Stephen Healy, Director, Strategy and Development

Creating the assets to support University Internationalisation: Perspectives on achieving quantity, quality and sustainability for Universities in a new competitive and student decision-making environment

International Student Mobility Conference Beijing, 19th October 2008

Themes/Outline

•  Creating the assets for Universities to genuinely be world class

in the new international higher education and globalised world.

•  Internationalisation is a strategic and mission imperative for

Universities.

•  Internationalisation and Brand positioning for Universities.

•  The new competitive environment and trends in student

decision-making.

•  The pressing imperative for Universities delivering on their

promise to international students.

•  Maintaining/building balance, control and authenticity through a

asset based approach.

•  Partnerships increasingly important to Brand positioning and

competitiveness in internationalisation.

Definition and Clarification

•  Asset: A useful or valuable quality, person, or thing; an

advantage or resource.

On the lips of everyone and in every University’s strategic plan:

•  INTERNATIONALISATION

•  THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

What does Internationalisation mean?

•  Quantity in recruitment.

•  Quality assurance management:

•  Language AND academic ability

•  Eliminating guesswork in admissions across markets

•  Diversity of nationalities and study disciplines.

•  Domestic student mobility.

•  Learning and living facilities for international students (often

outpaced by recruitment).

•  Support and transitioning services for international students.

•  Capacity for curriculum development and teaching support for

international students.

Interna'onalisa'on:Findingtherightbalance

The Balancing Challenge

•  Fulfilling core mission vs. recruitment/revenue drivers.

•  Student diversity vs. volume.

•  Quantity vs. quality.

•  Tailored curriculum vs. Traditional curriculum.

•  Teaching and learning vs. independent self study.

•  Balancing recruitment with investments across the living and

learning facilities on campus.

•  Maintaining control and academic integrity of all public and

private sector partnerships.

•  Delivering the core campus proposition vs. transnational

expansion.

Delivering the Internationalisation agenda

•  A resource demanding and transformational process.

•  More than international student recruitment volumes.

•  More than new programmes.

•  Investments in staff, domestic student mobility, curriculum,

buildings, services, change management etc.

•  Beyond nation marketing.

•  Building/rebuilding trust and credibility with parents, students,

employers and institutional peer groups.

•  All above require simultaneous and multiple investments to

create new and strengthened University assets in order for there

to be authenticity in the proposition.

INTERNATIONALISATION in Higher Education Institutions

A GLOBAL THEME OCCURING WITHOUT THE INVESTMENT IN ASSETS TO SUPPORT IT!?

Some of the key assets

•  Global Brand: A global Brand presence to ensure diversity and

reach in student base and its impact on research.

•  Market Intelligence: Awareness and understanding of student

trends and demands worldwide and to respond.

•  Curriculum: Innovation, reorganisation and accessibility

•  Leadership: a commitment to a vision and the change

management agenda to achieve it. •  The Service Proposition: responsiveness, programmes and

services.

•  Facilities for learning and living that reflect a premium price

experience.

•  Collaboration Processes and Alliance between leading

Universities.

Why an Asset approach matters

•  Delivering authenticity and the promise to students.

•  The student experience:

•  Begins before arrival on campus.

•  Success depends on academic and non-academic factors.

•  Academic credibility will be dampened by living experiences from

student interactions, nationality diversity, support services, learning

facilities and accommodation.

•  Success and a positive experience drives student satisfaction and

advocacy – Word of Mouth.

•  Avoid ghettos of international students and create the stimuli for

domestic student engagement.

•  To support the core mission of the University and its relevance to

domestic students.

•  Universities are not necessarily geared to student service orientated and

responsive.

Breaking Away from the crowd MAKING THE BIG LEAP INTO A BRAVE NEW WORLD

Global Higher Education trends

•  International student mobility at all time high (2.3million students)

and will continue to grow despite significant growth in national

capacities and quality.

•  Increasing trend towards more bite-sized multi-country mobility -

initially driven by cost and study abroad but now by employability and

confidence in local systems.

