Session Abstract

Transnational education, or TNE, can refer to a wide variety of international academic programs and activities (eg. branch campuses, joint international degree programs, regional “gateway” offices, distance learning, teaching partnerships, MOOCs, etc.). The rapid growth of TNE activities has huge implications for Higher Education (HE) institutions and for the Research and Education Networking (REN) organizations that support them. Regardless of the type of program or activity, the success of an institution’s TNE efforts relies heavily on advanced IT infrastructure. Thus, HE institutions are demanding the same advanced networking capabilities and services they have at home at all of their TNE locations around the world. Through ongoing market research, Internet2 is working to better understand the extent and location of our member’s current and future TNE activities and to work with our membership to provide cost-effective and low risk solutions. Similarly, many of Internet2’s global partners are creating their own programs and developing their own strategies. This panel discussion will bring together representatives from NRENs and from HE institutions to discuss the challenges posed by TNE and the strategies they’ve developed to address these challenges. We will address questions such as:

• What is TNE and how is it delivered?
• What are some specific technical challenges associated with TNE activities?
• What are the specific implications of TNE for the REN community?
• In what ways can NRENs bring value to TNE activities?
• How can the Global REN community work together to better support the growing TNE needs of our users?

Panel participants will likely include representatives from Internet2, NYU Shanghai, Duke U, JISC, CERNET, GARR and others