A Guide to UK Higher Education and
Partnerships for Overseas Universities
Authors:
Steve Baskerville
Fiona MacLeod
Nicholas Saunders
UK Higher Education International and
Europe Unit
Research Series/9
July 2011
ISBN 978-1-84036-257-2
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Guidelines and tips
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Community
Ask the community
Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts
University Rankings
Discover the best universities in your country according to Docsity users
Free resources
Our save-the-student-ebooks!
Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors
A Guide to UK Higher Education, Essays (high school) of United Kingdom History
This Guide to UK higher education and partnerships, commissioned by the UK Higher Education International and Europe Unit serves as a starting point for overseas institutions interested in establishing collaborations with UK higher education institutions (HEIs).
Typology: Essays (high school)
2010/2011
1 / 52
This page cannot be seen from the preview
Don't miss anything!
Related documents
Partial preview of the text
Download A Guide to UK Higher Education and more Essays (high school) United Kingdom History in PDF only on Docsity!
A Guide to UK Higher Education and
Partnerships for Overseas Universities
Authors: Steve Baskerville Fiona MacLeod Nicholas Saunders
UK Higher Education International and Europe Unit Research Series/ July 2011 ISBN 978-1-84036-257-
Click on the chapter headings to go to the relevant page 3 Foreword 4 Executive summary
5 Chapter 1: Overview of the UK higher education system 5 A long history 6 Key facts and figures 9 Governance
10 Student experience
11 Funding
12 A reputation for excellence
14 Chapter 2: Quality assurance in teaching and research
14 Assuring quality and standards in taught programmes
17 Evaluating the quality and impact of research (RAE/REF)
19 Chapter 3: The internationalisation of UK higher education
19 What it is and why we do it
20 Current issues and challenges
21 UK visa and immigration rules for international students and staff
26 Chapter 4: Teaching collaboration with UK higher education institutions
26 Different types of trans-national education (TNE)
32 Laws and regulations of partner countries
33 Chapter 5: Research collaboration with UK higher education institutions
33 Individual, departmental and institutional collaborations
35 Understanding the research and development spectrum
38 Applying for funding with international partners
39 Split-site PhDs
39 Knowledge exchange and capacity building
40 The commercialisation of collaborative research
42 Chapter 6: Legal issues
42 The UK legal system
43 Preparing the ground
44 Due diligence
46 Documenting the partnership
47 Intellectual property rights
50 Conclusion
Contents
Executive summary
1. This Guide was commissioned by the UK Higher Education International and Europe Unit with the aim of helping overseas universities to establish successful partnerships and collaborative activities with UK universities. It aims to provide clear and accurate information to assist international partners seeking to work more closely and effectively with UK universities. 2. Its purpose is to provide an historical background and understanding of how the UK higher education system operates, followed by information on the types of collaborative opportunities available, and the key considerations overseas institutions need to understand before going into partnership. 3. Partnerships between academic institutions have tended to be the product of working relationships between individual academics; but more recently, as the potential benefits and risks from overseas collaborations have increased, universities and colleges have begun to manage their international partnerships portfolio more effectively. 4. Increasing competition is affecting the way UK universities think about their aspirations and how to maintain their international competitiveness. A strategic shift is underway – away from a focus on international student recruitment (at which the UK sector has been successful) and toward a longer-term and more partnership- based conceptualisation of internationalisation. 5. Governments around the world are increasingly encouraging their universities to embrace the international agenda and to internationalise their institution. They are doing this by supporting and facilitating their higher education sectors to engage at an institutional level with global partners through teaching and research collaboration. 6. The Guide draws on the expertise of several authors who have contributed each chapter. It is intended that the information in the Guide is the most up to date available, although readers are advised to seek confirmation and further advice, especially with regards to Chapter 3 (visa and immigration rules) and Chapter 6 (Legal issues). 7. The Guide is in six chapters, each designed to give a summary of what overseas universities need to know prior to embarking on partnership activities with the UK: Chapter 1: Overview of the UK higher education system Chapter 2: Quality assurance in teaching and research Chapter 3: The internationalisation of UK higher education Chapter 4: Teaching collaboration with UK universities Chapter 5: Research collaboration with UK universities Chapter 6: Legal issues
Overview of the UK higher education system
A long history
1.1 Higher education in the United Kingdom (UK) has a long history. While exact dates are uncertain, teaching in the city of Oxford is documented from 1096, making the University of Oxford the oldest university in the English-speaking world. The University of Cambridge celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2009, commemorating the association of scholars who first gathered in the town in 1209. Three Scottish universities – St Andrews, Glasgow and Aberdeen – were founded by papal bull in the 15th century and a fourth, the University of Edinburgh, was established by royal charter in 1583.
