Quality Assurance in Transnational Education

Abstract

In the international expansion of universities, the branch campus, also known as the franchise campus and the joint venture campus (among other terms), is perhaps the most intrusive yet least monitored form of cross-border educational provision. Generally designed as an offshore satellite of a Western university, branch campuses are located in an ever-increasing number of countries. Typically charged full fees, international students complete their courses in whole or in part at the branch campus, which may include instruction by staff members of the “main” university. This article discusses the evolution of the branch campus in Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on Australian institutional expansion in the region. Drawing on an empirical study, the article culminates in a discussion of the British Quality Assurance Agency and the Australian Universities Quality Agency, bodies that represent independent and governmental efforts to extend quality assurance oversight to transnational educational activities.