1. SIG-Transnational Education Second meeting
Esther Wilkinson
Transnational Education lead, GN4-2 Task 1, GÉANT
Head of International, Jisc
APAN45
28 March 2018

2. Agenda Introduction to GÉANT SIG-TNE (09.00-09.10)
Esther Wilkinson, Jisc
TNE data – regional, national and global ( )
John Chapman, Internet2
Global TNE policies ( )
Alexander van den Hil, SURFnet
TNE service development, challenges and opportunities ( )
Wan Li, CERNET
Tools, Toolkits and resources ( )
Introduction to GÉANT Up2U Project ( )
Peter Szegedi, GÉANT
Concluding remarks and next steps ( )

3. Transnational education and mobility
Transnational education (TNE) is the mobility of higher education programmes and institutions/providers across international borders
We need to focus in the E in REN, often obscured
What do we mean by transnational education? More about global mobility of students, teaching and learning
TNE in some form has existed for decades
It can be confusing as there are many different names in different countries to refer to the same thing - cross-border, transnational, borderless and offshore education.
British Council definition – “TNE is the mobility of HE programmes and institutions/providers across international borders.” Important to note the mutuality and reciprocal nature in this definition. It is no longer the case that TNE activity is one directional with for example UK, US and Australia looking to set up in other countries. It is more about mobility between countries. This year it was announced that Peking University will open a branch campus in Oxford.
TNE is attractive to students seeking to gain a overseas qualification without moving from their country of residence
Types of TNE activities can be divided into independent or collaborative. For example, international branch campuses can operate completely independently in an another country; whereas conversely a joint university will be shared enterprise and investment two or more partner universities.
Type of TNE Activity
Overseas branch of UK awarding institution (‘branch campus’)
Overseas partnership
- students registered at UK institution
- students registered at overseas institution
Distance/online learning (may involve in- country support centre)
Blended learning can be a combination of these.

4. Fundamental aspects of TNE
Global teaching and learning
Achieving the highest levels of pedagogical impact in the classroom and beyond
Synchronous: new pedagogical models, experiential and location based learning, hands on fieldwork in different parts of the world; simultaneous T&L across time and space
Asynchronous: online learning, learning platforms
The global student
Supporting mobility on and off campus, in whichever country, learn collectively and opportunities to supplement and accentuate student experience
Global administration and support
Shared systems e.g. student records, examination and enrolment systems
All of this needs to be seamless, and efficient connectivity fundamentally, although this is generally an afterthought.
What are the requirements, technologies and software for each?
Differing modes – Campus, partnership and online – will all have a different set of technical requirements.
Expectations and demands of students are changing, with 24/7 connections and support, more face time interaction with those delivering education, and a more digitally enabled curriculum
Additional background:
Normally, international NREN service delivery is framed in terms of reachability between distinct, nationally organised NREN communities connecting across borders, responsible for arranging connectivity to other NRENs, and delivering connectivity nationally. TNE changes this paradigm by blurring the boundaries of community and geography:
An IBC from A is established in country B. The ICB may join the NREN community in B, however if they are unable to connect for whatever reason, will arrange their own connectivity (which may be costly, poor service). Clearly NREN B is better positioned to deliver.
A partnership between country A and B delivering courses together. NRENs in both countries don’t have the specific knowledge of the specific connectivity requirements from respective user communities and there is no mechanism in place to ensure high quality connectivity delivery. This leads to a poor technological setup and student experience. The best outcomes are achieved if both NRENs are involved.
So this needs good knowledge of global TNE, good coordination and a consistent approach. Other complexities include different NREN policies and offerings, and different country environments and regulations.
We’ve built global R&E network infrastructure to enable T, L and R across national boundaries so how do we make the most of it. But this changes the paradigm of international NREN service delivery so that TNE services are better accommodated. Otherwise commercial providers may increasingly play a role to meet this need.
Drivers include student digital education and experience, reciprocal country benefits and development of pedagogies
The opportunity for collaboration:
NRENs could increase their value to their core education constituencies by presenting a stronger TNE proposition, and that also provides differentiation from commercial providers;
NRENs could increase their ROI already made in existing infrastructure by supporting TNE activities and potentially motivate new investment
Increased demand for connectivity could provide new revenue opportunities
Collaboration on TNE could lead to wider collaboration opportunities

5. Context
GÉANT funded area of work – importance of supporting transnational education and mobility with technology requiring global infrastructure and services
Past sessions at APAN 2016, TNC16, TNC17; Internet2 Global Summit 2016, 2017; Chinese American Networking Symposium 2015, 2016, 2017, and ASREN e-Age 2015, 2017 to share experiences, best practice and case studies
Established GÉANT SIG for TNE led by Steering Committee:
CERNET (Wan Li)
GARR (Claudio Allocchio)
Internet2 (Urszula Chomicka)
Jisc (Esther Wilkinson)
SURFnet (Alexander van den Hil)
Workshop held at Internet2 Global Summit (April 2017) to identify key challenges and opportunities for working together
Inaugural meeting of SIG-TNE at TNC17
An area that GEANT are supporting – see the relevance, and need for global collaboration
Past sessions have focussed on sharing experiences/bets practice/case studies, but now need to move this area on to make a difference

