Think Education

International Voices - Dr Ahmed Shaban

In this latest Think Education podcast, Prof Christopher Hill talks to Dr Ahmed Shaban about his work with the Sharjah Private Education Authority and discusses the recent initiative of a four day week in the private schooling system.
Dr Ahmed outlines the process involved in designing, developing and implementing the four-day week within the private education sector in Sharjah (an Emirate of the United Arab Emirates) and reflects on the initial stages of the implementation.
The discussion moved to impact and wellbeing and Dr Ahmed reported on the current findings and feedback received from key stakeholders, the mechanisms in place to fully support the changes, and some of the knock on effects of the change – such as reduced traffic and increased social activity.
I asked Dr Ahmed about the change in the schooling day and where the additional hours of learning ended up.  I was curious to learn how you are able to condense five days into four – and of course, you can’t, not completely.  The four days do become a little longer but the three weekend days are aimed at creating a balance – with considerable resources in place to support family activity, camps and wellbeing.
As the first such experiment of this nature in the Arab World, the Sharjah Four-Day Week is a fascinating initiative that seeks to better understand student learning, wellbeing and social interaction.  While this is still a work in progress – with an ongoing review process in place – there are already interesting findings (available in the report linked below) to mull over and reflect upon.
 
Four Working Days: An impact study on productivity and quality of life from the perspective of private education in Sharjah
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-shaban-phd-697a1427/?originalSubdomain=ae
https://spea.shj.ae/
 
#fourdayweek #wellbeing #privateeducation #spea #UAE #education #studentlearning

The Second Book -Published and Available

Hot off the press!!  Judith and Chris discuss the release of their latest book and reflect on the process of writing it. 
The Evolving Nature of Universities: What Shapes and Influences Identity in International Higher Education
(Routledge 2023: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003389361)
In previous podcasts, Judith and Chris discussed the start of the process and how they developed both the ideas and the practical aspects of the book.  In this episode, they reflect back on how initial ideas evolved and how new ones emerged.  It is seemingly a good idea to be open to inspiration and to allow a little freedom as you write – you never know where the next good idea will come from.
Judith and Chris talked about the sheer enjoyment and opportunities to learn that come from working with collaborators and the absolute need to increase the different perspectives to which we are exposed.  A staple in our books is the student voice chapter and to this we added a parental perspective.  It is often easy to think we understand the world in which we live and work – largely because we have occupied space within it for a while – but there is always scope to learn more and to think more deeply.
This second book is a book of questions – as was the first one – and we realise that answers are not the point of why we do this.  Questions, the ability to ask them and learn from opinions, perspectives and experiences, is.
As is often the way with these things, Chris found out about the release of the book by reading a post from, most definitely friend of the podcast, Vicky Lewis!
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003389361/evolving-nature-universities-christopher-hill-judith-lamie
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drvickylewis/
https://www.ted.com/talks/dr_christopher_hill_the_ego_and_the_k_id
 
#secondbook #writingpartnership #collaboration #studentvoice #internationalisation #identity

Working with Contributors - REPEAT EPISODE

Another repeat episode for the summer period!
In this episode, Judith and I chat about our writing process and how we collaborated with colleagues around the world.  Writing can often be a tricky business but if you can find people you like working with, like listening to, and like learning from, it can be a whole lot easier!
If you haven't already heard this one, please enjoy Judith and I chatting about how we write, how we work with contributors to develop ideas and to learn from alternative perspectives.
#writingabook #workingwithothers #workingatdistance #collaboration #partnerships

Writing the Second Book - REPEAT EPISODE

As the summer is fully upon us and people are perhaps a little less likely to listen to podcasts, we didn't want to put up new content with interesting colleagues - for fear that the episodes wouldn't be as widely appreciated as they should be.  So instead, we thought it better to stick with just us!
As our second book is now imminent, our thoughts turned back to the start of the process.  Or maybe the middle, it is hard to keep track sometimes!\
If you haven't already heard this one, please enjoy Judith and I chatting about how we write, how we come up with ideas, and how we manage to produce work at distance.  If you have already heard this (thank you for listening) and perhaps you can enjoy it anew!
#writingabook #workingatdistance #collaboration #partnerships

