries for student mobility programs with Mexico. There is strong interest on both sides to increase the cooperation between both countries. In 2010, the Australian Ambassador to Mexico, Katrina Cooper, invited representatives from SEP, AMPEI, ANUIES, and various Mexican universities to constitute the Mexican-Australian Education Committee (CEMA, Comité de Educación México-Australia). The committee has worked on several recommendations. The most visible outcome has been the establishment of a student mobility scholarship program financed by the ministries of education of both countries. As attention in Australia seems to shift back from the recent revenue generating vision of internationalization to more cooperative schemes and foreign-policy goals, there are excellent opportunities for enhancing and strengthening the already excellent educational and academic ties between the two nations.

Bibliography Kent, R. (1993). "Higher education in Mexico: From unregulated expansion to evaluation."

Higher Education 25(1): 73-83.

Levy, D. C. (1985). "Latin America's Private Universities: How Successful Are They?"

Comparative Education Review 29(4): 440-459.

Levy, D. C. (2006). "The unanticipated explosion: Private higher education´s global surge."

Comparative Education Review 50(2): 217-240.

SRE-Mexico. (2012). "National Priorities: Recent Trends & Future Developments." Retrieved May 15th, 2012, from http://www.iie.org/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Events/2012/G8Conference-2012/Multimedia/National-Priority-Statements.

Thomas Buntru, M.Ed., is the Dean of International Programs at Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM), where he has worked since 1988. Before taking over his current position in 2004, he served as Coordinator of Student Exchange from 1997 to 2003.

Before that, he was an associate professor in the Department of Modern Languages at UDEM, where he taught English and German. In 1996 he received the Premio Pro-Magistro Roberto Garza Sada, UDEM's annual excellence-in-teaching award. As Dean of International Programs, his responsibilities include the construction of study abroad and exchange programs, negotiation of cooperation agreements, strategic planning of study abroad, student and faculty exchange, internationalization of the curriculum, and institutional internationalization in general. Under his leadership, UDEM has become the Mexican university with the highest student participation rate in study abroad programs. His strategic plan for the internationalization of UDEM received the 2009 Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education from the Institute of International Education (IIE). He has been an active member of AMPEI, the Mexican Association for International Education, since 1997 and served as its president from 2009 to 2011.

María Cristina Moreno-Gutiérrez is Coordinator of School Climate, Citizenship Education and Intercultural Education at the Instituto de Investigación, Innovación y Estudios de Posgrado para la Educación (IIIEPE), Monterrey, Mexico.

She holds a masters degree in Comparative Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo, USA and a PhD in Education from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Her publications include: Redes y comunidades de práctica (Netwroks and communities of practice) in J.M. Fernández & Carmen Carrión (Eds) (2008) Escenarios virtuales y comunidades de práctica. La participación docente en la Red de Escuelas Asocadas a la UNESCO [Virtual scenarios and communities of practice. Teachers' participation in ASPNet UNESCO] (Monterrey, México, CRN-UNESCO) 79-94. Special Issue: Moral and Citizenship Education in Latin America: Towards Reconciliation, Community Development and Democracy. Guest editor. The Journal of Moral Education Vol. 38(4) December 2009.

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Sector News 5th annual IEAA Outbound Mobility Forum The 5th annual IEAA Outbound Mobility Forum, held at the University of Queensland on 11 May 2012, was a tremendous success with almost 100 participants from around Australia, together with a few international colleagues, in attendance.

The opening session candidly set the scene for the Forum and was presented by two expert representatives in health, safety and security from International SOS, Marcus McRitchie and Simon Francis. They provided an industrybased snapshot of current practice in crisis prevention and management next to new ideas and concepts regarding best practice in risk mitigation relative to the rising tide of outbound mobility in a world of growing economic, political and environmental uncertainty.

Other parts of the day focussed on specific examples of best practice in outbound mobility and particularly on creative ways to prepare increasingly large groups of students for safe experiences abroad.

Joel Wittwer and Aaron de Bono showcased The University of Melbourne’s latest developments in online pre-departure preparation, while Steve McDonald presented on The University of Newcastle’s use of Blackboard for a cost effective approach to guiding large numbers of students through the pre-departure process.

During the afternoon the Forum participants had the opportunity to come together in small groups to consider the principles and considerations of crisis management and apply these to a number of case studies.

This enabled the attendees to contribute perspectives from different institutions and organisations to the process of examining and identifying risks, while developing risk management schedules and action plans.

