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Chinese higher education institutions have adopted a US-style tenure track system since the 1990s. This is an important reform aimed at modernizing China's higher education system. In response, authors have begun to carry out close examination of the career system and analyse its implications in a national context (Republic of China). This study aims to present the key research themes, identify research gaps and offer recommendations from the increasing pool of Chinese-language literature on the tenure track system. A scoping review of Chinese language papers was conducted using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (including the China Academic Journals Full-text Database, China Core Newspapers Full-text Database, China Doctoral Dissertations Full-text Database, China Masters' Thesis Full-text Database, and China Yearbooks Fulltext Database) (CNKI) database. Four major research themes were identified in Chinese discourse: (1) examining the tenure track system, (2) providing suggestions for better adaptation of the tenure track system in the Chinese context, (3) analysing the negative effects of the tenure track system, and (4) analysing the positive effects of the tenure track system. Generally, authors were concerned with the adaptation and cultivation of the US-originated tenure track system in the Chinese context and emphasized the importance of acknowledging its perceived negative influences on early-career scholars who have not received adequate attention. Overall, the authors demonstrate increasing interest in the tenure track system in China, and the literature is of variable quality. Further empirical studies are needed to analyse, evaluate and guide future improvement of the career system in the Chinese context in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] Globally, biobanks have become an essential tool for the protection and development of human genetic resources, and their development has played a very pivotal role in promoting basic research in life sciences and clinical diagnosis and treatment of major diseases. High-quality and standardized biobanks have become essential for basic research, translational clinical medicine research, and the implementation of precision medicine strategies. Recently, China has established some national or regional alliance-level biobanks; however, the issue of sharing mechanisms has always been a long-term factor restricting the full utilization of biological resources. There are a few examples of colleges and universities coordinating resources to promote the construction of school-level biobanks. [Methods] Herein, the focus is on constructing biobanks in medical colleges and universities in China, analyzing the difficulties and bottlenecks in sharing, and corresponding optimization policy references are proposed. The research methods employed are literature review, typical case analysis, survey questionnaire, and in-depth interviews, among others, to conduct multichannel and all-around research on the problem. [Results] Based on the literature survey, this paper summarizes the problems hindering biobank sharing into internal construction systems, external institutional management, and ethical issues, such as imperfect sample quality standardization and information access, informed consent, benefit sharing, and other specific issues. Through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and in-depth interviews, the results reveal that insufficient willingness to share, incomplete information disclosure, unclear benefit-sharing mechanism, lack of standardization of sample and information quality, and ethical concerns are the prominent problems hindering sharing. The relatively successful mechanism of the international and domestic representative biobanks in promoting sharing includes the formulation and implementation of unified biobank construction standards and norms, establishment of public and open information platforms, standardization of sharing rules and processes, benefit-sharing and distribution mechanism, and full implementation of scientific and reasonable ethical principles. [Conclusion] By referring to international and domestic successful cases while considering the advantages and foundations of medical colleges and universities, this paper proposes the following suggestions for biobank construction in medical colleges and universities. First, it is crucial to strengthen the top-level design and to create a "centralized and disaggregated" biological sample storage platform and network-sharing platform. Second, it is necessary to continuously strengthen the scientific construction of biological sample banks, promote the standardization of biological sample bank technology, boost the strength of professional management teams, and pay great attention to the disciplinary construction of biobanks. Third, strengthening the construction of the ethical governance system and ensuring reasonable informed consent and data security are important measures to promote effective data sharing while ensuring data privacy. Last, drawing on agreements signed by both parties for sample and data sharing, it is essential to establish the life cycle of research result data, constantly improve the sharing management mechanism, and innovate the benefit-sharing model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive survey of knowledge graphs in education. It covers the patterns and prospects of research in this area. A total of 48 relevant publications between 2011 and 2023 were collected from the Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest for review. The findings reveal a sharp increase in recent years in the body of research into educational knowledge graphs which was mainly conducted from institutions in China. Most of the relevant research work adopted a quantitative method, such as performance evaluation, user surveys, and controlled experiments, to assess the effectiveness of knowledge graph approaches. The findings also suggest that knowledge graph approaches were primarily researched and implemented in higher education institutions, with a focus on computer science, mathematics, and engineering. The most frequently addressed