1.2 A major expansion of higher education in the UK occurred in the 19th century with the awarding of royal charters to St. David’s College, Lampeter (subsequently part of the University of Wales), Durham University, King’s College London, and University College London. In addition, the later part of the century saw the foundation of medical, science and engineering colleges in England’s major industrial cities, some of which eventually amalgamated to become the so-called ‘redbrick’ universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield. By the end of World War II, the UK had nine universities and a number of university colleges, many of whose students received external degrees from the University of London.
1.3 During the 1950s and 1960s, as a direct response to the demands of an expanding population and the needs of an increasingly technological economy, the UK government set out to expand the higher education sector. New colleges of advanced technology were established from 1956 onwards and were awarded university status in 1966; Aston, Bath, Bradford, Brunel, City, Loughborough, Salford and Surrey all became universities in this way, with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology going on to become a constituent part of what is now Cardiff University in 1988. A further 13 UK institutions including Hull and Leicester, both former university colleges, gained university status during these two decades and the seven new universities of East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Lancaster, Sussex, Warwick and York were also created.
1.4 Further expansion followed in 1992 when, by means of the Further and Higher Education Act^1 , the UK government granted university status to 35 former polytechnics and to a number of other institutions, principally colleges of higher and further education. A small number of other higher education institutions have also been granted university status since this date. Collectively these universities are referred to as ‘post-92’ or ‘modern’ universities, though it should be noted that many of them have long and illustrious histories as vocational institutions.
1.5 This gradual expansion means that higher education in the UK is now provided by a diverse range of organisations, and these are known collectively as higher education institutions (HEIs). Many of these are now internationally known, with global reputations based on research excellence and high-quality teaching built up over many years and, in some cases, derived from their early foundation as specialist colleges.
1.6 Such diversity means there is wide choice for both prospective students and potential international collaborative partners; but it is vital that interested parties are matched to the right institution for their particular interests and needs. This publication aims to provide clear and accurate information to assist international partners seeking to work more closely and effectively with UK HEIs.
1 See http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/13/contents
Table 1 Distribution of foreign students in tertiary education, by country of destination (2008) Percentage of foreign tertiary students reported to the OECD who are enrolled in each country of destination
In 2009/10 some 408,685 students were studying wholly or mainly overseas for the award of a UK HEI. Of the total, 68,450 (16.7 per cent) were studying at institutions within the EU, while 340,235 (83.3 per cent) were located outside the EU. Though roughly 1 in 5 was enrolled on a taught postgraduate programme, more than three- quarters were working towards a first degree qualification.^6
Type of provision Number of students
Branch campus 11, Distance learning 74, Collaborative arrangement 115, Partner organisation overseas 208,
1.11 With respect to staff, in 2009-10 UK HEIs employed 117,930 full-time academic staff and 63,665 part-time. When other categories of staff are included, (i.e. administrative and other support personnel) the total figure is estimated to be more than 375,000.
6 More precise figures can be found in HESA, Students in Higher Education Institutions, 2009/10 (February 2011), Tables 3 and 21. For a detailed breakdown of international student market shares, see UK HE International Unit, International Higher Education in Facts and Figures (August 2010), p. 11.
Other partner countries 16.6%
United Kingdom 10%
France 7.3%
Germany 7.3%
United States 18.7%^1
Australia 6.9%
1
Canada 5.5%
Russian Federation 4.3%
Japan 3.8%
Italy 2%
Spain 1.9%
South Africa 1.9%
New Zealand 1.8%
Austria 1.6%
China 1.5%
Switzerland 1.4%
Belgium 1.3%
Netherlands 1.2%
Korea 1.2%
Sweden 1%
Other OECD countries 7.3%
2
- Data relate to international students defined on the basis of their country of residence.
- Year of reference 2007. Source: OECD and UNESCO Institute for Statistics for most data on partner countries. Table C2.7, available on line. See Annex 3 for notes (www.oecd.org/edu/eag2010).
Academic staff (excluding atypical) at UK higher education institutions, 2008/
Full time Part time Total
Total academic staff 117,465 61,575 179,
% female 38% 54% 43% % wholly institutionally financed 72% 89% 78% % financed by NHS/General Medical or General Dental Practice or Department of Health 2% 2% 2% % research only 28% 11% 22% % disabled* 3% 3% 3% % of non-UK nationality 26% 16% 22%
- Based on those staff with known disability status. Disability status is self-declared.
Academic staff by salary range
Contract salary < £17,026 185 1,500 1, Contract salary ≥ £17,026 and < £22,765 1,115 1,380 2, Contract salary ≥ £22,765 and < £30,594 11,180 9,855 21, Contract salary ≥ £30,594 and < £41,118 33,485 24,800 58, Contract salary ≥ £41,118 and < £55,259 47,685 10,280 57, Contract salary ≥ £55,259 23,505 3,545 27,
Academic staff by age
% aged 35 or under 29% 26% 28%
% aged over 35 15% 24% 18%
Academic staff are defined as those staff whose primary function is teaching and/or research and include only those of at least 25% full-time equivalence.
Full-time staff are those whose contracts state that their mode of employment is full time.
Age is at 31 August 2008. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) (2010): Resources of Higher Education Institutions 2007/
Among academic staff, 26 per cent are employed on teaching-only contracts and 22 percent as full-time researchers, but most (52 per cent) are required to engage in both activities. Most have doctorates and many possess professional qualifications. A clear majority of these academics (66 per cent) are employed on permanent or open-ended contracts, with the remainder being engaged for a fixed term, often in connection with an externally-funded project or initiative.^7
7 HESA, ‘Table B: Academic staff (excluding atypical) by source of basic salary, academic employment function, salary range, professorial role, terms of employment and gender 2009/10’ can be found via the
to complete. HNCs and HNDs are provided by more than 400 higher education and further education colleges as well as by universities.
1.18 Other qualifications include postgraduate certificates, such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). In addition, students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can take two-year vocational foundation degrees and then take a ‘top-up’ course to honours degree level on successful completion.
1.19 Changes to the UK’s long-established degree classification system are under consideration. This currently awards students First-class Honours (1st), Second-class Honours, upper division (2:1), Second-class Honours, lower division (2:2), Third- class Honours (3rd), an Ordinary-degree (Pass) or a Fail, rather than the Grade Point Average (GPA) used in the USA and some other countries. The new Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), to be given to a student on graduation, is intended to provide more detailed information about a student’s learning and achievement than the current system. At present, this approach is being trialled by 30 HEIs across the UK and is scheduled to include more HEIs later in 2011. The HEAR incorporates and extends the existing Record of Academic Achievement (the ‘academic transcript’) as well as the European Diploma Supplement^12.
1.20 This is one of the key developments to emerge so far from the active engagement of UK HEIs in the ongoing work of the Bologna Process, an initiative involving some 46 countries to create a European Higher Education Area in which several aspects of higher education are being reformed and developed in order to facilitate the comparability of systems and qualifications, and to enable the mobility of EU citizens across national borders.^13
The student experience
1.21 In England and Wales many young, full-time students in higher education attend institutions located some considerable distance from their family homes. For this reason, many UK HEIs provide shared ‘halls of residence’ for their students, particularly in their first year, while others have worked with large private-sector providers to build new accommodation either on or adjacent to their campuses. Competition generally keeps the costs low and the quality high. This practice of living on or near to the campus means that the lifestyle of those studying at these universities may be very different from that experienced in countries where a majority of students live at home.
