By Cheryl Yu, drawing on Bailey, R. P., Chan, N. N., Ramnath, R., Dipolog, G. F., Rahman, A., Judge, S. K., & Singh, C. (2024). “Teaching and learning in transnational settings: A discourse.” In Transnational Education (Routledge). DOI: 10.4324/9781003488316-4
Transnational Education (TNE) has become one of the fastest-growing forms of international higher education. Universities now deliver programmes across borders through branch campuses, joint degrees, online collaborations, and hybrid models. While these initiatives expand global access, they also introduce profound challenges in teaching and learning—especially for the staff responsible for delivering them.
Bailey et al. (2024) emphasise that at the heart of TNE’s success lies the professional development of educators. Without this, cultural misunderstandings, curriculum misalignments, and uneven quality assurance can undermine student experience and institutional reputation.
The Complex Challenges of TNE Teaching
Teaching in TNE is not simply a matter of replicating home-campus practices abroad. Staff must navigate:
- Cultural complexity – Different expectations of teaching and learning styles, communication, and authority (Bovill et al., 2015; Lamers & Admiraal, 2018).
- Curriculum adaptation – Balancing global standards with local needs (Tran et al., 2023).
- Quality assurance – Ensuring comparability while respecting diverse contexts (Choon, 2008).
- Power dynamics – Avoiding “imperial” approaches where home institutions dominate (Fuchs & Roldan, 2019).
These challenges make it clear that professional development cannot be optional—it is a necessity.
What Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Do Staff Need?
Drawing on a Delphi consensus study with experts across South and Southeast Asia, Bailey et al. (2024) identify the competences essential for staff working in TNE:
- Knowledge: Institutional systems, pedagogy, cultural differences, and subject expertise.
- Skills: Communication, intercultural competence, critical thinking, and use of technology.
- Attitudes: Adaptability, respect, open-mindedness, empathy for international students.
- Values: Integrity, fairness, ethics, accountability, and equity.
These findings suggest that staff training must go beyond subject expertise, extending into cultural awareness, leadership, and innovative pedagogy.
Where Are the Gaps?
Experts in the study identified two urgent barriers:
- Lack of professional training for faculty and leaders (deans, programme heads).
- Language and communication barriers, both in teaching and in institutional collaboration.
Solutions strongly endorsed included:
Better and more extensive training for faculty, especially leaders.
- Teacher training in new pedagogical methods.
- Capacity-building in the language of instruction.
- Technology integration and infrastructure support.
- Professional Development as Transformation
Professional development in TNE is not only about solving immediate problems. It can be transformative—for staff and students alike. As Bailey et al. argue, when educators gain cross-cultural competence and pedagogical adaptability, they also develop as global professionals. These experiences expand their teaching repertoire, reshape their worldview, and foster inclusive, student-centred practices (Montgomery, 2014; Kim & Slapac, 2015).
In short, TNE professional development is not just training—it is capacity-building for global higher education.
Final Reflection:
As McBurnie and Ziguras (2007) predicted, TNE is at the forefront of the most fundamental changes in higher education. To realise its full potential, universities must invest seriously in staff professional development. Without equipping educators with the knowledge, skills, and cultural competence they need, even the most well-designed TNE programmes risk falling short.
Bailey et al. (2024) remind us: sustainable TNE depends not only on partnerships, regulations, or technology—but on people.