ETM News February 2010, Study UK hosts a workshop for agents, New academic pathway course in the USA, AoC introduces new review framework, News in brief

Study UK, formerly known as the British Accreditation Council Association (representing institutions that are accredited by BAC), is ramping up its marketing activities and in October, the association – which has a membership of nearly 50 BAC-accredited private colleges – hosted a workshop for international agents. The 19 agents, from Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, Oman, Bahrain, Iran, Turkey, Armenia and Georgia, were in the UK as part of an inward mission, organised by English UK.

One of the agents from Syria, Anas Rawas, who attended the workshop, said, “I have tried working with many schools in the past… but always after meeting them you know how to convince students with their programmes and facilities [and have] an easier way of contacting the person.”

Sally Bennett, Director of Marketing at EThames Graduate School, was enthusiastic about the workshop. “The Study UK workshop was an excellent means of meeting with potential agents from various countries. The agents were all professional people with a very serious interest in representing UK institutions… This is an ideal event for independent institutions to promote their schools,” she said.

Study UK has been working closely with English UK since August 2008, when it changed its name from the British Accreditation Council Association. Sharon Bignell from Study UK said that English UK – which represents English language training organisations that are accredited by Accreditation UK – was a natural sister organisation. “Both organisations now share a brand and logo design already associated with ‘quality UK education’,” commented Bignell, who explained that the association was established to provide a voice for the independent college sector at a UK governmental level.

After receiving positive feedback from both agents and its members regarding the agent workshop, Study UK is planning a further workshop to be held for South American agents this spring. The association held its first Annual General Meeting in November last year, and will soon launch an accreditation consultancy scheme for colleges wanting to be accredited by the BAC.

New academic pathway course in the USA

International Student Education Services (ISES) – the US affiliate of High Schools International (HSI) in Ireland – has launched an innovative Pathways Plus programme that combines English as a second language, academic preparation and the first year of a Bachelor’s degree. Unlike the majority of pathway programmes available, this one-year programme progresses to the second year of a four-year degree course within the US education system.

ISES has created partnerships with four US universities to deliver these courses: Benedictine College in Atchison, KS; Long Island University in Brookville, NY; New England College in Henniker, NH and St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, MN.

Students will in fact be able to choose from five programme types to suit their varying goals, language skills and qualifications. These include the Pathways programme, a Pre-Session Summer programme and a Summer ESL programme. Others include the Certificate programme, which gives certification to students who have completed a combination of ESL and academic courses and the Study Abroad with English programme.

The Association of Colleges in the UK has launched a new review system for members that will ensure that they stick to best practice guidelines for international student recruitment and pastoral care.

The review system, which is supported by the British Council, is based on an international charter which was developed by the association in 2004 to encourage colleges to voluntary adhere to guidelines regarding their work with international students. Colleges will be assessed by independent reviewers and if they pass the assessment will be able to display a kitemark showing that they meet the association’s standards.

Diane Mullen from the association told Education Travel Magazine, “We realised that the existing international charter had to be linked to a review framework to have any use. We will be using external reviewers, like those used by Ofsted. These will be people from the industry such as ex-international directors etc. The kite mark will help international students make informed choices.”

The review framework was tested in a pilot programme involving 10 colleges between February and July 2009 and a representative from Castle College in Nottingham, which was involved in the pilot, said, “Adopting the charter assessment process has made ‘internationalisation’ a priority for the organisation. [It is] an integral part of strategic planning in relation to the achievement of business goals that are related to all areas of the college. The charter will help set new benchmarks for quality and promote standards of excellence in international activity.”

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) is supporting the review framework. “We are delighted to support […this important new step] …and will give what assistance we can to colleagues and colleges committed both to the standards and overall vision reflected in the charter,” said a spokesperson.

Number of offshore campuses rockets
A recent report by the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education shows rapid growth in the number of universities establishing branch campuses overseas. Since 2006, 49 new campuses have been established raising the total number of offshore campuses to 162. According to the report, the United Arab Emirates leads as host to one quarter of the world’s international branch campuses.

Record figures in US-UK mobility
Both the US and the UK have made strategic efforts to increase the internationalisation of their education systems and as a result, according to a report by the Fulbright Commission, the past academic year (2008-2009) saw a four per cent rise (to 8,701) in the number of British students studying at US colleges. During this period, the total number of foreign students studying in the USA rose by 7.7 per cent to 671,616 and the number of American students studying in the UK rose by two per cent to 33,353. After a decline in foreign students opting to study in America, the reason for heightened attraction has been related to the “Obama effect” said Lauren Welch, Head of Advising at Fulbright.