1.22 However, the number of UK students who are studying at HEIs near their home has been increasing in recent years. The traditional view of a UK student as someone aged 18-21 undertaking a full-time undergraduate degree and living away from home is no longer the reality for most UK students. There are now over 795, UK students studying part-time; the majority of all students are over 21 and many are combining study with existing work and other commitments in their local communities. Almost a third of full-time students travels no more than 12 miles to their place of study and may be regarded as local. More than two-thirds travel less than 62 miles to their place of study. Students are now more often than not more embedded in their communities than in their universities and, given the increasing focus on flexible, distance learning, this trend is probably set to continue.
12 See http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc1239_en.htm 13 See http://www.europeunit.ac.uk/bologna_process
1.23 UK HEIs also have a statutory obligation to support their students in establishing some form of ‘students’ union’ – sometimes known as a students’ association or (in Scotland) a students’ representative council. These organisations aim to work on behalf of all students in discussion with institutional managers and seek to provide a wide range of appropriate social, sporting and community-based activities for students.
Funding
1.24 The UK’s universities and colleges received a total of £26.8 billion in funding in 2008/9, more than a third of which came from the Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and was distributed in the form of grants by the four UK funding bodies already referred to. The funding councils allocate most of their funds for teaching and research using set formulae. The allocation of resources for learning and teaching depends largely on the number of students at an institution and on the mix of subjects it teaches, while almost all financial support for research is related to the quality and volume of that research. Taken together, the money channelled through the funding councils currently represents the largest single source of income to HEIs, though across the sector, universities will vary in the percentage of their overall funding that they receive from public sources.^14
1.25 However, the UK government has recently announced its intention of changing the present funding mechanism in England from 2012/13 onwards so as to increase tuition income routed through students while reducing the amount paid in grants to institutions through the funding councils. As the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills made clear in his grant letters to the Higher Education Funding Council for England, student choice is set to become a key driver of quality as well as of funding, and HEIs will “need to become more responsive to the changing demands of students and employers for high level skills and employability, to ensure they remain competitive as providers in the new funding environment”.^15 A White Paper setting out the Government’s overall thinking and future plans for publicly funded higher education in England is due to be published in the first half of 2011.^16 The extent to which this will influence the development of policy elsewhere in the UK remains to be seen.
1.26 Government funding for research is administered under what is known as the ‘dual support’ system. One strand of this comes in the form of an annual ‘block grant’ from the funding councils as indicated above. This supports the UK’s research infrastructure and enables individual universities to carry out research
as they determine, in keeping with their own missions and priorities. The other
strand provides grants for specific research projects, contracts and postgraduate programmes and is delivered via the seven research councils – public bodies charged with investing public money in UK science and research – with additional funding available from charities, industry, the EU and other UK government departments. 17
1.27 Since 1986, the funding councils’ allocation of funding to institutions for research infrastructure has been informed by a periodic peer review of the quality of research in higher education known as the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). There is a strong tradition of research in all subjects across the diverse range of UK HEIs,
14 HEFCE, Guide to UK higher education (2009), p. 7; see also the chart on p. 8 indicating the other sources of finance for UK HEIs. Updated figures for 2009/10 can be found in HESA Press Release 157 at: http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1985&Itemid= 15 See http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/higher-education/docs/h/10-1359-hefce-grant-letter-20-dec-2010.pdf 16 The Secretary of State’s grant letter to HEFCE is at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2010/grant1112/ The Funding Council’s circular ‘Funding for universities and colleges for 2010/11 and 2011/12’ (05/2011) can be downloaded from http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/circlets/2011/ 17 For further information about the Research Councils, see http://www.rcuk.ac.uk and Chapter 5 below.