6. The ‘Big Issues’
TNE data – regional, national and global – what exists now and how do we obtain it? What more do we need?
Global TNE policies (the strategic challenge) – how do we develop consistent policies to support TNE, e.g. connectivity and services, charging models?
TNE service development, challenges and opportunities - (the operational challenge) – interoperability, measurement, what will a service bundle look like, for both NRENs and the institutions we support?
Tools, toolkits and resources - what is in development/do we need to develop to help us share information and support TNE, for both NRENs and the institutions we support?
These are the four big issues that we identified as a SC from the I2GS meeting in 2017
Now need help and engagement in addressing each of these four areas – how can you be engaged and involved?
Important to consider the different audiences and perspectives:
Sending NREN
Receiving NREN
NREN developing TNE support
Education institution delivering TNE
Possibly also policy stakeholders and government in country – those we may need to influence

7. Workstream 4: Tools, toolkits and resources
Esther Wilkinson
Transnational Education lead, GN4-2 Task 1, GÉANT
Head of International, Jisc
APAN45
28 March 2018

8. Scope: Tools, toolkits and resources
To identify tools and resources already in existence to enable NRENs to support TNE, individually and globally and enable accessibility
To develop a suite of tools and resources to enable NRENs to support TNE, individually and globally and enable accessibility
To understand requirements of tools and resources to more directly support education institutions or policy stakeholders in the NREN country
What is out there that we can share?
What do we need to develop – for you, for your education sector and stakeholders?
What do we need to do next?
Need to consider audiences – what are we developing for who.

9. Example: GÉANT Interactive Connectivity Map
Audience: global NRENs, policy stakeholders, education institutions
Find at map.geant.org
Further development work planned on TNE by Jisc and Global REN CEO Forum
Overlays may include:
NREN contact details and connection policies
Local ISP connectivity and contact details
TNE activities (both sending and receiving)
Regulatory and policy information including British Council ‘Global Gauge’
Quality assurance information
Web map is being developed and linked in with other NRENs e.g. Canarie. TNE interactive map planned with for example local NREN and ISP contacts, regulatory and policy info.
The Global Gauge is an interactive higher education policy monitor to be used alongside ‘The shape of global higher education’ research reports. 
  This study identifies three areas where national governments can provide an enabling environment to their higher education institutions to internationalise and forge collaborations: a) Openness: government-level commitment to internationalisation; environment enabling international mobility of students, researchers, academic programmes and university research; b) Quality assurance and recognition: A regulatory environment to facilitate the international mobility of students, education providers and academic programmes. c) Access and sustainability: Promoting student/academic mobility and international research collaboration; consideration of possible unintended consequences of internationalisation.

10. Example: ‘In the Field’
Audience: global NRENs, policy stakeholders, education institutions
Handful of case studies on TNE – more needed!
We need more Education examples

11. Example: Jisc TNE Toolkit
Audience: UK higher education institutions
Developed in response to community demand
Developed by the Jisc TNE Tech SIG
Launched in summer 2018
Toolkit will:
Share advice and best practice
Highlight common challenges
Provide country-specific information
Will be developed into online tool and become part of Jisc ‘TNE offer’
Jisc is developing a toolkit for the UK community, in consultation with the community. Highlighting common challenges as possible solutions.
This will be developed for NRENs.
Simple checklists for an NREN to consider (and for an education institution to consider) when embarking on establishing and supporting TNE
Country specific info – this is where we can all work together to help develop this.

12. Example: UK (Jisc) TNE Tech Special Interest Group
Audience: UK education institutions (both higher and further education)
Established in March 2016, made up of representatives from UK HEIs (including IT, library leads, academic leads, coordination roles and international departments ) as well as TNE policy leads across the sector (Quality Assurance Agency, Universities UK international, British Council, Association of Colleges)
Current membership: 34 representatives from 23 HEIs (and expanding)
Building a network to share best practice, provide peer to peer advice
Discussion topics have included: the future of TNE/TNE 2.0; support packages for TNE; overseas licensing
Initially tasked with developing a toolkit to support delivery of TNE due to be published summer 2018
Sector group being established in UK
Sharing developments in the sector
Including stakeholder leads,
NRENs role in facilitating this?

13. Example: TNE Registration Form
Audience: global and regional RENs
Operational tool for (N)RENs to capture appropriate information and contacts to support and TNE
Adapted and adopted for HEAnet
Jisc working on online form to make ‘application’ to (N)RENs
An example of efficiencies – practical tools to capture information needed to take the next steps in TNE support.

14. GÉANT SIG-TNE Wiki
Audience: global and regional RENs, education institutions
Access to past TNE sessions, reports and presentations
Resources: articles and blogs, reports and case studies, links and websites, other groups
Events past and future
Have set up GEANT TNE SIG and Wiki site with resources
Access to previous resources and discussions
Needs input from you

15. Concluding remarks and next steps
Esther Wilkinson
Transnational Education lead, GN4-2 Task 1, GÉANT
Head of International, Jisc
APAN45
28 March 2018

16. Next steps for SIG-TNE
Launch SIG-TNE Workplan at Internet2 Global Summit, May Call for SIG members to engage with specific tasks
Develop white paper on TNE support for consultation with SIG- TNE members
Established sub-group of Global REN CEO to focus on TNE and develop global connectivity policy (links with GNA)
Continue to develop SIG-TNE Wiki site global resources
Continue outreach and engagement activities with NRENs and their communities
Develop Value Proposition for Education?

17. Contact: esther.wilkinson@jisc.ac.uk