objectives included enhancing knowledge representation and providing personal learning recommendations, and the most common applications were concept instruction and educational recommendations. Diverse data resources, such as course materials, student learning behaviours, and online encyclopaedia, were processed to implement knowledge graph approaches in different scenarios. Relevant technical means employed for the implementation of knowledge graphs dealt with the purposes of building knowledge ontology, achieving recommendations, and creating knowledge graphs. Various pedagogies such as personalised learning and collaborative learning are supported by the knowledge graph approaches. The findings also identified key limitations in the relevant work, including insufficient information for knowledge graph construction, difficulty in extending applications across subject areas, the restricted scale and scope of data resources, and the lack of comprehensive user feedback and evaluation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Higher education institutions have a critical role in creating and disseminating the knowledge required to address the complex global challenges faced by global society, as summarized in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This role of higher education is linked with the concept of internationalization, which has recently been called upon to help contribute to tackle the global challenges and meet the SDGs, particularly through more attention to "Internationalization at Home" (IaH). This paper aims to examine the role of higher education in addressing the SDGs, especially with respect to the links between IaH and the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach: A case study of the International Campus of Zhejiang University (iZJU) is conducted to illustrate how iZJU, which is a pioneer of "Internationalization at Home" and an exemplar of sustainable campus in China, contributes to the value of the SDGs and makes an impact. Findings: The authors examine the practice of IaH at iZJU in the dimensions of organization, curriculum, people and campus, and the authors find evidence from the iZJU model in addressing the value of the SDG4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. Originality/value: First, the authors contribute to the literature on the role of higher education in addressing the SDGs, especially with respect to the links between IaH and the SDGs. Second, the authors contribute to the IaH literature by examining IaH from a Chinese perspective, as there has been little exploration of what IaH means beyond the European context. Third, the authors build on the analytical framework in the IaH literature in the dimensions of organization, curriculum and people and extend with a new dimension of campus. Fourth, the authors show that IaH is a comprehensive approach to include both curriculum internationalization and campus internationalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a methodological reflection on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project that used the photovoice method to unravel the educational experiences of disabled college students in China's higher education institutions. Although CBPR endeavors to nurture equitable community engagement in research processes, there are practical challenges to address the full participation of people with divergent disabilities and access needs. Drawing upon the critical disability studies literature, and particularly upon the activist scholarship of disability justice that revolves around interdependency, collective access, and cross-disability solidarity, we provide an open discussion on the complexities, tensions, and challenges of envisioning and creating access for participants with different disabilities in a visuality-centered CBPR. Our findings suggest that access creation in CBPR should go beyond the checklist style of accommodation and instead be approached as relational, dynamic, and iterative processes that require ongoing reflection, (re)learning, and negotiation among researchers and participants. We implemented nonvisual photography to adapt to the visuality-centered bias in the photovoice method. Nonvisual photography empowered participants with visual disabilities to evoke multiple sensorialities in their photo-taking, displaying, and interpretation. Moreover, the participants without visual disabilities also learned and practiced collective access and interdependency through co-transforming the CBPR into an accessible space for all. The heterogeneity among participants with divergent disabilities and access needs challenged CBPR's envisioning of a unified community with recognized commonalities. The inclusion of participants across disability groups created an opportunity for all participants to draw meaning from the ableist social and political circumstances that forged them as a community and to develop a sense of belonging and bonding in and through CBPR. In that light, disability justice and access should be reimagined and incorporated into CBPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a bottom-up way of approaching China's macro-level initiative in the regions of Asia and examines the language ideologies and linguistic entrepreneurship of international students as an agentive response to China's rise. Using data gathered via semi-structured interviews, we present the narratives of 26 Asian international students enrolled in courses at higher education institutions in Shanghai. The findings reveal that China's growing presence in the region has increased the instrumental value of Chinese, as a majority of students acknowledged China's rapid development as well as the dominant positioning of Chinese in the current regional language system. Chinese was ideated as linguistic capital in the local labour market, where the learners were empowered to express their desire for material success and upward mobility. The findings also reveal linguistic entrepreneurship associated with Chinese language learning, and such agentive behaviour was previously observed in the domain of English language learning, especially in South Korea. We argue that the process of commodifying the Chinese language appeared to