One way or another, China is taking the international HE sector by storm; its ambition is to lead the world's knowledge economy within the next 4 decades. Chinese students are migrating to overseas universities in their thousands and constitute a significant proportion of the UK's HE student body. Focusing on the experiences and perceptions of Chinese students both in their native country and in the UK, this seminar uncovers contentious issues relating to the nature and quality of HE that these students experience. Trends in participation and attainment of Chinese students in UK higher education Professor Cristina Iannelli, University of Edinburgh Chinese students represent the largest constituency of the non-EU student population studying in UK higher education institutions: a constituency that has increased in the last decade from about 4,000 (in 1998-9) to almost 84,000 in 2012-3. This paper reports the findings of research which analysed patterns of participation and attainment of Chinese students over time and discusses explanations for these patterns, and implications for HE policy and practice. Social justice and higher education in China Drs Bin Wu and Bernadette Robinson, University of Nottingham The increasing income gaps and social inequality which have emerged from China's rapid development raise issues of social justice for its HE sector, as universities face challenges in ensuring equal opportunity and equitable distribution of financial support to students from all social groups. This paper examines findings from a questionnaire survey that gathered the views and perspectives on social justice-related issues of 1,547 students at six universities in the western province of Shaanxi in 2011. It addresses questions such as: do rural and urban students have equal access to university? How far does poverty affect student access to and experience of higher education? Do students regard government financial support as adequate and fairly distributed? The implications for social justice and the policies needed to achieve it are considered in the light of these findings. Organisational culture and teaching innovation in higher education in China Professor Chang Zhu, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium This paper presents findings from research carried out in six Chinese universities on teachers' and students' perceptions of organisational culture, and their views about and reactions to teaching innovations such as student-centred learning, collaborative learning and the use of innovative educational technologies. Involving 1,051 students and teachers, the study reveals a great need for innovation in Chinese higher education. |
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