1. HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE GLOBAL AGENDA: ALTERNATIVE
PATHS TO THE FUTURE
Concurrent Session III.2: Widening Student Participation and Success in Higher Education
Professor Kathryn Bindon
Director
The Takatuf Scholars Programme
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

2. Focus on the GCC Region
Higher Education in the GCC is full of instructive contradictions
 Too much wealth creates challenges for quality and access
 Entrepreneurs embrace the role of “founder” as worthy and “funder” as economically
rewarding
 Attractive financial arrangements reduce due diligence
 A sea of international institutional logos in the absence of meaningful, practical
relationships represents less, rather than more, quality
 Goals of creating 21st century diversified economies vs. content driven, „job specific‟
20th century degrees
If we truly wish to link student participation and success to a meaningful
agenda for the future, it would be wise to pay frank attention to this region
and the many ways in which universities and educational consultants
interact with it in order to identify some of the things that are worth avoiding
as we build and adapt to new global relationships.

3. The Issues in the GCC Region
 ACCESS is limited in many senses:
 Not enough seats
 Lack of quality due to limitations
in teaching, research,
programming and curricula
 Disciplinary tunnels
 QUALITY is not universally
understood
 Standards often borrowed by
young, wealthy nations
 No „system thinking‟
 Institutions emerge before public
policy is framed
 Content rules in programmes,
pedagogy and assessment
 Summative assessment more
comfortable than formative

4. The Context: Strategic & Wealthy
Global Participants
 Recent oil & gas wealth
 Close and connected to much
of the world  Framing a role as global
participants and searching for
 Deep rooted historical, social new balances: economic
and trade relationships with growth and diversification a
Asia and Africa priority; culture and politics

5. The Context: Demographics & Economics
 High rate of population growth “The GCC population growth has averaged 3 percent per
annum over the past five years, among the highest growth
 Increase in youth population rates in the world (Figure 2). Moreover, the average life
expectancy across the region has risen from 60 years in the
creating pressure for spaces late 1970s to 75 years primarily due to various health
reforms. The sharp population growth is set to be
 High levels of youth accompanied by a shift in the demographic structure of the
region over the next 20 years, as the young population ages.
unemployment and „Arab The current average age in the Gulf ranges from 23 to 31
years; however, the proportion of population above 60 years
Spring‟ creating immediate and of age will increase as Gulf baby boomers born during the
urgent pressure for spaces region's first oil price boom become pensioners. “
(From GRC Cambridge Alawi/Alkhazim Workshop, Graph from
&/or engagement, World Bank, Accessed at
http://grm.grc.net/index.php?pgid=Njk=&wid=NDA=)
nationalisation of labour forces
 Imported labour devalues
vocational education and
employment
 Expectation of high income
from employment
 Women attending in
unprecedented numbers

6. The Urgency for ACCESS and QUALITY:
Less than a decade from now…..
Intermediate scenario  Demand for professionals will
continue to grow as economies
28,000 (headcount) employees by 2022, 61% of which is part
of OOC Companies (39% project-based) diversify, technology creates new
opportunities, global clusters
Headcounts foster innovation
30,000 28,346
 Nationalisation of the labour force
continues with more urgency than
+16%
20,000 17,362
17,258 (61%) time for preparation
10,000
10,668  The workplace becomes more
6,394
10,984 sophisticated and demands
(39%)
0
6,394 6,590
graduates who are continuous
2012 2017 2022 learners, equipped with key
competencies for the 21st century
 Environmental stewardship, social
responsibility increase in
importance to us all