legitimise the value of Chinese in the regions of Asia, while providing an entry point to problematise our current understanding of English hegemony and linguistic imperialism in the changing global landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to provide descriptive and critical insights into high-performance student-athletes (HPSA) policies and their implementation in China's competitive sports and higher education institutions (regular HEIs, excluding vocational colleges). The purpose of this research is to facilitate the sound development of HPSA policies by analysing their strengths and weaknesses. We conducted a documentary analysis of 25 policies related to Chinese HPSA, contributing to the healthy and long-term development of HPSA and Chinese competitive sports. Additionally, we developed practical considerations for future policymaking. Moreover, this paper, represents the first comprehensive attempt to explore HPSA policies within mainland China in English. It encompasses various aspects, including psychological consideration, the social environment, academic development, post-athletic preparation, and the mechanisms of regular HEIs. Giving considerably greater attention to these aspects would benefit policymaking and practice within the Chinese HPSA context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education has gained popularity in China's tertiary education as a result of globalization. International students in Chinese universities are celebrated as part of soft power projection to extend China's global impact. Informed by Piller and Cho's concept of "Neoliberalism as language policy" (2013) and Collins' "social reproduction theory" (2009, 2012), this study attempts to explore the EMI learning experiences of a cohort of international students at a border university in China. The policy documents, in-depth interviews, classroom observation, reflective journals and online interactions converge to reveal that, international students in EMI programmes experience exclusion and inequality despite the welcoming discourses of diversity. The paper highlights the necessity to pay attention to the ways in which higher education institutions reproduce inequalities of social stratification of international students through explicit and implicit institutional practices. It is argued that EMI policy in China's peripheral regions targeting international students from less-developed countries tends to perpetuate and accentuate educational inequalities. The study sheds light on a more inclusive pedagogical approach to alleviating international students' marginalisation and educating students of diverse linguistic, cultural, socioeconomic backgrounds for global citizenship in the context of China's Belt and Road Initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Investigating emotion sequence patterns in the posts of discussion forums in massive open online courses (MOOCs) holds a vital role in shaping online interactions and impacting learning achievement. While the majority of research focuses on the relationship between emotions and interactions in MOOC forum discussions, research on identifying the crucial difference in emotion sequence patterns among different interaction groups remains in its infancy. Objectives: This research utilizes deep learning and sequential pattern mining to investigate whether there are differences in emotion sequence patterns across different groups of learners who exhibit various types of interactions in online discussion forums. Methods: Data from a comprehensive array of sources, including log files, discussion texts and scores from 498 learners in online discussion forums, were collected for this study. The agglomerative hierarchical algorithm is used to classify learners into groups with different levels of interactions. Additionally, we implement and evaluate multiple deep learning models for detecting different emotions from online discussions. Relevant emotion sequence patterns were identified using sequence pattern analysis and the identified emotion sequence patterns were compared across different groups with different levels of interactions. Results and Conclusions: Using an agglomerative hierarchical algorithm, we classified learners into three distinct groups characterized by different levels of interactions: high, average and low level. Leveraging the bi‐directional long short‐term memory model for emotion detection yielded the highest predictive performance, with an impressive F‐measure of 94.01%, a recall rate of 93.83% and an accuracy score of 95.01%. The results also revealed that learners in the low‐level interaction group experienced more emotion transition from boredom to frustration than the other two groups. Therefore, the aggregation of students into groups and the utilization of their MOOC log data offer educators the capability to provide adaptive emotional feedback, customize assessments and offer more personalized attention as needed. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Emotions are dynamic over time when learners experience cognitive disequilibrium/equilibrium.Online interactions are critical components, which influence learners' emotional state, cognitive processes and learning achievement.It is not clear what are differences in emotion sequence patterns across the groups with different interaction types. What the paper adds: An agglomerative hierarchical algorithm was implemented to cluster learners into three groups by analysing behavioural data.We explore possibilities for automated classification of emotions using deep learning approaches.Learners in the low‐level interaction group experienced more emotion transition from boredom to frustration. Implications for practitioners: A considerable amount of effort should be expended to identify and respond to learners who experience boredom and frustration emotions.Designing interventions or scaffolding to facilitate learners' interaction and promote favourable emotions.Educators could provide more personalized support based on learners' online interaction cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to adapt to the development of teaching informatization and meet the needs of students, teachers and parents, it is