3 Transnational education in the Netherlands
3.3 Overall assessment of the current offer
3.3.2 Number and types of exported programmes and main target countries
The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE) has made an attempt to map the existing branch campus operations in the world. One Dutch university appears in their report from 2006, namely the CHN with its branches in Qatar and South Africa62. Also, Eindhoven University of Technology and Business School Netherlands (BSN) appear in publications of the OBHE as providers of transnational education through a branch campus in Nigeria63.
60 Marginson, S., et al., Thematic Review of Tertiary Education, OECD, Paris: 2007. 61 Vossensteyn et al, Offshore education, Utrecht: 2007.
62 Verbik, L., Merkley, C., The International Branch Campus – Models and Trends, The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, London: 2006.
63 New competition? New market? Dutch university opens branch in Nigeria. The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, Breaking News Article, 4th April 2004, and A move up the value chain? The Netherlands adopts a code of conduct for international education, The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, Breaking News Article, 18th May 2006.
The following table is using the model of the OBHE to map the provision of transnational education in the Netherlands. The information is based on the seven Dutch institutions included in the case studies and partner scenario-interviews64 and the information available from the OBHE. The various modes of delivery (branch campus, joint degree, franchising, twinning programmes, and “flying teachers”) were defined in accordance with the guidelines for this study. The summary includes currently operational and planned activities.
As indicated in table 3, several Dutch institutions operate in various ways in the field of transnational education. Joint degrees65, branch campuses and twinning or franchising arrangements are the most common modes of delivery. The programmes spread across several continents and regions of the world, though the majority of current or planned activities are in Asian countries. The subjects offered vary greatly and there are examples from hotel and tourism to business studies, engineering and public health. The main transnational education provision by the surveyed institutions is at the masters level, which seems to support the overall picture as reported by Adam66.
The Open Universiteit Nederland67 provides distance courses for over 18 000 students. However, its main focus is on Dutch and Flemish speaking students. Currently about 400 students (around 2%) are located outside the Netherlands and Belgium and are likely to be Dutch and Flemish speakers who are temporarily living or working abroad. Attracting students from abroad is not considered as a prime focus for the institution. Distance learning is thus not playing a central role in the transnational education scene in the Netherlands. However, as Vossensteyn et al.68 report, there are currently two distance learning initiatives under development. Their aim is to offer masters level programmes in collaboration with education providers in Australia and the US, for both Dutch students and students from these two countries.
In the Vossensteyn et al. study the regions where Dutch institutions have most activities were Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.69 Some operations take place in the Middle East. The starting point for the export of educational activities in the Netherlands has naturally been the former colonial relations. These regions with cultural, historic or linguistic ties to the Netherlands include South Africa and the Antilles70. There has also been a long association with the islands of Indonesia, but as noted by OECD71, the educational ties in respect to transnational education offer in this country are surprisingly few. The 2004 policy document of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture Koers op Kwaliteit indicates a rising interest in the region of South-East Asia, as six of the nine priority countries (Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam) are in this region. The location of existing and planned NESO offices follows this list of regional priority.
64 Vossensteyn et al, Offshore education, Utrecht: 2007.
65 Although there is no legal framework for the establishment of joint degrees, it is the
recommendation of the national ENIC/NARIC office that joint degrees of recognised higher education institutions should be considered as equivalent to the national degrees.
66 Adam, S., Transnational Education Project Report and Recommendations. Confederation of European Union Rectors’ Conferences, 2001.
67http://www.ou.nl, last accessed 14 May 2008.
68 Vossensteyn et al, Offshore education, Utrecht: 2007. 69 Ibid.
70 Adam, S., Transnational Education Project Report and Recommendations. Confederation of European Union Rectors’ Conferences, 2001.
Table 3: A summary complied on the basis of information available from OBHE and the case studies and partner scenarios in Vossensteyn et al. (2007)
Institution Mode of delivery of
TNE Host Country Subjects offered Local Partner Level
Number of students per year
Funding
model Started Other information
Christelijke Hogeschool
Nederland (CHN) Branch Campus South Africa Hotel and tourism
Bachelors,
Masters Private
Students can follow parts of their education on one or
more CHN branch campuses in the
world CHN Branch Campus Qatar Hotel and tourism Local investment company Bachelors, Masters Private " CHN Branch Campus, Joint degree Thailand Hotel and tourism Rangsit university Bachelors, Masters Private "
CHN Branch Campus Lebanon Hotel and tourism Bachelors, Masters Private 2000 "
CHN Branch Campus China Hotel and tourism Royalton Investment Private 2006
CHN Joint degree Indonesia End of 1990s, unclear if still
active
CHN Joint degree Surinam End of 1990s, unclear if still
active
CHN Joint degree Aruba End of 1990s, unclear if still
active
INHOLLAND Franchising Surinam Economics
A private branch of the Anton de Kom Universiteit in Paramaribo at Stichting Hoger Onderwijs Surinam Bachelors (4 programmes) 385 enrolled in 4 programmes (not clear if per year or current number of
registered)
Tuition
fees 2001
Local staff trained by Dutch partners teach the entire program INHOLLAND Joint Degree China International leisure management Shanghai Normal University development Under
Saxion Hogeschool Twinning Vietnam
International business and management studies, accounting and
finance, marketing and electronical engineering
Local university
The programme includes 3 years in the host country and
1 final year in the Netherlands
Saxion Hogeschool Twinning China
Civil engineering, business information systems, international business and management studies Local university "
International Institute for Geo- information Science
and Earth Observation (ITC)
Franchising Many regions (e.g. China, Africa) information and natural Related to Geo-
resource management Local universities Masters
Approximately 15-20
per programme
University of
Amsterdam Flying teachers South Africa Public health
School of Public health of the University of
Western Cape Masters 2005
University of
Amsterdam Joint degree Bangladesh Public health
James Grant School of Public health, BRAC
university Masters
Under
development
University of
Twente Franchising/Twinning China Business studies
College of Business Administration of Hunan University in Changsha MBA 9 experimental In an phase University of Twente Franchising/Twinning South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and some
European countries
Teacher Training Several partners Masters development Under
Open University of
the Netherlands Distance education Australia University of Sydney Masters development Under
Open University of
the Netherlands Distance education United States Educational research Florida State University Masters
Under
development
Eindhoven University of
Technology
Joint degree Singapore Technological design Singapore, Centre for National university of Design technology
Masters Currently
under review Business School
Netherlands (BSN) Branch campus Nigeria
Marketing, Information management, Operation
and human resources management
African Leadership