the United States. It has also created a climate in which postgraduate students have opportunities for training and development, and where academic staff can engage with national and international research communities at the highest level.^20
The integration of teaching and research 1.33 The integration of teaching and research within UK HEIs is a core strength of the sector. While political debate and domestic economic drivers regularly raise questions about the nature and value of their inter-relationship, delivering teaching and research together in an institutional context remains central to the idea of a higher education institution in the UK. In fact, government reviews of the UK sector have repeatedly recognised that higher education “embraces teaching, learning, scholarship and research”. As Lord Dearing asserted in his 1997 report: “These activities are, and should be, at the heart of higher education.”^21 In line with this view, the encouragement of independent, student-centred learning is seen as a key component of the student learning experience in the UK, to which the interaction of teaching and research makes a direct contribution. Indeed, the skills of inquiry and evaluation – central to the undertaking of research and scholarship – are considered essential if UK graduates are to contribute to, and compete in, the global knowledge economy.
International league tables 1.34 For the reasons outlined above, UK HEIs have long been regarded as being among the best in the world, and several feature prominently in the international league tables which attempt to quantify their performance and produce a global hierarchy of excellence. Widely acknowledged international rankings are produced annually by the UK’s weekly magazine for higher education, Times Higher Education (THE)^22 and by the Shanghai Jiaotong University^23 , while domestic league tables are published each year by national newspapers such as The Guardian and The Times. In 2009, Cambridge University, Imperial College London, Oxford University and University College London, were placed among the world’s top 10 HEIs in the THE -QS World University Rankings^24. In the same year, the Jiaotong Academic Ranking of World Universities^25 placed Cambridge University 4th and Oxford University 10th in the world, with a further nine UK institutions being placed in the top 100.
1.35 Legal tables are increasingly referenced beyond the academic community, not least by those determining national policy. Important as they undoubtedly are, they are not, however, an ideal basis on which to choose international partners. Subject rankings and those that concentrate on different areas of specialist expertise may bring the benefits of a potential collaboration into sharper focus, but will not guarantee a perfect ‘fit’ between even the most outstanding of institutions. Moreover, there are many HEIs around the world with missions which, though excellent in their own context, are never going to qualify them for membership in the world’s ‘premier league’ of research universities. In the end, there can be no substitute for an HEI undertaking its own ‘due diligence’ (see Chapter 6) and its leaders backing their own judgment when considering and selecting international partners.
20 See Chapter 5 for more information on the funding of research collaboration between overseas and UK universities. 21 The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, Higher education in the learning society (1997). Report of the National Committee, section 5.2. See http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/york/documents/resources/heca/heca_ks23.pdf 22 See http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk 23 See http://www.arwu.org 24 See http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings 25 See http://www.arwu.org
Quality assurance in teaching and research
2.1 The UK higher education sector is large and diverse. Its constituent institutions differ in size, subject focus, research interests, infrastructure and priorities. This heterogeneity is a key strength of the system, as it enables the sector to meet the varying needs of different types of student and to cover a wide range of institutional missions.
2.2 There is no national curriculum for UK HEIs; more than 10,000 different courses are on offer. Within this context, quality assurance is a responsibility the higher education sector takes very seriously. A national system based on the principle of peer review ensures that both the quality and standards of awards are broadly comparable (not equal or identical) across the sector. This national system, described in detail below, defines the academic standards required – that is, the level of achievement a student has to reach to gain a qualification – as well as the academic quality required – that is, how well the learning opportunities made available by the university help students to achieve their award.
2.3 As HEIs in the UK are autonomous institutions, each is primarily responsible for maintaining the quality of the education it provides, and the standards of the qualifications it offers. While they are not owned or managed by the state, almost all institutions receive government funding, distributed by the different funding councils for England, Wales and Scotland, and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland. These funding bodies have a statutory obligation to ensure that the higher education they fund is of good quality. They meet this obligation through an independent body, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA),^26 which reviews and reports on how well UK universities and colleges maintain their academic quality and standards, and supports these institutions through enhancement activities. Should the QAA have limited or no confidence in a university’s management of standards and/or quality, this finding would be reported to the funding bodies and published. Each funding body has its own policy on unsatisfactory quality which could lead, ultimately, to the removal of funding.
