Curriculum design, development and implementation in a transnational higher education context

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to report on an applied research project involving the application of core learning and pedagogical theory to a specific unit in a transnational undergraduate business course. Design/methodology/approach – The project sought to collect data and learning experiences based upon intensive literature reviews and a combined quantitative-qualitative research method. Established research constructs and recent lessons from the literature were applied to the two-year reform cycle of an undergraduate business unit. Findings – The findings validated the research constructs and frameworks employed and reinforced the case for enhancing the nexus between alignment, student motivation, active learning and the international-transnational perspective. Despite initiatives to engender openness and interactivity in the classroom, including dynamic and innovative approaches to communication and content delivery neither the operation of the class nor the eventual performance of the students lived up to expectations. Research limitations/implications – The research was limited to the experiences of three different cohorts of students on the same unit over a two-year period. Implications are that the same research method and approach are valid for other units either in the same faculty or across faculties. Practical implications – Serves as an example of what can and cannot be achieved by academics seeking to align their teaching and research activities on a relatively modest basis. Social implications – Raises questions as to the social dimension to transnational higher education courses. Originality/value – While not entirely original, the paper adds value in the form of “lessons learned” from an applied classroom-based research.

Role play as a teaching method to improve student learning experience of a bachelor degree programme in a transnational context: an action research study

“…XJTLU advocates a student-focused approach and the application of an outcome-based method to its TNE education. As a TNE teacher, I am thus very aware of my responsibility for facilitating my students' development (Tian and Martin, 2014).…”

An exploration of Chinese students’ learning experiences in China-Australia ‘2+2’ articulation programmes: in between two systems

“…In contrast, some scholars have concentrated on examining micro aspects, such as students' motivation, intercultural adjustment, and perceptions of transnational programmes (e.g. Djerasimovic, 2014;Heffernan, Morrison, Basu, & Sweeney, 2010;Hou & McDowell, 2013;Lamberton & Ashton-Hay, 2015;Tian & Martin, 2014;H. Yang & Lesser, 2017;Yu, 2014).…”

Innovating Engineering Curriculum Design Toward Future: A Pilot Case Study of the School of Future Technology (SFT) in China

“…Significant milestones of engineering education in China over the past two decades include launching the Around these reforms, researchers, educators, and industry partners hold macro policy perspectives (Wei et al,2022;Lin, 2017), meso-level institutional study views (Lu et al,2018;Ye et al,2022), as well micro classroom teaching and learning research (Tian et al,2021;Fu & Liu,2020). These strategies share a vision to improve the quality of engineering education and transform China's engineering education to be futureand industry-oriented, to provide students with both broad range of knowledge, complex problem-solving skills, and soft skills to work effectively in industry and contribute to technological achievements.…”