7. The Higher Education Landscape in the
GCC: Education as Big Business
 Public Policy links „education‟ to The United Arab Emirates‟ Vision 2020 promises on page 1:
In a strong and safe union, knowledgeable and
economic well-being and social unity innovative Emiratis will confidently build a competitive
and resilient economy. They will thrive as a cohesive
 Access = big business, so „for profit‟ society bonded to its identity, and enjoy the highest
standards of living within a nurturing and sustainable
is the approach to expansion environment.
 There are not many good „for profit‟ The Kingdom of Bahrain places the real wealth of its citizens in a
role models (witness progress of The primary position in its Our Vision: From Regional Pioneer to
Global Contender: The Economic Vision 2030 for Bahrain:
Standards of Responsible Conduct
and Transparency in the U.S.) We aspire to shift from an economy built on oil wealth to
a productive, globally competitive economy, shaped by
 Expansion often pre-dated the government and driven by a pioneering private sector
– an economy that raises a broad middle class of
policies/processes for Quality Bahrainis who enjoy good living standards through
increased productivity and high-wage jobs.
Assurance and/or accreditation Our society and government will embrace the principles
of sustainability, competitiveness and fairness to ensure
 Someone else‟s logo is sufficient that every Bahraini has the means to live a secure and
indication of quality for many start- fulfilling life and reach their full potential.
ups
 Few models of adapted governance

8. The Challenges to Quality
 Twentieth-century curricula
 Twentieth-century
pedagogies
 Infrastructure
 Research and measurement
– drilling down from
international test scores
 Lack of „undergraduate
experience‟
 Lack of learning
partnerships
 Young nations, young
institutions – need to enter http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Learn-About/21st-
the twenty-first century Century/Basics-v-20-21st-century-skills.html
without benefit of „prior
learning‟ experiences

9. What is valued most vs. what is most
valuable….Return on Interest or Return on
Intellect?
Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very
mediocre commodity.
Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on
the earth or slinks through slimy seas has a
brain!
Back where I come from we have universities
seats of great learning, where men go to
become great thinkers.
When they come out, they think deep
thoughts with no more brains than you have.
But they have one thing you haven't got: A
diploma!
Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Universitatus Committeeatum E
Pluribus Unum I hereby confer upon you the
honorary degree of Th.D.
"Th.D."?
Yeah, that's "Doctor of Thinkology.“
Wizard of Oz, 1939

10. Case Study: The “ABCD” Chronology
 2003 – “ABCD”, a well-known and respected private, not-for-profit
institution chartered in the USA enters into an agreement with a single
individual to establish a campus in a GCC nation; approval is given by the
Higher Education Council of the nation.
 2008 - The parent institution submits its self-study for review by its
accrediting agency, The Higher Education Commission of the Middle States,
in which it states:
The overall strategic objectives of [ABCD‟s] international programs are to provide opportunities for
high-quality education for the professions to students around the world, contribute to the intellectual
vitality of [ABCD‟s] offerings in all locations through the experience gained abroad, increase
enrollment, and make positive contributions to [ABCD‟s] overall financial health.
In order to be effective in global markets, [ABCD] often needs to be associated with respected local
educational institutions that can provide guidance on local requirements and regulations, and perhaps
also supply a pool of qualified full-time and adjunct faculty members.
Beyond this, [ABCD] needs associates and partners who have the resources and management
capacities to meet the logistical challenges of growth, including the ability to recruit students, provide
and manage facilities, deal with the local authorities, and supply a local infrastructure of administrative
services. Few potential associates combine all of these features, and, as a result, [ABCD] has
relationships with a combination of academic partner institutions and academic entrepreneurs prepared
to invest in collaborative projects.

11. The Cautionary Case Study Continued
 2008: Commission pays one-day site visit to “ABCD-GCC” and finds that
“…all aspects of the campus and its programs are consistent with the
Commission‟s standards as described in Characteristics of Excellence…”
 2008: Billboards and advertisements and website for “ABCD-GCC” identify
extensive number of accrediting agencies and claim:
[ABCD] is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools… In addition, its
professional programs are accredited by their respective professional accrediting agencies which have
received worldwide acceptance. [ABCD-GCC] is accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and
scientific research … and shares in the same regional and national accreditation as the [ABCD] home
campus in the U.S. Degrees granted by [ABCD-GCC] are identical in all aspects to the degrees awarded
at the [ABCD] campuses in the United States and carry with them the same importance, recognition
and prestige.
The “ABCD” website properly identifies accrediting agencies and limitations
of accreditation.
 2009: “ABCD‟s” accreditation affirmed, including GCC „other location‟
(defined in certificate as “A location, other than a branch campus, that is
geographically apart from the main campus and at which the institution
offers at least 50 percent of an educational program.”)

