GLOBALISATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION - UCU

Case studiesThe use of educational agents as brokers or facilitators of educational links with overseas partners needs tobe treated with caution. HEQC makes a number of points:●Educational agencies are commercial ventures whose interests cannot necessarily be assumed to be thesame as those of their UK clients.●While much of the value of agents lies in their specialist knowledge of the local higher education scene,this knowledge may on occasions be used partially and to the disadvantage of UK institutions.(1995: 9)The first of the cases below indicates the sort of difficulties that can arise with overseas franchises. Thesecond demonstrates how dilemmas can be effectively addressed even where there may be a degree ofrisk.CASE 1A university establishes a franchise arrangement with a private overseas teaching institution. The franchisearrangement states clearly the standards to be met, the syllabus of each course and the control by theuniversity over marking practices and standards. Teaching is by a mixture of secondment of staff andoutreach teaching/distance teaching by the franchising university and by locally recruited staff.There is an assumption by students enrolling at the franchised college that because they are paying for thecourse, they will automatically qualify. As a result, pressure from students, parents, the franchisee or thefranchising institution may be brought on teaching staff to adjust marking standards so that everyonepasses the examinations and assessments.This scenario raises several problems relating to the nature of the enforceability of the contract betweenthe two institutions, the fundamentally commercial nature of the relationship with consequent possibilitiesof compromise, the local expectations of proprietors, local staff and students, a private education systemas the only access to higher education for some students and the acceptability of the recruitment policiesadopted locally for both staff and students.Issues for franchising institutions can arise from their ability and willingness to monitor the activities of theinstitutions to which they franchise. Issues for academic and related staff relate to the extent to which theyare personally and professionally vulnerable in situations such as these.There are quality implications for the university and the support it gives to its staff in a potentiallycompromised position and there are issues for individual staff in terms of contractual obligations,managerial instructions and behaviour and the maintenance of professional integrity.CASE 2An example of one UK university’s relationship with an overseas agent involved the agent approaching oneof the university’s departments to run one of its courses at a far eastern university. The agent was mostinsistent that the course should remain under the control of the UK university and that he should act asintermediary. However, when one of the staff from the UK department visited the far eastern university to14 Globalisation and higher education