Behind the scenes of TNE: The evolving role of the partnership leads in collaborative partnerships
Access to international education does not always require crossing continents, sometimes it’s delivered just a short distance from home through local partnerships and branch campuses. As transnational education (TNE) opportunities expand globally, with major providers in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and beyond, students are increasingly able to access international programmes and pursue foreign degrees and globally recognised qualifications either in nearby countries or locally.
Whilst the programmes may offer access to an international learning experience manifested in variations due to institutional and cultural contexts, the leadership and effectiveness of the delivery and management rely heavily on academic leads, the local teaching and administration team and those overseeing TNE partnerships. While the strategic vision for international partnerships is often ambitious, implementation frequently breaks down at the operational level, where collaborations risk becoming fragmented, transactional, or imbalanced.
While the strategic vision for international partnerships is often ambitious, implementation frequently breaks down at the operational level, where collaborations risk becoming fragmented, transactional, or imbalanced.
Drawing from my own experiences managing TNE partnerships across borders first at Coventry University between 2013 - 2022 and currently at University of Greenwich since November 2022, this article explores strategies and solutions that enhance quality and responsiveness to local challenges. The aim is to support those working within TNE and joint programmes in making partnerships not only functional, but meaningful, equitable, and capable of enhancing academic quality on both sides. Below a range of concrete, actionable strategies which are both globally informed and locally relevant are shared, which could potentially be helpful to anyone working within international partnerships.
1. Prioritise face-to-face engagement to build trust and quality
Be present: Use flying faculty and partner visits to strengthen collaboration
There is a dearth of integrating ‘flying faculty’ and face to face engagement with collaborating partners that focuses on strengthening and building a sense of belonging, providing meaningful experiences through differentiated pedagogical approaches and building trust and rapport amongst each other. International visits in person are essential and offer benefits such as demonstrating genuine commitment, deeper communication and help establish credibility organically, which the virtual format struggles to replicate. In person visits provide the unique opportunity to meet the local teaching staff, senior leadership, collaboration teams, current students and alumni, leaving you with plenty of opportunities to connect, adapt to the environment, learn new information and identify opportunities for improvement as well as challenges that need to be addressed urgently.
Flying Faculty is a TNE delivery model typically embedded in partnerships contracts, whereby academic staff from the degree-awarding institution deliver some teaching (e.g. one-third) directly to students through block teaching in person. This approach delivers numerous benefits including ensuring consistency in academic quality comparable to the degree awarding institution, access to the lecturer’s specialist expertise and a different student experience. If a flying faculty model is not in place, partners can always bring guest lecturers on board during their visits. Alternatively, if academic leads are directly involved in managing TNE partnerships, they are often well positioned to deliver it effectively and with fewer difficulties.
Make first impressions count with a supportive induction
Attending student inductions or orientations in person, where new students embark on their journey with the institution and degree awarding institution makes a difference. The representative can provide a detailed overview of the programme, its processes, feedback approach and assessment criteria, thereby fostering early student awareness.
Of course, each partnership may have a different approach to deliver such events, some collaborate on this together, whilst other degree awarding institutions take full leadership. Both models have demonstrated a lasting and meaningful impact on students’ learning and engagement.
Train regional teams to lead with confidence and consistency
A successful international partnership cannot have an enduring and resonant impact without working with local staff closely. If you want to provide parity in experience with students at the degree awarding institution (home campus) you need to work side by side with local staff and instilling the home campus’ culture in their own practice. This helps providing consistency and sharing knowledge around the processes, curriculum, assessment design and feedback.
Delivering staff development sessions in person or remotely is an important format for facilitating learning and development. I found it very meaningful to deliver staff development sessions in person around plagiarism, role of the dissertation supervisor, how to provide effective and constructive feedback and most recently strategies to engage students using active and collaborative learning approaches.
2. Co-own academic standards to ensure fairness in delivery
Clarify academic regulations and curriculum expectations to support student readiness
It is essential to understand academic regulations in collaborative delivery. It is the Partnership Lead - or anyone managing the TNE partnership - who must take responsibility for safeguarding academic integrity, support fair outcomes and advocate for student success in line with institutional processes. Partnership Leads should receive tailored mentoring and training to build confidence in applying academic regulations. This training should also equip staff with the necessary knowledge to review student applications fairly and inclusively and should inform decisions around bridging modules.
3. Localise curriculum and student engagement strategies
Give partners agency to adapt assessments to local contexts
Very often assessments designed by the degree awarding institution feature companies from their country of origin, which may be unfamiliar to local students. Local staff need to be encouraged and empowered to adapt lecture and seminar content as well as case studies for assessments to suit the local context. In other words, the materials need to be contextualised where needed. This matters, because it makes the curriculum and assessment immediately familiar, makes it relevant and authentic and increases student engagement.
Listen to and act on student feedback to improve delivery
Student voice is important, and institutions need to consider different ways of capturing it. As such, student-staff liaison committees (SSLM) provide an effective and constructive platform to discuss student experiences in taught modules, share good practices in teaching and learning and address any concerns or areas for improvement. Importantly, these committees also serve as a key quality assurance mechanism, ensuring that student feedback contributes to the enhancement of academic standards and the learning environment.
Committees should consist of elected student representatives, the local programme administration team and chaired by the partnership lead. Local teaching staff should not be part of the SSLM committee, encouraging students to express their thoughts openly. For example, I incorporated SSLM committee meetings during partner visits, typically taking place in the middle or end of the semester, where students are encouraged to share both positive feedback and concerns in a confidential and supportive environment. Feedback is discussed constructively, and where possible actions and strategies are developed in response. A follow- up is then provided to students, reinforcing trust and ongoing engagement.
Final thoughts: Empower partnership leads to sustain TNE partnerships
International collaborations are important and will continue to be strategically important, however less attention and importance is given to the operational level, that significantly contributes to international partnership success.
As TNE continues to evolve, institutions must proactively invest in people who make these partnerships thrive.
Looking ahead, institutional leaders must not only recognise the essential role of partnership leads, but also actively involve them in shaping sustainable internationalisation strategies. This means embedding structured support for their professional growth, including access to targeted conferences, leadership training, and critically, regular travel to partner institutions. In TNE, being there matters, it is not optional – it’s essential.
International collaborations are important and will continue to be strategically important, however less attention and importance is given to the operational level, that significantly contributes to international partnership success.
