Trends & Futures of International Higher Education Partnerships & Collaboration: Comparative Potential Pathways for African & Asian Centres of Excellence

Abstract

In a world characterized by the potential and promise of dynamic change and increasing complexity, it is paradoxical that amidst notable and significant levels of economic development, creation and growth of wealth, and lowering of global poverty, there yet remains the scourge of wide-spread inequality, exclusion and escalating levels of violence. These changes impact many communities globally, further compounding their vulnerability. (“Rethinking Education: Towards a Global Common Good?”, UNESCO Report, 2015). In international higher education delivery, other significant factors affecting global dynamics include technological innovations, digital options and platforms like the internet, which render geography irrelevant. Additional workplace demands include the need to build capacity in communication and critical thinking skills that are driving post-traditional forms of higher education. However, these are more easily acquired from informal learning experiences than through formal institutions. Questions therefore arise pertaining to relevance of international education, in a world where information is expanding exponentially, and shared through gaming, virtual reality, text messaging, social reading, and social networking. In such contexts, would formats beyond traditional semester systems work best in educating the next generation of business and community leaders? In a time of 24/7 “point, click, study,” just-in-time training, and asynchronous learning, our presentation explores and contrasts Asian and African approaches to internationalisation of business education, and inquires if traditional “bricks and mortar” concept of universities and higher education institutions (HEIs), will remain a viable option for collaborative international education partnerships.



Author Information
Nyambura Mwagiru, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Paper Information
Conference: ACE2019
Stream: International Education

This paper is part of the ACE2019 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon