QUALITY TRANSNATIONAL DISTANCE EDUCATION: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY ON INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Globalization has catalyzed new opportunities and risks for higher education institutions, prompting a transformation in defining quality to measure and encompass internationalization, including transnational distance education. This study aims to identify quality dimensions to support internationalization efforts for transnational distance education, assess the impact of an internationalization quality dimension on research outputs, and understand perceptions of quality through the reflection of transnational distance learners. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, this three-phased investigation begins with a qualitative content analysis of five international quality assurance frameworks to identify internationalization quality dimensions for transnational distance education. Informed by the findings of the first phase, the second phase incorporates a bibliometric analysis to measure international research collaboration outputs of three open universities and nine of their national counterparts. The third phase, also an international research collaboration, explores the experiences of three transnational distance education learners and their two faculty mentors using an in-depth collaborative autoethnography approach to define quality in transnational distance education. Twenty-seven internationalization indicators were conceptualized within a typology, predominately embedded in curriculum and governance dimensions, revealing a misalignment between research and practice. One of these indicators, international research collaboration, was further examined. Findings suggest the credibility of international research collaboration as a proxy for quality and academic excellence, demonstrating a 12.3% article citation increase in peer-reviewed publications. Finally, from the perspectives of transnational distance learners, quality is related to access, curriculum design, social and emotional support, and relevancy across contexts. A summary of the findings and implications in this manuscript-based dissertation are discussed, presenting international research collaboration as a quality dimension and measurable indicator across all levels of education systems. Recommendations are shared to support quality efforts in transnational distance education.