The participants were enthusiastic about the opportunity to work towards improved crisis management in student mobility as well as to meet with colleagues from across the sector and further develop their professional networks.

To complete the day’s program there was a sharing of success in outbound mobility with a mobility promotional video, a successful Facebook page, an online student management system and an exchange trend discussion paper profiled after being voted for by Forum participants.

This year’s Forum on Outbound Mobility provided an excellent opportunity to not only reflect on and plan for the serious issue of critical incident management but to also celebrate the ongoing successes being achieved in this most dynamic and rewarding of sectors.

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4th IEAA International Education Reserch Seminar: Impacts and Outcomes of research

by Dennis Murray

Fifty five researchers, research students, government officials and education industry practitioners recently participated in a major international education research seminar conducted by the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) and supported by AEI. The seminar, held on 18 June in Melbourne, was the fourth presented by IEAA in its Winter International Education Research Seminar series. AEI has consistently supported and participated in the series, as part of its efforts to foster research into a wide variety of matters affecting the international education sector.

Di Weddell attended for AEI and participated on one of the panel discussions. Other panelists and discussants were: Dr Cate Gribble (Deakin University), Mohamad Rahimi (Deakin University), Lyndell Jacka (IDP Education), Dr Noel Edge (Graduate Careers Australia), Dr Phiona Stanley (UNSW), Dr Craig Whitsted (Murdoch University), Associate Professor Chris Ziguras (RMIT), Melissa Banks (Swinburne University), Dr Scott Thompson-Whiteside (Swinburne University), Professor Simon Marginson (University of Melbourne), Dr Ly Thi Tran (RMIT University), Dr Sarah Richardson (ACER), Associate Professor Robin Goodman (Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute), Arfa Noor (CISA), Danielle Hartridge (ISANA), Associate Professor Betty Leask, Professor Fazal Rizvi and Dennis Murray (MG International and IEAA).

The program addressed a range of priority research topics including such as work experiences and graduate outcomes of international students, new directions in TNE and research needs in relation to accommodation challenges for international students.

A panel of research active academics discussed prospects for research funding and dissemination of research outcomes, which was of particular interest to emerging researchers.

Lastly a senior panel canvassed views about engagement with and the future of the International Education
Research Network (IERN) and the possible establishment of an Australian centre or institute for international education.

A report on the outcomes of the Seminar will be circulated to participants and will be available on the IEAA website shortly.

Dennis Murray Director Research and Business Development

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News from the SIGs Internationalisation of the Curriculum sig In the last Internationalisation of the Curriculum (IoC) SIG Update, Betty Leask announced she was handing over the role of convenor to us - Wendy Green (The University of Queensland) and Craig Whitsed (Murdoch). We’d like to thank Betty for the tremendous work she has done in this role since the SiG’s inception in 2005. She’s certainly left some big shoes to fill, but with the help of you all, we hope we can continue to build the SIG into a space for lively conversations. Our hope is that the SIG becomes a dynamic community of practice, where we can share and develop knowledge and practice around IoC around the country and abroad.

To foster these conversations, we’ve set up a LinkedIn group, which is open to anyone with an interest in IoC. To join, go to http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IoC-sig-4349410/about .Because we’re new to convening this SIG, we thought it best to kick off by briefly introducing ourselves . Wendy has been a lecturer in higher education at the Teaching & Educational Development Institute (TEDI) at UQ since 2007. She has practice and research interests in ‘internationalisation of the curriculum’, student and academic mobility, and continuing professional learning for academics. More details can be found at http://www.uq.edu.au/ uqresearchers/researcher/greenw.html. Craig has been a lecturer in Murdoch University’s Student Learning Centre since 2006. Craig’s research interests are similar to Wendy’s though he does have an interest in Japan’s higher education sector and is interested in the development of academic literacies. For more see http://profiles.murdoch.edu.au/myprofile/ craig-whitsed/ .

During our first month as co-convenors, we’ve been busy planning SIG events for the AIEC in Melbourne in October. We should have all the details ready to share in the next Update. So until then, please visit us on LinkedIn and share your ideas, suggestions or requests.

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Marketing and Communications SIG The SIG’s first workshop for the year was “International Recruitment Planning for Success”, delivered by Steve Berridge, Director, Victoria University International.

