Establishing and Sustaining Co-operative Universities and Co-operative Higher Education in International Contexts: Challenges and Possibilities

Abstract

The concept of a co-operative university in the UK is over a century old; however, it has recently gathered momentum due to a number of factors such as the development of co-operative schools bringing about a renewed focus on co-operative education and changes to Higher Education in the UK as enabled by Higher Education and Research Act (HERA). The formation of the UK Co-operative University Working Group in 2017 was a key moment in galvanizing a critical mass of interested parties around the concept of Co-operative Higher Education (CHE) in the UK in the form of a co-operative university with degree awarding powers. These activities have brought a range of practical considerations to the fore; in the UK case, key themes are governance, accreditation and pedagogy as well as fees and funding. This chapter proposes to explore and understand, through a case study approach, how other co-operative higher education institutions internationally, including existing co-operative universities, have addressed these and other issues in their diverse co-operative journeys as they provide CHE. By looking at different examples from Africa, Europe and South America, useful insights and replicable good practice examples will emerge to help inform the development of a co-operative university and CHE in the UK. Key individuals in each of the case study examples will be interviewed using a semi-structured interview format in order that emerging patterns can be compared across each of the case studies so as to ensure that the data collected is comparable and that important recommendations can be highlighted.