Aspects of Educational Delivery within Sino-Foreign Educational Alliances: Is This the Real Key to Success?

Abstract

The topic of educational alliances undertaken between Sino and foreign universities remains a contentious and much debated matter. This is an area of considerable and often very busy activity with a high rate of failure and frustrationyet, also, examples of reward, mutual satisfaction and achievement. This paper evaluates a key aspect of these alliances often overlooked in researchthat is, educational delivery activities and projects which form the heart and core of alliances. The paper notes that the development and delivery of a range of programs including not just degree or part degree courses, but also research, seminar and ancillary activities, lies at the very core of a successful alliances, particularly if these activities can be undertaken in a manner which melds two very different cultural and educational worlds, and in a way which can contribute to the Chinese students' sense of wellbeing and ability to take part in the globalisation of the emerging Chinese market economy. 3

Establishing sub-campuses in China: A Finnish perspective

“…In this regard, Willis' research has paid little attention to the different situations of foreign education providers, especially those from non-English speaking countries with less well known HEIs. Noteworthy in his findings is that successful examples of educational cooperation with Chinese partners are conducted in a manner that fits the interests of both foreign and Chinese sides (Willis, 2008). This viewpoint guides our analysis and discussion concerning strategies on developing cross-border education in China, particularly in the form of CFCRS, by taking Finnish higher education as an example.…”

“…Since the middle of the 1990s, hundreds of foreign higher education institutions (HEIs) have developed CFCRS in China (Yang, 2008). Based on observation of practices of CFCRS and other kinds of alliances between foreign and Chinese HEIs, Willis (2001Willis ( , 2006aWillis ( , 2006bWillis ( , 2007Willis ( , 2008 has summarized general procedures and advice for foreign HEIs entering the education market in China. Among very few studies in this area, Willis' reports are most relevant and convincing owing to his long experience in the field and rich data used for analyses.…”

Faculty placement strategies for international higher education institutes

“…The perpetually evolving educational system in China creates a challenging environment for developing and maintaining foreign higher education institution (HEI) programs (Bray, 1998;Willis, 2008;Montgomery, 2016). This challenging environment is further pressured by the recent closures of over 200 foreign-joint HEIs and programs causing existing programs to reevaluate their quality standards and program stability (Feng, 2018).…”

“…International higher education institutions modes of delivery There are three major modes of delivery that HEIs typically establish abroad: Face-to-face, distance learning and a hybrid model incorporating both (Willis, 2008). Face-to-face delivery may be administered by both local and foreign teachers or by foreign teachers exclusively and is often the preferred form of delivery.…”

“…It is increasingly important for international higher education to understand the cross-cultural experience for both the instructor and the students and develop strategies to build a satisfactory experience for both. Some research has proposed adopting new teaching styles to bridge low English language levels and cultural differences, simplifying English vocabulary used and building a greater understanding of the country and culture to create a better classroom experience (Bodycott and Walker, 2000;Debowski, 2003;Willis, 2008). Other research suggests developing cultural intelligence coupled with cultural adjustment and cultural effectiveness in instructors (Lee and Sukoco, 2010), encouraging collaboration and communities of practice between home and international campuses (Dobos, 2011;Keay et al, 2014;O'Mahony, 2014) or hiring instructors based on willingness to learn and intercultural competence (Hoare, 2013) as methods for ensuring a satisfactory experience in the international classroom.…”