Over the last 30 years, the internationalization of higher education has grown exponentially. This has allowed higher education institutions (HEIs), especially from developed countries, to promote their curricula to overseas markets and offer students from various countries access to diverse teaching and learning philosophies. In addition, higher education's internationalization undoubtedly reflects Western values in academic learning and operation methods (Altbach, 2004). The growth of transnational higher education (TNHE) providers is often motivated by the desire to generate external revenue sources and enhance their domestic and international reputations in the face of increasing pressures from marketization, public budget cuts, and global competition in higher education. Receiving countries often view TNHE as a tool for upgrading their domestic higher education capabilities, expanding human capital, reducing brain drain, and contributing to economic development.

As the world's most promising market and one of the world's largest education-importing countries, China has the potential to dwarf traditional offshore markets. The internationalization of higher education in China has played a crucial role in advancing national economic and political goals, particularly since the country's opening up in the 1980s. China's economic reforms, which started in the late 1970s, led to educational reform as part of the economic opening-up process. China's accession to the WTO accelerated the commercialization of education. The Chinese government's aim to enhance its international competitiveness in global education also motivated this growth (Yang, 2008). Since the establishment of the first joint degree program—the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in 1986—the Chinese government has approved 177 institutions (including nine independent institutions and 168 institutions affiliated with Chinese universities) and 2,345 programs between 1991 and 2022 (Li et al., 2023).

Establishing TNHE institutions in China is not solely for the transformation of educational knowledge. These programs aim to combine the strengths of both Chinese and foreign educational systems, offering students a unique opportunity to develop global competencies. Transformative learning, which focuses on critical thinking, cultural understanding, and the development of new perspectives, is particularly relevant in this context. This paper examines the application of transformative learning in Sino-foreign cooperative programs, drawing on insights from six interviews with faculty, administrators, and alumni. More importantly, the distinct approaches to learning and teaching, novel perspectives on thinking, and self-reflection ultimately lead to change. In other words, a transformative learning experience is crucial for the successful operation of TNHE.

References

Altbach, P.G. (2004), “Globalization and the university: myths and realities in an unequal world”, Tertiary Education and Management, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 3-25.

Li, Y., Song, C., Zhang, X., & Li, Y. (2023). Exploring the geographies of transnational higher education in China. Geographical Research, 62(1), 165–180. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-5871.12620 

Yang, R. (2008). Transnational Higher Education in China: Contexts, characteristics and concerns. Australian Journal of Education, 52(3), 272–286. https://doi.org/10.1177/000494410805200305