UK threshold standards in an Egyptian TNE context: An exploration of different understandings, mediation and safeguarding processes

This study explores how United Kingdom (UK) threshold standards are understood, mediated and safeguarded in an Egyptian Transnational Education (TNE) context. The professional challenge this thesis addresses is the requirement for Higher Education (HE) leaders and practitioners to understand the principles and values that inform UK threshold standards and to enable their appropriate mediation and safeguarding in an Egyptian TNE context with its own threshold standards. It seeks to understand how the situated context, and the lived experience of educational practitioners and leaders, impact UK threshold standards. This research was conducted as a case study of UK TNE provision be-tween a UK Higher Education Institute (HEI) and a private HEI located in Egypt. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview tool to interview thirty-two practitioners and leaders from the Egyptian and UK HEIs. Data were analysed using coding to identify relevant themes from the data and their interrelation-ship. Analysis of the data revealed the TNE context results in significant complexity to how UK threshold standards are understood, mediated and safeguarded. First, the movement of threshold standards from a UK context to a new national context requires significant additional work by practitioners and leaders to understand and align different national requirement. Second, UK threshold standards are primarily understood through a safeguarding prism which seeks to articulate learning outcomes and measure their achievement through assessment processes. This constrains development of learning, teaching and assessment. Finally, the understanding of UK threshold standards requires significant ongoing staff development processes, with appropriate resourcing levels, to embed and develop understandings through time.