Dr Paula Sanderson, Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary Cardiff University joins the Think Education podcast to talk about TNE, branch campus development in Kazakhstan and to field our prods to write about her experiences for our next book.

Paula’s experience is truly global, and she reflected on her initial work in Malaysia and the tensions that exist in the international learning spaces – around access, identity and representation. We talked about the ways in which these approaches can be adapted, developed and improved through conversations, discussions and transparency. It is important to sit with people you disagree with and not assume that you are always right. Places of true inclusivity are those where we have difficult conversations and work on issues.

Several key questions that arose from our discussion:

• How does TNE improve cross-cultural competence?
• How do we just listen to others and engage accordingly?
• Do we self-censor?
• If we meet the needs of the host country, why can’t we also be seen as meeting the needs of our institutions?

Paula discussed the way in which our narrative about TNE has changed and the focus is now more on learning from other communities, as opposed to the previous, much more colonial approach. While there should be pride and value placed on the UK higher education sector, this does not mean that there isn’t scope for learning from others and approaching this from a more equitable TNE space and sense of mutual engagement.

• Access is a global phenomenon and TNE is a powerful tool for diplomacy.
• TNE can be seen as a response to humanitarian crises.

Paula talked about Cardiff’s recent campus development in Kazakhstan and outlined the process from ideation to creation with the truly staggering reality of having established a fully operational TNE endeavor with an initial cohort of 316 initial students in 12 months! Paula was very clear to point out the sheer amount of work involved here and the exceptional value of the 102 people involved in the process. One of the key success factors here is the regulatory and policy framework in Kazakhstan and the access they have to the Minister – and his full support of the development of TNE.

This was a fascinating conversation looking at perception, values, integration, awareness and the potential for activity.

#access #engagement #internationalisation #criticalspace #academicdiscourse #conversations