•  Cross border provision remains high but student segments changing and narrowing.

•  Growing emphasis from employers on international experience

NOT JUST qualifications.

•  Key growth in mobility will come from Europe and USA through

study abroad.

Theneedforuniversi'estoinvestindifferen'a'onandauthen'city.

Unprecedentedchoiceforinterna'onalstudents…andthequalifica'onsalllookssimilar!...andmaybethe

Universi'estoo!

Is the currency of the future going to be the qualification

or the student experience with a

“recognised” university brand?

Flickr CC flickr.com/photos/glennharper/486871239/

DeliveringonthePromise:Mee'ngstudentexpecta'onsandaspira'ons…

HASNEVERMATTEREDMORE!

What makes a good student experience?

•  Rankings are important but…

•  The Learning Experience

•  Curriculum

•  Tutors

•  Peers

•  A multi-cultural experience - making it an international

adventure.

•  Friends and networks for life.

•  Living and Learning Facilities.

•  Career and employment enhancement and support.

•  Skills for life as well as academic learning and attainment.

•  Services - support and in particular living and learning.

integration and the internet access (connecting with home).

•  Having expectations exceeded, a remarkable experience and

something to talk about!

AND THE CONSISTENT SOURCES OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT DISSATISFACTION?

•  Engagement with Domestic Students

•  Diversity of international student mix

•  Personal internet access and other services to support individuals

•  Feeling of enhanced employability

•  Welcome and integration

•  Unresponsiveness of University prior to coming to the University

International Student Expectations: A snapshot of their world in the 21st Century

•  More demanding and empowered by choice.

•  Digital natives.

•  More media aware and sceptical.

•  Faster to complain and less tolerant of poor service.

•  Less loyal – it needs to be earnt and is not automatic.

•  Demanding and searching for authenticity.

•  Prepared to listen to their peers.

•  Experiential.

•  Socially aware.

UNRAVELING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE… The source of future competitiveness and brand positioning "

Flickr CC flickr.com/photos/candyflossgirl/1131488690/

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS AND PERSONALISATION

THE LITTLE THINGS

MATTER

….and will be talked about.

Flickr CC flickr.com/photos/97834400@N00/411382971/

Managing the conversations through multiple channels

…and it is a two way process

The internationalisation monologue and the risk to trust, credibility and authenticity

INTERNATIONALISATION QUALITY

THE BEST CHOICE FOR YOU!

EMPLOYABLITY STUDENT EXPERIENCE

ASSURED PROGRESS COMPARABLE QUALITY

EMPLOYABILITY NEW WORLD CLASS

WORLD CLASS PROGRAMME IN YOUR CITY

OFFSHORE AND BRANCH CAMPUSES

The age of the Dialogue

and Authenticity

….. Delivering

on the promise has never been more evident!

Slide 0 Slide 0

And will certainly be talked about within web 2.0

China!

Source: Edelman Trust Barometer, 2008

NEW SOURCES OF TRUST AND CREDIBILITY

Source: Edelman Trust Barometer, 2008

The forthcoming age of two-way student mobility

Flickr CC flickr.com/photos/focht/1975594214

USA Study Abroad

Source: Institute of International Education (IIE) available http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=113274 retrieved on 19th November 2007.

USA - Study Abroad Adoption Curve Based on sample responses

Base : Total USA respondents (508) Data Collection : Synovate Graphics and Analysis : INTO Knowledge

How well do we understand this group?

Base : Total UK respondents (505)

UK - Study Abroad Adoption Curve

Data Collection : Synovate Graphics and Analysis : INTO Knowledge

How well do we understand this group?

Study Abroad Student in the UK: Would you recommend the university to other students thinking of applying here?

Base: USA respondents (600) Base: EU respondents (309) Base: Asia respondents (1,562)

USA EU Asia

Data Collection : i – graduate, 2007/08, Sept-July Graphics and Analysis : INTO Knowledge

Study abroad students in the UK: student satisfaction across a basket of factors

Study Abroad Programs by Provider. Destination -London

The Brand Premium!