2.4 As major funders of higher education, the UK’s government, like state authorities everywhere, take a keen interest in the continuing quality and standards of its HEIs. In recent years, this has led to public and political debate as well as extensive media coverage. Universities and colleges have participated fully in this debate, taking steps to demonstrate the rigour of the UK’s quality assurance model. The sector has also publicised how it responds to legitimate concerns.
Assuring the quality and standards of taught programmes
2.5 The current UK system for assuring quality and standards is long-established – indeed, it has influenced parallel developments worldwide – and is based on six key features:
n Independent external review of universities by the QAA, leading to published reports;
n A set of tools known collectively as the ‘Academic Infrastructure’;
n HEIs’ own internal systems for maintaining quality and standards, including the use of external examiners at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels;
n Engagement with more than 50 professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs), as well as with students and employers, to share information and experience, with
26 See http://www.qaa.ac.uk Much of the information contained in this chapter comes from An introduction to QAA (2009) and Quality and Standards in UK universities: A guide to how the system works (2008).
of ways. For example, by making sure that new courses meet the right standards and will be supported by high quality teaching; programme approval panels, usually involving external experts, assess whether proposed new courses are in line with the frameworks and subject benchmark statements. Institutions also review and monitor existing courses on a regular basis, using feedback from students, employers and recent graduates, where appropriate. Steps are also taken to regulate how student work is assessed so as to make sure standards are maintained. Particular importance is attached to the use of external examiners – experts drawn from other HEIs or relevant professional practice – to advise on standards and benchmark student performance by means of full participation in both the examinations process and the assessment of coursework.
2.11 Students are also increasingly involved in all the mechanisms by which UK HEIs manage quality and standards, from internal and external review to membership of the QAA Board. Review teams in Wales and Scotland already include students, while the equivalent audit teams in England and Northern Ireland will have student members before the end of 2011.
2.12 In recent years, HEIs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been required to provide basic information about every course they offer on a national website.^30 This includes a profile of each institution; an analysis of the student body; the qualifications and UCAS points needed for admission to any particular programme of study; the employment prospects for graduates; and a detailed breakdown of what students did or did not like about their courses and institutions. The student satisfaction data are collected annually through a process known as the National Student Survey (NSS) and are much more objective and comprehensive than the remarks posted on ‘whistle-blowing’ sites or found in internet blogs.^31
Engagement with PSRBs 2.13 Employers in the UK are often involved in designing and reviewing higher education courses, and UK HEIs work with a large number of PSRBs to ensure that their graduates are properly prepared for employment. These include organisations such as the Health Professions Council, the Architects Registration Board, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Engineering Council. For those professions regulated by law, only those graduating from courses accredited by the relevant body – the General Medical Council, in the case of medicine – are given a ‘licence to practise’.
Supporting improvements in quality 2.14 UK HEIs are committed to learning from their own experience, and that of other institutions, as an essential prerequisite to improving their offer to students. They do this by listening to those who take their courses; by responding positively to feedback from the NSS; and by availing themselves of the support provided by national bodies such as the Higher Education Academy^32 , the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education^33 and the QAA itself. All three are independent bodies which support universities and colleges in their aim to enhance quality in higher education through providing professional development for teachers, managers and administrators.
30 The information can be accessed at: http://unistats.direct.gov.uk 31 Final-year undergraduates at all publicly funded HEIs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and at participating HEIs in Scotland are invited to take part in the NSS. In England, further education colleges with directly funded higher education students are also eligible to participate. The 2010 survey made public the views of some 252,000 students. See http://www.thestudentsurvey.com for information about the 2010 survey. 32 See http://www.heacademy.ac.uk 33 See http://www.lfhe.ac.uk
Addressing complaints 2.15 Student satisfaction is consistently high in UK higher education, with the latest [2010] results of the NSS showing an 82 per cent overall satisfaction rate among undergraduates at participating universities and colleges. This said, there are robust systems in place at all HEIs to respond to complaints. Almost all legitimate grievances are addressed within the institution concerned; but where the internal procedures are exhausted without a satisfactory outcome being achieved, students have free access to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator in England and Wales, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman in Scotland and the Visitorial System in Northern Ireland.^34 Moreover, if there is sufficient documentary evidence to warrant further enquiry, the QAA will investigate any significant causes for concern identified to it by higher education sector bodies, internal ‘whistleblowers’ or indeed by any member of the public.