necessary to strengthen the active participation of students and integrate various curriculum resources, and improve teaching quality and the modes. Comprehensive multimedia software should be produced, including audiovisual and other sensory experiences. This is a concentrated expression of media diversity and networking, which not only breaks the traditional single-source education model, but also improves students' interest and enthusiasm for learning. As a new teaching tool, multimedia teaching uses the latest computer, multimedia and network technologies to make the presentation of teaching materials more dynamic. This is because it can break through the constraints of time and space and show a high degree of flexibility and interactivity. However, most multimedia teaching and learning in China are faced with problems such as poor interactivity, insufficient programming, product personalization, intellectual property rights and insufficient knowledge of software automation. Therefore, this paper designed the multimedia teaching system from the perspective of psychology through human-computer interaction, so as to improve the teaching quality and promote the diversified development of teaching. The results showed that the multimedia teaching improved by about 9% compared with the traditional model, and the students' learning effect also improved by about 11% compared with the traditional model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of social networks turns them into a legal method for promoting a healthy lifestyle, which benefits not only people but also different countries' governments. This research paper aimed to examine the Keep fitness app integrated into WeChat, Weibo and QQ as regards long-term improvements in health-related behaviors (physical activity, nutrition, health responsibility, spiritual growth, interpersonal relationships and stress management) and assess the associated risk of increased social media addiction. Students from Lishui University in China (N  = 300) participated in this study, and they were formed into control and experimental groups. The Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Scale and Social Media Disorder Scale were used as psychometric instruments. The Keep app was found to improve respondents' scores on the parameters of physical activity, nutrition and health responsibility (P  = 0.00). However, the level of dependence on social media did not change in either the control or the experimental group during the year of research (P  ≥ 0.05). It is concluded that fitness apps can be an effective tool to promote healthy lifestyles among young people in China and other countries. The feasibility of government investment in fitness apps to promote healthy lifestyles is substantiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In a context where synchronous online teaching has become a new trend of instruction for online education due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, it is valuable and insightful to examine what factors contribute to teachers' satisfaction with synchronous online teaching. Objective: Informed by the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study investigated English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (EFL) university teachers' synchronous online teaching satisfaction in China from social (i.e., subjective norms), institutional (i.e., facilitating conditions), and individual (i.e., self‐efficacy, attitudes toward use, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use) levels during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods: A total of 250 in‐service EFL university teachers participated in this study. An online questionnaire was adaptively developed to measure teachers' perceptions of and satisfaction with synchronous online teaching. The structural equation modelling (i.e., path analyses) was performed to find out a model that can best represent EFL university teachers' synchronous online teaching satisfaction. Results and Conclusion: The results showed that facilitating conditions, self‐efficacy, attitudes toward use, and perceived usefulness are direct contributors to EFL university teachers' satisfaction with synchronous online teaching. Whereas, perceived ease of use, self‐efficacy, and subjective norms are indirect contributors through the mediation of attitudes toward use. Moreover, different from previous TAM research, facilitating conditions have been found to be the most significant direct factor positively contributing to satisfaction. The findings of this study are expected to shed light on how to enhance teachers' synchronous online teaching satisfaction. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: The technology acceptance model (TAM) has been frequently adopted to examine teachers' acceptance of technology in various contexts over the last two decades.The TAM model identifies three key factors that contribute to people's intention of technology use: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of, and attitudes toward technology use.Although the TAM model has been extensively examined in various technology‐supported teaching contexts, there has been a lack of focus on livestream technology‐supported synchronous online teaching. What the paper adds: EFL university teachers' synchronous online teaching satisfaction during the COVID‐19 in China.Teachers' satisfaction with synchronous online teaching is a joint interplay of individual (i.e., self‐efficacy, attitudes toward use, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use), institutional (i.e., facilitating conditions), and social (i.e., subjective norms) factors.Facilitating conditions, self‐efficacy, attitudes toward use, and perceived usefulness are direct contributors, while perceived ease of use, self‐efficacy, and subjective norms are indirect contributors to teachers' synchronous online teaching satisfaction through the mediation of attitudes toward use.Different from previous TAM research, facilitating conditions have been found to be the most significant direct factor positively contributing to satisfaction. Implications for practice and/or policy: This study offers a diagnostic measure for schools and universities to understand