More than a theory… real experience in practice

A focus on transformation and the student experience

through partnerships

What is INTO?

•  Vision: The global education partners for leading Universities committed to authenticity in their internationalisation

•  Mission: Transforming the international student experience on the campuses of leading universities in the world

“INTO has at its heart a joint venture. What you get ideally is a win-win between the strong university brand and a strong and very knowledgeable, sympathetic private sector partner.” Professor David Eastwood: Chief Executive, Higher Education Funding Council

England.

INTO’s University partners 2006‐08:FirstpartnerUniversityofEastAnglia,UKwithAcademicpathwaysbaseof45interna>onalstudentsfrom21countries

2008:Over2,900interna>onalpathwaystudentsfrom74countriesacross5UKUniversityPartners

2008:SixthpartnerOregonStateUniversityandfirstinUSAwithfirstofitskindsStateUniversityCampusacademicandlanguagepathwayprogrammesinUSA.

By2012,16partnersin6Countriesand20,000studentsmobilewithinthenetwork

GeXngtherightingredientsandbalanceforsuccess:Itisdifferentforeveryuniversity!

INTO Partnership Ingredients

•  Brand: A focus on building University Brands (not INTO)

•  Student Experience: A leading edge student experience from first

day of awareness to graduation

•  Partnerships: Deeply embedded long-term partnership over a 35

years driving a strategic perspective from all parties.

•  Global Reach: Global sales and marketing infrastructure

•  Facilities: World class facilities for living and learning

•  Programmes: University leadership and control of academic content

and quality.

•  Services: Central admissions and a focus on student

responsiveness and personalisation from first enquiry to campus

graduation. •  A like-minded Global Alliance: 16 partnerships in 6 countries by

2012 facilitating the mobility of 22,000 students worldwide by 2015.

Pathways curricula for internationalisation

•  Preparation for success and managed quality in international students.

•  Quality management on campus and not assured remotely •  Assured Quality into mainstream degree programmes •  Addresses the lack of consistency and direct comparability in

overseas education systems and teaching cultures. •  Managing language development and broad spectrum of test

scores versus actual ability •  Student transition into new culture and academic

environment

INTIAL TAKE OFF AND TRAJECTORY: UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

THE INTO PARTNERSHIP IMPACT. (NOTE: RECRUTIMENT VOLUMES TO CAPACITY AT UEA)

Collective Channel Reach and Brand Resonance: from student satisfaction to advocacy

Some Outcomes in INTO partners •  Quantity: Transformational increases in international student enrolments in

pathways.

•  Brand Profile: Transformation in direct high quality enrolments.

•  The Student Experience: Increases in student satisfaction and more

importantly advocacy.

•  Institutional Collaboration: joint promotion and curriculum sharing and

recognition.

•  Quality: Increasing direct entry standards as grey area students move into

pathways AND pathway students outperforming students admitted directly in

subsequent years.

•  Facilities: New living and learning facilities in the heart of the campus.

•  Domestic Student Engagement: New campus internationalisation and

engagement strategies and growth in study abroad.

•  Sustainability: Internationalisation built around asset and brand building

and diversity in global presence.

In Summary

•  Students will demand Internationalisation to mean more than volume

recruitment as standards and quality continues to rise.

•  The best University brands will be those delivering more than just

recruitment and will be focused on improving their core campus

provision and support/engagement services.

•  The student experience and delivering on the promise never more

important - authenticity matters!

•  To meet this agenda, Universities need to explore internationalisation

through a comprehensive development and investment strategy that

looks at all its assets…and assess if can they do it on their own.

•  INTO University Partnerships tries to support Universities worldwide

in meeting this agenda by empowering Universities to develop assets

to support internationalisation and ultimately Brand profile through a

unique partnership model.

Thank You for Listening!

If you wish, you can download this presentation at

www.into-knowledge.com