The workshop, held in Melbourne in mid May, was attended by 18 participants and was designed to ensure that participants left equipped with a toolkit to execute effective international marketing and recruitment planning. The feedback received was extremely positive. As this was the first time we have held this workshop, we are interested in hearing from members in other states whether they would be interested in a similar workshop being held. Please send feedback via the SIG’s LinkedIn group.

In August, the “Effective Marketing and Recruitment” workshop will be held in Melbourne. The workshop will explore and clarify a comprehensive range of issues to enhance the efficacy and effectiveness of marketing, communications and reputation management specific to international higher education settings.

The workshop will be delivered by Dr Stephen Holmes, Managing Partner at The Knowledge Partnership. Stephen is the only full time practising consultant in the world with a PhD in the specific field of marketing education. Dr Holmes was a recent speaker at The Chronicle’s “Positioning Your University Globally in the Asian Century”. Key points discussed during the seminar can be found at http://chronicle.com/blogs/planet/2012/05/09/how-universities-can-shape-globalidentities/ More information regarding Dr Holmes’s workshops can be found at http://www.ieaa.org.au/content/?ids=PDPromotionRecruitmentWorkshops We are also excited to announce that Feyi Akindoyeni, Partner at Kreab & Gavin Anderson will be delivering our pre-conference workshop “Getting the Message Right” at AEIC Melbourne on Tuesday 2 October.. Feyi Akindoyeni is considered one of the leading social marketing strategists in Australia, with over 15 years' experience as a corporate strategist. Feyi leads one of the nation’s premier strategic communications and government relations consultancy teams. More information regarding the workshop and how to register can be found at http:// www.aiec.idp.com/program/workshops/workshop4.aspx We look forward to updating you further on the SIG’s activities in the next edition of VISTA.

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IEAA Awards 2012 IEAA Awards 2012: a chance to showcase excellence in international education

LAST CHANCE TO NOMINATE! The 2012 IEAA Awards for International Education seek to recognise good practice and celebrate the outstanding contribution of individuals and teams to Australia’s reputation for quality and innovation in international education.

The IEAA Awards offer the opportunity to showcase initiatives from higher education, vocational education and training, English language, schools and pathway programs. The awards are targeted at individuals and work teams or projects rather than institutions.

Award categories - Distinguished contribution to the field - up to two awards - Excellence in leadership - up to two awards - Best practice/innovation - up to three awards - Outstanding postgraduate thesis on a topic related to international education - one award - Excellence in professional commentary on issues related to international education - one award

Who should be nominated for an Award?

Do you know a colleague in the sector who has changed the way you think about your work?

Whose comments or advice on international education issues do you respect?

Has your team devised new and different approaches to solve old problems?

Have you recently completed your PhD on an international education research topic?

Winner benefits

Nominations close on 29 June 2012 COB Nomination Forms The application forms are available at: www.ieaa.org.au Information and enquiries admin@ieaa.org.au

- Official certification of award at the annual AIEC in Melbourne - Peer recognition - Acknowledgement as the benchmark for quality - Opportunity to show case best practice or be involved as a speaker at AIEC

For more information please visit: www.ieaa.org.au/Awards

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Publication Making a Difference: Australian International Education Review by: Mitch Leventhal Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, State University of New York “Should be required reading for all chancellors, presidents and SIOs” “Has significant lessons and implications for the future of American higher education” At the dawn of my own doctoral studies in 1987, I came across a two volume collection of Australian conference papers edited by Roselyn R. Gillespie and Colin B. Collins, Education as an International Commodity (1986).

The subject addressed was the highly controversial opening up of Australian higher education to international markets. That book had an immediate and singular impact on my intellectual development and career.

Now, as American institutions are just awakening to the dynamics of global education markets, Australian international educators have produced a new volume, Making a Difference, edited by Dorothy Davis and Bruce Mackintosh. This book celebrates a century of international education but places particular emphasis on this past quarter century of challenges and achievements, which have so dramatically impacted that nation’s economy, intellectual vitality, and future in the world. The contrast in titles – separated by 25 years – is striking. They illustrate the evolution of the discourse itself: from one just coming to grips with globalization of higher education, to one characterized by consensus regarding the benefits of this development. Speaking as an American, I believe that we must learn from the Australian experience, behind which, I daresay, we lag by nearly two decades.

I awaited my review copy for months, hoping that I would not be disappointed. I was not. This physically weighty but highly accessible volume includes 12 chapters and many sidebars, covering the full spectrum of issues.

