Abstract:

Recent global events such as the pandemic, climate change and regional conflicts are likely to have an impact on the higher education sector. With 235 million students in universities across the globe, it is imperative to identify future trends of the sector, capitalizing on the opportunities and mitigating potential risks. Using data from 50 international education experts and 99 graduate students from 16 countries across the globe, British Council’s recent scenario planning research, the Future of International Tertiary Education to 2037, identifies global trends in international tertiary education and presents three possible futures for sector – one most likely to happen outcome as well as two alternative scenarios that are less likely but equally impactful. This paper presents a critical analysis of one of three possible scenarios. The scenario titled “a more insular world” presents a future whereby the world is more fragmented and insular than before the pandemic with limited opportunities for international collaboration and mobility in education, presenting challenges in the form of access, quality and mobility. This paper aims to present challenges of this possible scenario, highlights key considerations and presents recommendation for circumventing them.

Keywords:

Higher education, enhancing learning, student mobility, access, quality.