Prof. Les Trustrum
Vice Chancellor, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU)
Part of the APIIT Education Group

List of Topics
1. World Class Universities and World Class Higher
Education (HE)
2. A Case study of Developing World Class Higher
Education: Asia Pacific University (APU) and
Staffordshire University (SU) in Malaysia
- International HE at Asia Pacific University (APU)
- International Academic Collaboration: Dual degrees
3. Challenges in World Class HE collaboration

World Class Universities
1.
“everyone wants one, no one knows what it is, and no one knows how to get one” (Altbach 2004).
Quoted from Education - The
Challenge of Establishing World Class Universities web.worldbank.org
2. “In the past decade the term ‘world- class university’ has become a catch phrase to describe research universities at the pinnacle of the tertiary education hierarchy” : Constructing World Class
Universities conference, Hong Kong August 2013
3. “ World-Class Universities, commonly defined as the most prestigious research universities …” 5th International Conference on
World-Class Universities www.shanghairanking.com/wcu/
4. A Russell Group paper titled World Class Higher Education mentions the topic 5 times and mentions World Class Universities
27 times
Staying on Top: The challenge of sustaining world class higher education in the UK Russell Group Papers – Issue 2, 2010

World Class Universities
“ Although world-class institutions are commonly equated with top research universities, there are also world-class tertiary education institutions that are neither research focused nor operate as universities in the strictest interpretation of the term”. World Bank Report
World Class Universities and
World Class Higher Education
Is there a difference?

Teaching v Research
• “Top universities are so focused on research they are neglecting teaching…”
• “Older universities are in danger of "resting on their laurels" while younger institutions storm ahead….”
Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/19/times-university-rankings
2013_n_3466142.html

UK Institutions ranked by overall satisfaction
University
Cambridge
LSE
Imperial
Guardian rank
1
3
9
NSS Rank
10
132
46
25% lower score than the top ranked
University
Warwick 10 28
Glasgow
Newcastle
Nottingham
Manchester
Kings College
Sheffield
21
27
28
31
32
38
15
32
33
129
71
21
Birmingham
Liverpool
61
54
38
47
Bristol
Leeds
23
34
56
59
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/education/table/2013/jun/03/universityleague-table-2014
Higher Education Funding Council for England; National Students Survey

World University Rankings
THE claims to judge world class universities across all of their core missions:
• teaching,
• research,
• knowledge transfer and
• international outlook
QS World University Rankings uses:
• Academic reputation (40%)
• Employer reputation (10%)
• Faculty/student ratio (20%)
• Citations per faculty (20%)
• Proportion of international students (5%)
• Proportion if international faculty (5%)
Source: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/ and http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/

World Class Education
• Does world class refer to “ cosmopolitan ideals; of an education that was more open‐minded about, and open to, learning that engaged with world issues, ideas and concerns.
• Or, what if the idea of world‐class education was totally engaged by questions of the quality of learning experiences for learners all over the world. Here global excellence is simultaneously a benchmark and a right for all citizens.
• Yet, …….. world class education carries a highly instrumental reading of what it involves , how to get there, and who seems to be the main actors, and beneficiaries.
• No‐where is this more evident than in the global rankings of universities…”
Source: Robertson, S.L. (2011) World Class Higher Education (for Whom?), published by the Centre for
Globalisation, Education and Societies, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1JA, UK at: http://susanleerobertson.com/publications/

Concentration of talent
• Students
• Teaching staff
• Researchers
• Internationalisation
Characteristics of a World
Class
University
(World Bank)
Graduates
World
Class
University
Research outpu t
• Public budget resources
• Endowment revenues
• Tuition fees
• Research grants
Technology transfer
• Supportive regulatory framework
• Autonomy
• Academic Freedom
• Leadership team
• Strategic vision
• Culture of excellence

World Class Universities versus
World Class Higher Education
• Characteristics of World Class Universities*
– High in ranking lists
– Employment recognition
– Research: creating and disseminating knowledge
– Scale of the University
• Characteristics of World Class Higher Education
– International recognition, benchmarking and partnering
– Long term Graduate employability
– Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA)
– International performance standards
– Scholarly activity to support TLA
* Synthesised from presentations at 17 th Malaysian Education Summit: Moving Towards a World
Class Education System: Building and Sustaining World Class Universities ASLI June 2013

A Case study of Developing World Class
Education
•
•
•

Rapid Development & Internationalisation at
Asia Pacific University (APU)
• From 4 degrees and less than 2,000 students in 2005 to over 70 degrees and over 10,000 students in 2013
• From few international students in KL to around 60% foreign students from over 100 countries .
• Two overseas campuses
• Student employability over 98% by graduation
• From franchises to home grown degrees including innovations such as:
– BSc (Hons) in Technopreneurship
– BA (Hons) in Media Marketing
– Euro Asia MBA
– And many others at Programme and module level

Dimensions of Internationalisation at APU
• Students: over 100 countries
• Academic staff from Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, UK, USA,
New Zealand, Iran, Yemen, Philippines, and Iraq.
• Quality partner from UK
• External Examiners: UK, France, Egypt, Pakistan, Germany, Malaysia &
Malawi.
• Programme Learning Outcomes and curriculum
• Module focus
• International benchmarking
• Credit transfer arrangements to UK, Australia, New Zealand and
Netherlands
• International student recruitment team
• International social events
• Overseas campuses
• Dual degrees with SU

What are Dual Degrees?
Defined by the Quality Assurance Agency (UK) as:
• “ Dual/double or multiple awards (are) arrangements where two or more awarding bodies together provide a single jointly delivered programme (or programmes) leading to separate awards (and separate certification) being granted by both or all of them”
• “ Joint awards ….provide a programme leading to a single award made by…all participants. A single certificate. attests to the successful completion…”
Source: UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Chapter B10

APU Dual Degree Programmes
Why this model?
1. To provide an international experience for students
2. To provide a globally accepted award
3. To benchmark international standards
4. To support marketing activity
5. To provide education that is world class in relation to standards and content

Long Term or Short Term Strategy?
Short term
• To help a new University by providing brand identity and assurance
Longer Term
1. To provide globally recognised education
2. To provide a qualification valued by international employers and multinationals
3. To enable a range of collaborative developments between the partners

Dual degrees Collaboration Activities
• Programme development
• Module development
• Staff recruitment and development
• Resource specification
• Research and library materials
• T and L materials
• Assessments
• Quality assurance
• Exam boards
• Student recruitment

Challenges in World Class Collaborations (1)
• Differing approaches/perceptions to:
– Nomenclature
– Teaching and learning approaches
– Expectations of staff, staffing cultures, insular mindsets
• Multiple QA Frameworks and Agencies with sometimes conflicting requirements
• Changes in partner culture & regulations: e.g. option choices, size of modules
• Academic Regulations
– Compliance with dual regulatory practices and regulations
– Harmonisation of final degree award from each partner
– Balancing Standardisation vs Localisation (Glocalisation)
– CGPA versus weighted GPA

Challenges in World Class Collaborations (2)
• Currency and applicability of curriculum, LOs and
T, L & A materials
• Time differences:
– Assessments
– Exam boards
– Academic year dates
• Logistics of support:
– IT and Face to face interaction
– Security of assessments
• Costs of collaboration in financial and staff time

World Class Higher Education
• International partnerships of (usually) international equals
• International benchmarks and standards for all aspects of programme development and delivery
• International outlook
• Enhanced international quality assurance processes
• Enhanced international student job prospects
• Access to international research and programme development
• Access to international developments in teaching, learning and assessment strategies
• International staff development opportunities
• World Class, benchmarked education

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