The forty or so contributors are all leaders in the field, both practitioners and researchers, renowned in Australia and abroad. What first strikes the reader is the chronology provided at the front, which details the evolution of Australia’s aggressive international education policy framework. Next, is a chart illustrating the impact of international crises on the number of international students studying in Australia. Key takeaway? Australia is strategically positioning itself to take advantage of long-term growth in higher education trade, well into the future. “And what of the U.S.?,” one might think.

The range of topics covered is broad. In addition to history, trends, and the role of government coordinated policy, sections are devoted to the responses of various educational sectors to the internationalization agenda and market opportunity, the development of a sophisticated and flexible approach to creating pathways for particular student populations and markets, the development of transnational programs delivered by various modalities at sites abroad, community engagement and impact of international students, research and professionalization. Significant country case studies examine relationships with China, India, Malaysia and Norway.

The Australians candidly describe many challenges and reversals, and it will do well for late coming countries

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(Continued)

and institutions to study these lessons. But the overall context is one of impressive achievement about which the Australians are deservedly proud.

The “Dawkin Reforms” of the mid-1980s, which allowed institutions to charge international students full cost recovery tuition fees, is what launched Australia into global markets. What resulted, and what is so vividly painted in the historical sections of the book are images of swashbuckling pre-Internet Aussie road warriors opening markets from India to Vietnam, carrying student applications home in suitcases. In his introduction, Fazal Rizvi notes that Dawkins unleashed “a new culture of entrepreneurism that had been inconceivable earlier in the decade.” But more telling, Rizvi notes that a quarter century later “each level of education in Australia now recognizes the potential of internationalization in commercial, educational and cultural terms.” This is a remarkable statement: reflecting on the American experience, I do not believe that there is consensus on these three “potentials” at any level of our education system. America has quite a way to go, it seems.

The volume wisely concludes with views from abroad, short reflections by noted leaders Neil Kemp, representing the United Kingdom, Hans de Wit for continental Europe, and John Hudzik for the United States. Hudzik notes that Australia and the United States “come to the table from different circumstances and with a differing mix of motives.” However, he goes on to say that “the quality of Australian branding, marketing, data collection, analysis and results are clear lessons for the USA in many ways.”

I could not agree more. No person serious about understanding globalization of higher education can afford to be ignorant of Australia’s innovations, achievements and hard knocks. No college or university leader can afford not to have a globalization strategy in 2012. This book has significant lessons and implications for the future of American higher education. It provides an essential perspective and should be required reading for all chancellors, presidents and senior international officers.

Promotion of the book at the Go8 Booth during the AIEA Conference

Making a Difference

Australian International Education Edited by Dorothy Davis and Bruce Mackintosh Order your copy through the IEAA website www.ieaa.org.au/anniversary Or send an order email to: admin@ieaa.org.au 464pp, Paperback 280 x 210mm A$60.00 (+postage)

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Professional Development Program: Second Half-Year 2012 Online registrations are still open!

To register: http://www.ieaa.org.au/ProfessionalDevelopment

July: • Tender Writing: A Response to Request for Tender - Janette Clonan (4 July/Melbourne, 9 July/Brisbane) • Update on Australia's Migration Regulations - Kieran O'Brien (6 July/Brisbane) • Using peer mentoring to increase connections between international and domestic students Tristana Sidoryn (9 July/Brisbane)

• Financial Management of International Education - Brett Blacker (11 July/Sydney) • Short Term Programs: From Strategy to Implementation - Linda Rust and Sue Moloney (31 July/Sydney) • Internationalisation of the curriculum in context and in action - Betty Leask (18 July/Perth) • Symposium on Streamlined Visa Implementation - Phil Honeywood and DIAC managers (July 25/Melbourne) • Short Stay Study Tours Mobility - Mission or Mandate? - Patricia Fulcher (27 July/Brisbane)

August: • Effective Marketing and Recruitment - Stephen Holmes (1 August/Melbourne) • Learning and Teaching Across Cultures - Betty Leask and Susanna Carter (6 August/Melbourne) • Internationalisation of the curriculum in context and in action - Betty Leask (8 August/Melbourne)

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Around the world...

The CISA National Conference 2012 is about empowering international students and celebrating their contribution to the Australian community. The conference program has been planned with a focus to not only provide students with important information but also give them a platform so we can hear what they have to say on a range of different topics. ‘The Future Leaders of Our World’ has been selected as the theme of this conference to highlight the importance of properly training and educating young international students that come from around the globe and chose Australia as their education destination. During this conference, we want to equip students with the knowledge and skills to take on leadership roles within their communities, inspire them to make the most of their time in Australia and provide stakeholders with an opportunity to directly engage with the students and student leaders.