International Voices - Paula Sanderson

In this latest #ThinkEducation podcast, @ProfChrisHill talks to Paula Sanderson @PaulaSanderso16 about the leadership, training, identity and space in TNE.  Paula, COO Interim Middlesex University has held Chief Operating Officer roles at Queen Mary University of London, SOAS University of London, and University of Reading Malaysia, as well as senior operations roles at the University of Sydney and University of Exeter.
Paula reflects on her doctoral work on governance and ethics in international education, and her time working in various international TNE operations, to discuss issues of cultural awareness; communication; training needs; and development opportunities.
I asked Paula about her work on space and how replicating the home campus exactly can actually create barriers and obstacles for TNE students, rather than the sense of sameness.  We talked about the challenges of navigating the need to replicate quality and the desire to contextualize the experience, and then – if possible – to exchange information and knowledge from the branch campus to the home campus.
We talked about the values and identity and the need to be more fully aware of where we are going, what we are able to do when we get there, and what we are prepared to accept.  We reflected on the role of a university and the notion of identity – as connected to values – and what happens when we transplant to another system, country and set of rules, beliefs and laws.
Social mobility should be for all
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-paula-sanderson-323a7745/
 
#socialmobility #TNE #Malaysia #professionaldevelopment #culturalawareness #accreditation #communication #leadership

International Voices - Hugh Martin

In this latest Think Education podcast @ProfChrisHill talked to Hugh Martin, Registrar and Chief Administrative Officer at The British University in Dubai, about the role of universities within society and the value of education.
Hugh reflected on his extensive experience in Higher Education senior management to discuss the power universities have to make a positive impact upon society, and indeed how they have an invaluable role in providing spaces for discourse, information interrogation and knowledge dissemination.  Hugh reflected that universities could certainly do more to demonstrate their value and that the power of higher education, when not viewed as a mere stepping stone to employment, can be instrumental in shaping and developing society.
Our conversation moved through the learning experience and how the pressures that young people face today – in terms of deciding their future – could be better replaced with choices and options for learning.  By creating space and time to think and develop, universities have a vital role to play in supporting youth development and encouraging creativity.  Moving away from a content driven model to one that supports interdisciplinary learning will better prepare students for life and not just for work.
There are probably more poets around than we realise!
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugh-martin/
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/author/hugh-martin
#internationalhighered #society #employabilityagenda #youthdevelopment #degreevalue #discourse #teachingandlearning
 

International Voices - Perry Hobson

In this latest Think Education podcast @ProfChrisHill talks to Professor Perry Hobson, Director of BUas Academy for Tourism at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, about the timely issue of international students and how they are viewed in different contexts.
As students around the world are navigating the summer period and thinking about upcoming study activity, travel and new chapters and challenges, we took this podcast session to think about how we in the academic community, and society more broadly, think about international students and how they could be better supported.
Perry reflects on his time in the Netherlands and the way in which international students are counted, viewed and even courted. Our attention then, rather predictably, turned to the situation in the UK and the politicization of international students. 
We discussed student mobility and differing approaches to attracting and supporting international students during their studies and the ever thorny issue of what you do with them once they have graduated. We reflected on our collective experiences in the UAE, Malaysia, the UK, the Netherlands and Australia to think about value and experience.
How you count something dramatically impacts its value!
https://lnkd.in/dgjhvFmQ 
#internationalstudents #politicsinhigheredcuation #studentmobility #internationalhighered #recruitment #UAE #Australia #UK #Malaysia #economicbenefits #studentexperience

International Voices - Fion Choon Boey Lim

In this latest Think Education podcast @ProfChrisHill talked to Fion Lim, Associate Professor in General Management at UTS Business School in Sydney Australia, about TNE partnerships, online learning and the student experience.
 
Fion reflected on her extensive experience in TNE partnership management to discuss partnerships pre and post-COVID, what worked in the past, want doesn’t work now, and what could work in the future.
 
