Faculty Teaching Experience at an International Branch Campus: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the phenomenon of internationalized higher education has expanded exponentially. American higher education has been particularly active in these efforts, and numerous American universities have expanded to include a brick and mortar International Branch Campus (IBC). In most cases, these universities suggest the degrees they are offering abroad are nearly identical in quality and content to those offered on the home campus. However, culture is a foundational component of education, and these IBCs are usually located in developing nations with different cultures than ours here in the United States.
This study explored the perceptions of faculty while teaching at an IBC. In order to explore faculty teaching experiences, this phenomenographic study was conducted using individual interviews of faculty who have taught at least one, three hour credit course at both the institutions main campus and their affiliated IBC. This study focused on universities with an IBC in a Middle Eastern nation. All participants in this study were American educated and had taught on both their home campus and branch campus at the time of their interview.
Overall, while faculty noted differences between teaching on the two campuses, they largely felt their academic freedom, pedagogical autonomy, and curricular autonomy were protected while at the IBC. Further, all participants felt they were prepared to teach in the IBC despite none of them undertaking any special measures to prepare for their role abroad. The data collected during this study may assist to better support and educate faculty on the potential differences of teaching at an IBC. It may also help to identify new areas of potential research to continue to develop the quality of education offered at IBCs. Though this study is helpful in understanding some facets of faculty work at IBCs, further work is needed in this area to provide greater depth and understanding on the topic.
Citation
McCracken, Kyle Robert (2020). Faculty Teaching Experience at an International Branch Campus: A Qualitative Study. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /192930.