Why you should encourage and help students to attend Sponsoring students to attend the CISA National conference is a great way to demonstrate commitment towards providing networking and professional development opportunities for international students. Being a part of such an event adds value to a student's Australian education experience. What they learn and the connections they build, helps them become more valuable to the institute and to their fellow students.

Why you should attend As the competition increases in the international education industry globally, we all need to work harder to make Australia a great choice for international students. Ongoing student engagement is an essential part of this process. It is important to listen to what students have to say and use this information to keep improving. CISA conference has been designed to give students a voice so we can benefit from their valuable input. It is time to move from talking about students and start talking to them.

More information about the conference along with sponsorship oppertunities is available on our website: cisa.edu.au

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EAIE 2012 CONFERENCE The EAIE Annual Conference is the largest international higher education conference in Europe, providing a platform for thousands of international professionals to network, share best practices and discuss hot topics in the field.

In 2012 the EAIE Conference (http://www.eaie.org/dublin/) will take place in Dublin from 11-14 September and will be hosted by the Convention Centre Dublin, the world’s first carbon neutral convention centre. The official partner will be the University College Dublin, Ireland’s largest university.

In a context in which education plays an increasingly significant role in maintaining economic sustainability, the conference will focus on “Rethinking education, reshaping economies”, providing an arena for extensive discussions on the challenges and opportunities that come with this process.

The conference will also host an Exhibition, giving institutions the opportunity to raise their profile and reach a target group of more than 4000 international higher education professionals from over 85 countries. The registration is now open so you can book your stand today (http://www.eaie.org/dublin/exhibition/).

For maximum visibility during the conference and beyond, organisations can benefit from advertising and sponsorship opportunities. Conference items, events and venue-specific options are available. Learn more about the EAIE sponsorship packages (http://www.eaie.org/dublin/promotion/) and put your institution in the spotlight to an audience of distinguished figures in higher education.

Conference registration opens 16 May 2012. Do not miss one of the most inspiring and innovation-driven conferences in international higher education!

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AIEC PRE CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS 2011 - TUESDAY 2 OCTOBER 2012 The IEAA will be offering this year again 10 pre-conference workshops on Tuesday 02 October.

These half day workshops offer an in-depth training with a hands-on approach enabling participants to gain a clearly defined set of skills and knowledge. The interactive nature of the workshops means that the number of participants is strictly limited, so pre-registration is essential!

Online registration will open in May and participants can choose to attend one or two of the workshops without attending the conference. More info www.aiec.idp.com

Workshop 1

Workshop 3

Workshop 2

Workshop 4

Workshop 5

Workshop 6

Workshop 7

Workshop 8

Workshop 9

Workshop 10

Embedding English language development across the curriculum

Contemporary issues in international eduction for the Schools Sector

How to make HE international academic pathway programs better in a challenging environment International relations: developing people & partnership engagement frameworks for your institution

New Models for admissions management to enhance recruiting outcomes

Managing Critical Incidents

Getting the Message Right

Intercultural capacity building for students, staff and the curricula Middle Management Workshop

TNE Models and New Approaches

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Mark Your Calendar July 9-11, 2012: CISA National Conference 2012, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane http://cisa.edu.au/natcon12

11-13, 2012: UKCISA Annual Conference 2012, University of Warwick http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/training/conference/index.php

August

30-31, 2012: ACPET Conference, Sydney http://www.acpet2012.com.au/

September 6-7, 2012: TAFE Directors Australia. East meets West Conference, Perth 11-14, 2012: EAIE Annual Conference 2012, Dublin, Ireland http://www.eaie.org/dublin/

20-21, 2012: English Australia, “Re-shaping our Future”, Sydney

October 2-5, 2012: AIEC 2012: International Education in the Asian Century, Melbourne

November 4-7 2012: CBIE (Canadian Bureau for International Education), Montreal, Quebec http://www.cbie.ca/

The International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) is Australia’s leading international education professional organisation.

Its mission is to enhance the quality and standing of Australia's international education by serving the professional needs and interests of its members and by promoting international education within Australia and internationally

The International Education Association of Australia

PO Box 12917 A' Beckett Street 8006 Melbourne VIC Phone: +61 3 9925 4579 E-mail: admin@ieaa.org.au

IEAA, Making a Difference www.ieaa.org.au