Internationalising Higher Education

Sue Edwards, Mark Rendell and Andrew Waite participate first. The term 'foundation' is often used to describe such a wide range of courses that there is a lack of consistency in its usage. The lack of an integrated UK policy towards the regulation of foundation courses has also led to concern about the quality of some courses and confusion about their content and market position. This presentation will report on recent developments made by the Accreditation UK working party in the formation of a national benchmarking and regulatory framework for foundation programmes. This framework will allow students to enjoy a greater degree of protection, guidance and reassurance and, in turn, will boost the reputation of UK further education. This presentation examines the potential benefits of rebranding the name of foundation courses to International Access Courses, the possible mapping of such courses to the National Qualifications Framework and provides an example of the regulatory framework likely to be developed in the UK.
Dr Janet Hannah and Tim O'Brien then contribute on 'Delivering high quality to students through a successful public-private partnership'. Kaplan International Colleges (KIC), part of the Washington Post Group, has been active in higher education in the USA for many years. In 2004 KIC commenced operations in the UK and has developed a number of partnerships with UK universities. This presentation will discuss the purpose and the content of their foundation programme developed with Nottingham Trent University and will highlight the excellent completion results and the successful progression of their international students.