Evaluating the quality and impact of research
2.16 British research is of world-class quality and UK universities have produced 39 Nobel Prize winners in the last 50 years; there have been 68 UK-born Nobel laureates in the categories of chemistry, physics and medicine since 1901, more than from any country except the United States.^35 Recent data show that the UK produces 7.9 per cent of the world’s academic papers and 14.4 per cent of the 1 per cent most highly cited.^36 Its research productivity is among the highest in the world: in the UK, academics produce 32 papers for every billion US$ of gross domestic product (GDP).^37
Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2.17 For more than 20 years, the quality of research carried out in the UK higher education sector has been assessed through a formalised process, based on expert peer review, known as the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).^38 Undertaken jointly by the four UK higher education funding bodies, six RAEs took place between 1986 and 2008.
2.18 The RAE was a discipline-based process in which judgments on the quality of research were made by researchers and experts active in that discipline. Its main aim was to produce quality profiles for each submission of research activity made by UK HEIs. In the last RAE, conducted in 2008, each academic discipline was assigned to one of 67 units of assessment (UOAs). The submitted work was assessed by separate subpanels for each UOA, comprising more than 1,000 members drawn from HEIs and the international research community, working under the guidance of 15 main panels. All work submitted to a UOA was classified into four levels of quality, defined in terms of originality, significance and rigour as ‘world-leading’ (4); ‘internationally excellent’ (3); ‘internationally recognised’ (2); or ‘nationally recognised’ (1). An ‘unclassified’ category recorded work which fell below this standard. A quality profile was then drawn up for every institutional submission to show the proportion of research activity found at each level.
34 For the OIA, see http://www.oiahe.org.uk For the SPSO, see http://www.spso.org.uk and for the Visitorial System, see http://www.qaa.ac.uk/education/roundtable/COPsection5/CarsonMcDowell.asp 35 For a full list of UK Nobel Laureates, see http://nobelprize.org 36 Evidence Ltd. for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, International comparative performance of the UK research base (September 2009). This report, the sixth undertaken by Evidence, is available online at: http://www.dius.gov.uk/assets/biscore/corporate/migratedd/publications/i/icpruk09v1_4.pdf 37 Evidence Ltd. for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, International comparative performance of the UK research base (September 2009), p. 4. This report, the sixth undertaken by Evidence, is available online at: http://www.dius.gov.uk/assets/biscore/corporate/migratedd/publications/i/icpruk09v1_4.pdf 38 See http://www.rae.ac.uk
What it is and why we do it
3.1 While almost all UK HEIs have considerable experience in the field of international recruitment and can point to successful alumni in positions of responsibility and influence around the globe, for many their engagement with a broader international agenda has been more limited and/or more recent. However, during the past decade in particular, a growing number of institutions have begun to develop a comprehensive strategy for internationalisation as a key component in their missions. So what is ‘internationalisation’, what are UK HEIs doing in order to achieve it, and why do they consider it worth committing the time, effort and resources involved?
3.2 The process has both a domestic and a foreign dimension – 'internationalisation at home’ and ‘internationalisation abroad’, as some have termed it. Responding directly to the complex range of phenomena known as ‘globalisation’ and seeking to prepare UK students for success in the globally integrated economic environment, many HEIs are moving decisively to internationalise their curricula, promote cross-cultural understanding and provide opportunities for the development of foreign-language skills. While international recruitment clearly represents a valuable source of income and enhances the culture of UK universities, it also makes it possible for UK students to live and work with other young people from a diverse array of countries and cultures.