12. The Battle of the Accreditors
 2009: New Quality Assurance authority in GCC nation conducts first
institutional review of “ABCD-GCC” using international evaluators and
applying a set of criteria modeled on international practice. Published
report indicates:
The Panel could find no evidence that [ABCD‟s] protocols for assuring the integrity of the assessment
process are being applied at its [GCC] campus.…
[ABCD-GCC ] has yet to establish its identity as an institution of higher education in [GCC]. It has still
to ground itself fully in the academic project….
[ABCD-GCC] needs to reconsider its conceptualisation of the institution in order to (i) meet the
Higher Education Council regulations and other legislative requirements of the country, (ii) strike an
appropriate balance between being a business enterprise and a provider of higher education and within
which it develops and implements an appropriate quality management system, (iii) develop further its
understanding of what it means to be a quality higher education institution in [GCC], (iv) develop
indicators to measure progress towards achieving this goal, and (v) in the light of the findings and in
conjunction with national imperatives, develop its vision, mission and goals. [ABCD-GCC] also needs to
develop and articulate its approach to teaching and learning in a comprehensive academic plan which
will stem from its mission and will enable consistent and robust teaching underpinned by research
across the faculties and support the academic success of students. This, together with the need for an
allocation of time for research, will have implications for the workload of academic staff. Failure to give
urgent attention to these matters constitutes a major risk to the viability, status and reputation of
[ABCD-GCC].

13. Winners & Losers?
• 2009: GCC Quality Assurance authority Programme Review
There is no confidence in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Programme
offered by [ABCD-GCC].
• 2010: GCC Quality Assurance authority Programme Review
There is no confidence in the Master of Science in Information, Network and Computer
Security offered by [ABCD-GCC].
• 2011: GCC Quality Assurance authority Programme Re-Review
There is no confidence in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration offered by
[ABCD-GCC].
• 2011: GCC Local Headlines: “[ABCD-GCC] to close campus”
The [ABCD-GCC], one of the leading suppliers of higher education courses … is to close its … campus.
[ABCD-GCC] opened in 2003 and has informed the Ministry of Education of its decision to phase out its
undergraduate and graduate degree programmes over a period of three years. An [ABCD] statement
said: "Rules and regulations required by [the state]…are not consistent with [ABCD's] requirements and
standards in the US. The university will continue to offer the courses necessary for currently
matriculated degree seeking students to complete their degrees in [country] … within a predetermined
amount of time.

14. Responsibility
 The mismatch of rhetoric and reality must be identified – we need a series
of cautionary case studies rather than polite conversations
 If your logo is being used, you need to know
 If your name is used, you need to be aware and assume accountability for
testing the outcomes
 Mature institutions need to assume a leadership and mentoring role
 There need to be international monitoring mechanisms – principled rather
than prescriptive, but demonstrable and with consequences for those
institutions that fail their students
 Transparency in all relationships should be first principle: financial
relationships should be disclosed, franchise operations should be governed
by quality frameworks and payment for any and all services – including
quality assurance – should be noted
 National policies need to be more alert to claims that their „quality
education systems‟ are being replicated

15. Widening Student Participation and Success
Remedies Opportunities
 Let us be our own best critics and  Demonstrate global leadership
analyse what should not be through meaningful and effective
happening support of quality learning
 Embrace research and development experiences and outcomes
in culturally adapted measures of  Expand institutional relationships to
learning and outcomes include private and public sector
 Learn how to analyse „the deal‟ partners
 Build new levels of international  Engage in mutually beneficial
accountability into all levels of initiatives – e.g. work with GCC
quality assurance and accreditation institutions to develop 21st century
teaching and learning capacity, and
 Create frameworks of social build new networks for global
responsibility and codes of ethics to engagement and research –
underpin international linkages at all demythologize new approaches in
levels, test them and report on them the GCC for adaptation for home
 Keep monitoring and measuring,  Embrace the challenge of being
and insist that partners do the same global universities – demonstrate
 Include developing nation that roles are adaptable, impact is
institutions, both rich and poor, in meaningful and participation is
emerging networks necessary to a global agenda

16. Thank you PO Box 261, Postal Code 118
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
Tel: +968 2452 9069
Fax: +968 2452 3101
www.takatufscholars.com
Professor Kathryn Bindon
kathryn.bindon@takatuf.om