EMI and the international branch campus

Transnational higher education (TNHE), often based on export models of Western-based universities and driven by neoliberal market economy agendas, has spread across the globe. One example of TNHE is Qatar’s Education City where six prestigious American international branch campuses (IBCs) all administer their degrees through English medium instruction (EMI). While there is a burgeoning amount of research investigating and problematizing issues in EMI higher education institutions, IBCs are a unique EMI setting due to their heavy reliance on importing faculty, staff, curricula and practices from their home campuses. Thus, this study takes an ethnographic case study approach to examine the language planning and policy and linguistic landscape at one IBC in Qatar. Drawing on multiple sources of data, the study reveals both the overt and covert language policies and ideologies of the institution and its various stakeholders, and the extent to which languages other than English are used and accepted.

Two decades of international branch campus development, 2000–2020: a review

PurposeThe research aims to assess the achievements and challenges of international branch campuses (IBCs) to date and to consider how IBC development may progress in the future.Design/methodology/approachThe article presents a review of the scholarly and grey literatures on IBCs. The commentary and discussion is structured around the objectives, perspectives and experiences of three key stakeholder groups, namely the institutions that own IBCs, students and host countries.FindingsSome IBCs have failed to achieve their student recruitment and financial targets, while others have been successful, often expanding and moving into new, larger, purpose-built campuses. In the last few years, several countries have announced their intention to become a transnational education hub, or at least to allow the establishment of IBCs. It may be reasonable to assume that when there is demand for a product, supply will eventually follow. IBCs will survive and prosper as long as they provide benefits to each of their main stakeholder groups (i.e. students, institutions and governments), and as long as the local demand for higher education places exceeds the total supply.Originality/valueThe article provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of IBC developments and research during the period 2000–2020. The findings and conclusions will be of interest to both researchers and practitioners.

First Year Transition Through a Cultural Lens: Face Strategies of Vietnamese Students

While Vietnamese students continue to enrol in international branch university campuses in Vietnam, little is known about the Vietnamese first year transition into these institutions, especially from a cultural perspective. This article presents the findings of four case studies that explored the face strategies used by Vietnamese undergraduate business students in transition to an international branch campus based in Vietnam. The use of collectivist and individualist face strategies was examined in three phases: at commencement, mid-way and at the end of the first year of studies. The findings suggest that collectivist face strategies might not be employed as often as expected by Vietnamese first year students in this context even though they transition from a Confucian heritage culture. Understanding face strategies can help anticipate challenges of Vietnamese students studying in English-medium environments and inform culturally sensitive practices in teaching and learning.

Student Mobility in Transnational Higher Education: Study Abroad at International Branch Campuses

The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which universities actively encourage students to participate in study abroad at an international branch campus (IBC) owned by the university. We suggest that the quality of information on study abroad provided by an institution in its website may be a good indicator of the institution’s ambition (or not) to have students moving from the home university to a branch campus for study abroad. The selected institution websites were subjected to mixed-method data analysis, which included a content analysis procedure. It was found that some universities appear motivated to achieve IBC-based study abroad and demonstrate the required marketing communication competencies required, while other institutions possibly lack motivation and/or marketing competency. To effectively promote IBC-based study abroad, we advise universities to address the student decision-making process, as suggested by the hierarchy of effects model.

Examining the linkage between class attendance at university and academic performance in an International Branch Campus setting

The relationship between class attendance and academic performance has been an important area of research, with a positive association being posited between the two. The setting for our study is an International Branch Campus (IBC) of a British university that needs to demonstrate the quality of its service delivery both to the parent institution and to the fee-paying students. We employ a dataset of over 900 students in an undergraduate degree programme and subject it to statistical techniques, namely quantile regression and two-stage quantile regression. Our results show that attendance has a beneficial influence on academic performance and this benefit persists at higher percentile of grades. We propose that IBCs could consider an attendance policy that encourages students to attend classes.

Students' choice of international branch campus in Malaysia: a gender comparative study

PurposeIn the last decade, female students' enrolment in higher education has experienced significant growth. However, male and female students still differ in criteria set of choosing higher education institutions. While several studies have been disentangled in developed countries in analyzing gender differences in pursuing higher education, a similar area of studies conducted in developing countries is scarce. The purpose of this study is to examine gender differences and the factors that influence first-year students' choice of higher education in a developing country.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved 575 students who were either enrolled in an undergraduate or foundation program of an international branch campus. We tested the hypotheses using partial least squares multigroup analysis (PLS-MGA).FindingsOur results revealed that graduate employability, information sources, program characteristics, institution characteristics and campus safety were influential factors affecting the students' institutional choice. The MGA results also indicated that gender differences exist in selecting higher education institutions. Male students are more strongly influenced by information sources such as family, friends, media compared with female students.Originality/valueVery few international branch campus choice studies explore gender differences in developing countries. This study enriches the current literature of institutional choice through the lens of an Asian developing country and extends the discourse regarding the role of gender in influencing students' institutional choice, of which they are commonly overlooked in most literature. The study has significant implications for student recruitment managers in higher education institution to develop marketing strategies targeting to potential male and female students.

Balance of Power: The Governance Structure of International Branch Campus in China

Overseas branch campus is an important component of the internationalization of higher education. This research studies three branch campuses in China—NYU-Shanghai, Duke Kunshan and Wenzhou-Kean University, analyzing their senior leaderships and the power of the home university and the local partners. Though this research is still in process, it would certainly contribute to our understanding of the internationalization of higher education in China and help institutions to choose appropriate strategies.

International Branch Campus and and Institutional Social Capital

The number of international branch campuses (IBCs) has continued to increase over the past few decades. Despite this increase, empirical research is lacking when it comes to the social implications for both the institutions engaged in transnational higher education through the development of IBCs and the students participating in these degree programs. The students studying at international branch campuses are both local and international, undertaking an international education without venturing overseas. The purpose of this study is to understand how students who have studied and are currently studying at an IBC narrate their experiences and expectations from transnational higher education, particularly focusing on the development and manifestation of institutional social capital and students’ ability to use this social capital in their specific local contexts. Through a pilot study employing semi-structured one-on-one interviews and focus group interactions with current students and alumni of an American IBC in Singapore, it is found that enrollment at IBC is mostly a feature of lack of access to one of the local universities, which hold the highest status. However, for some students with an interest in pursuing jobs or graduate studies overseas, earning an American degree is seen as a way to enhance their career prospects. The development of a strong alumni group in Singapore is highlighted as a way to increase the value of the degree in the Singapore context.