3.3 It is the development of their physical presence and engagements overseas, however, that a number of UK HEIs have identified as the touchstone of their commitment to internationalisation. The membership of international networks, the instigation of strategic partnerships and the mobilisation of research teams tasked with the resolution of previously intractable problems, especially in the developing world, are just some of hallmarks of this renewed spirit of international cooperation. To be successful, such ventures must necessarily be selective, focused and grounded in academic excellence. In order to justify the investment made in them, international collaborations need to be sustainable for the long term, mutually beneficial and capable of generating complete confidence and trust between the partners.
3.4 Although the fostering of joint research agendas and the development of commercial relationships overseas will have their part to play for some institutions, the largest component in all such international collaborations is likely to be some element of TNE, the various types of which will be considered in detail in the next chapter. However, this immediately requires prospective partners to recognise that there are a number of risks that must be identified, evaluated and managed if the outcome is to be acceptable to all concerned.
3.5 Broadly speaking, these can be divided into two groups: (a) the difficulties likely to confront students and staff seeking to visit the UK as part of a collaborative programme; and (b) the difficulties faced by UK HEIs and their representatives endeavouring to do business in a foreign legal, political and economic environment. The first group will be explored in the remainder of this chapter; the second group will be addressed in the chapter which follows.
3 The internationalisation of UK higher education
Current issues and challenges^39
3.6 Just like students recruited directly by an institution, students wishing to come to the UK under the terms of a collaborative agreement will need to satisfy the requirements of UK immigration law. So too will international staff seeking to take up employment, visiting professors, researchers and staff on exchange programmes or work placements.
3.7 The UK introduced a points-based immigration system in 2008 for all people wishing to work or study in the UK. The points-based system only applies to those from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. If an HEI wants to employ or teach an EEA or Swiss national, it will normally be able to do so without seeking permission – though there are some restrictions on nationals of Bulgaria and Romania following their recent accession to the European Union.
3.8 The system currently has five tiers, with each tier having a different points requirement; the number of points needed, and the way the points are awarded, depends on the tier. Points are awarded to reflect a migrant’s ability, experience and age, and the level of need in the migrant’s chosen industry where this is an appropriate consideration. Tier 1 is for highly skilled workers, such as scientists; Tier 2 is for skilled workers with a job offer, including academics; Tier 4 is for students; and Tier 5 is for is for ‘temporary workers’. Tier 3, for low-skilled workers coming in to fill specific temporary labour shortages, is currently suspended. It should be noted that further changes to the points-based system are being implemented beginning with the closure of Tier 1 General in April 2011. This will be replaced with a specific route for people of ‘exceptional talent’ in the sciences, arts and humanities, the final details of which are still awaited.
3.9 Separate visitor-visa arrangements are in place for academic visitors and student visitors, but these visa categories are restricted both in time and entitlements and so are only appropriate for a limited range of international visitors. People wishing to come to the UK as business or tourist visitors are also covered by visitor-visa arrangements but specific advice on immigration requirements should be sought from the UK visa authorities in advance of travel.
3.10 Sponsorship is at the heart of the points-based system: if an HEI wants to employ anyone classed as a ‘migrant’ under Tier 2 or admit an international student under Tier 4, it is required to act as their sponsor during their stay in the UK.
3.11 Prospective migrants must pass an assessment which requires them to secure a certain number of ‘points’ based on their qualifications, earnings and financial background before they can obtain permission to enter or remain in the UK. Students need to demonstrate that they have a confirmed place at an education institution, have appropriate English language skills and the necessary funds to support themselves during their studies.
39 This section relies heavily on information provided by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) on its website at: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ Specific pages and/or documents have only been referenced where they are difficult to locate or have been quoted directly in the text. However, it should be noted that this website changes frequently and that specific links may become inoperative. Readers should always check the advice currently available on the site and not rely on printed-out pages. It is also important to remember that the website does not claim to state the law definitively; consequently, if confusion or uncertainty arises, readers should seek specialist legal advice. Further information can also be found on the Universities UK website here: http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/PolicyAndResearch/PolicyAreas/Pages/International-and-European.aspx