We talked about emerging trends in TNE partnership and the possible role for branch campuses and hybrid learning in this space.  Fion reflected on her experience working with partners in China to offer insights into key opportunities and challenges of engagement and partnership development.
 
We talked about how we measure success in TNE and the need to move away from the pure business model and focus instead on the student experience, impact and relevance of the degree.  Fion highlighted examples where the teaching material and content delivered in TNE arrangements was of little to no relevance to the local student population, or context, and how this impacted the quality of education and the perceived value of the degree itself.  There is a need for parity, if not equality, in partnerships and this can only serve to strengthen the arrangement, improve the student learning experience, and further support sustainable activity.
 
Successful TNE puts the student first
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionlimcb/
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Ac8IrNwAAAAJ&hl=en
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/quality-assurance-online-transnational-higher-education
 
Christopher Hill & Fion Choon Boey Lim (2022) Sustainability of transnational education: learning from Asia and the Gulf cooperation council, Quality in Higher Education, 28:3, 271-288, DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1987889
 
#TNEpartnerships #internationalhighered #China #Australia #hybridlearning #contextualunderstanding #knowledgeexchange

International Voices - Jack Lee

In this latest Think Education podcast, @ProfChrisHill talks to @_Jacktlee Lecturer in Comparative Education and Education Policy @EdinburghUni about his recent article Romanticizing decolonization and Asian epistemology: reflections on identity and space and his journey through international higher education. In September 2023, Jack will be joining UofGlasgow as a Senior Lecturer.
Jack reflected on the role of agency in international higher education and how this can dictate both identity and activity.  Jack talked about the Global South and the varying levels of development and power that exist within such a wide area.  Jack used his international experience to reflect on motivations and realities in different countries and the need to be critical of information sources and to interrogate assumptions.
Jack talked about hybrid mobility and the impact that student movement can have on ideas, identity and realities.  We discussed the changing policies and motivations of countries when it comes to student mobility (both inbound and outbound) and the extent to which this can dictate how students are viewed as individuals, as part of a collective or even as commodities.
We discussed identity, those we choose for ourselves and those that are imposed upon us.  We talked about space in international higher education and issues raised by Paula Sanderson in her doctoral thesis about how identity is constructed and barriers can be put in place by the very nature of TNE operations; and Natalie Koch’s work on the shifting geopolitics of higher education.  Jack talked about the notion of false equivalency and the need to be more contextually aware and inclusive – such that we can seek to increase awareness and engagement.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-lee-85712b18/
 
Lee, J. T. (2023). Asian higher education as soft power? In D. Kapur, L. Kong, & D. M. Malone (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Higher Education in the Asia Pacific Region (p. 500-513). Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-higher-education-in-the-asia-pacific-region-9780192845986
 
#globalsouth #decolonisation #indigenousknowledge #iintenationalhighered #transnationaleducation #comparativeeducation 

International Voices - Angela Yung-chi Hou

In this latest #ThinkEducation #podcast episode, @ProfChrisHill talked to Prof Angela Yung-chi Hou - Professor of Higher Education and Associate Dean of College of Education, National Chengchi University (@nccu1927) Taiwan – about quality assurance in Asia.  We discussed emerging trends and the ways in which QA agencies are responding.
 
Angela reflected on conducting quality assurance activities during the pandemic and what changes have been retained, by agencies, as a result.  Angela explored the challenges in cross border collaboration and joint degree accreditation and discussed the role of governments and external agencies.  We talked about the role of stakeholders and the need to involve students more explicitly in the process.
 
Angela outlined the key challenges ahead for quality assurance and offered her perspective on what this might mean practically moving forwards.
 
We can all learn from each other, so let’s keep on talking.
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-yung-chi-hou-0b0279208/?originalSubdomain=tw
 
#qualityassurance #qualityassuranceagencies #onlinesitevisit #ASEAN #studentmobility #crossbordercollaboration #jointdegreeprogrammes #Asia #Taiwan #HongKong #China #NationalChengchiUniversity