the status quo of their teachers' perceptions of and satisfaction with synchronous online teaching.Universities are advised to provide teachers with readily accessible support and training to enhance their self‐efficacy for synchronous online teaching so that their satisfaction with synchronous online teaching can be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the components of Chinese college counsellors' mental models in their daily work based on a rich content analysis of the story accounts of 152 exemplary college counsellors over the past 8 years. On the basis of a rigid three‐step coding procedure, this study reveals that Chinese college counsellors' mental models generally comprise four common constituents, namely a love‐filled faith system, a rule‐based thinking system, a professionalism‐based knowledge system and action‐based performance. These components jointly illustrate the general landscape of Chinese college counsellors' internal well‐being and fill a research gap regarding the sparse attention given to counsellors in the global literature on faculty professionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous lectures targeted at overseas Chinese children have mostly been offline in the form of youth camps sponsored by the Chinese governments before the COVID-19 pandemic and are now usually administered online in a single-topic format transnationally post-pandemic. This form of "one-to-many" singular online lectures comes along with discontinuity, mass audiences, chaos, and being less tailored to the individual needs and context, failing to meet the evaluation metrics in different evaluation levels. This paper proposes a model of transnational online livestreaming serial socio-cultural lectures for overseas Chinese children, which puts forward the synergy of lecturing staff from higher educational institutions (HEIs) in China and students at Chinese language schools (CLSs) worldwide as participants. Lecturing staff from needs and context HEIs can guarantee sufficient keynote speakers for "one-on-one" mode and cope with the above-mentioned problems. After the implementation of five sessions of these serial lectures, evaluation of this model shows that the pre-lecture, during-lecture, and post-lecture stages have are applicable. Furthermore, for sociocultural lectures, the audience may be more interested in literature classics than folk arts from a specific region. Correlation analysis reveals that younger children have a better evaluation of this model and an improved inclination to attend lectures, which sheds light on the improvement of sociocultural lectures as online lectures are preferred among overseas Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem definition: Quick response is a classic operations strategy that allows a retailer to place a rapid replenishment order during the selling season using information learned from early sales. The benefits of quick response are widely studied in the literature under the condition that the manufacturer's wholesale prices are exogenously given. Motivated by the practice of emerging small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) fashion brands, this paper revisits the value of quick response for a retailer when a manufacturer can strategically set its wholesale prices. Methodology/results: We develop a game-theoretic model consisting of one manufacturer and one retailer. In contrast to the traditional quick response setting, the manufacturer can dynamically adjust wholesale prices for both regular and replenishment orders. First, we investigate whether and when quick response still benefits the retailer. We find that, under low or significantly high demand uncertainties, the firms share a common preferred ordering strategy, and quick response benefits the retailer as well as the supply chain. But, under moderately high demand uncertainty, the retailer's favored ordering strategy conflicts with the manufacturer's interest; as a result, the manufacturer would set wholesale prices to counter the retailer's ordering strategy, which makes quick response detrimental to the retailer. Second, we search for mechanisms that can resolve this conflict and restore the beneficial effect of quick response. We show that letting the manufacturer commit to wholesale prices up front is ineffective in fixing the problem. However, if the retailer can propose a take-it-or-leave-it wholesale price for the replenishment order (possibly with the replenishment quantity) once the regular wholesale price is set, then quick response leads to a win–win outcome for both firms. Managerial implications: The findings caution retailers with weak power (e.g., SMEs) when adopting quick response, especially when facing moderately high demand uncertainties. The retailer, although weak, should be aware of the retailer's natural ability to propose replenishment terms because, otherwise, the retailer can always forgo quick response; this opens up an opportunity to design more favorable arrangements. Funding: The work of J. Chen was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72171202, 72232007]; the work of Q. Hu was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72271057, 72091211]; the work of D. Shi was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72102205] and Shenzhen Stable Support Program for Higher Education Institutions; the work of F. Zhang was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71929201, 72131004]. Supplemental Material: The online supplement is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2021.0561. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past few decades have seen a boom in English-medium instruction (EMI) in Chinese universities. Despite growing research interest in EMI policy and practices in China, little is known about how students' motivation to study in the EMI programs is influenced by EMI policy and its implementation at the meso and micro levels. This study addresses this gap by examining an EMI program at a Chinese medical college. Through a survey of 118 students and interviews with 10 students and 6 teachers, we investigated students' EMI learning motivation, how and why it changed over time, and different stakeholders' perceptions of the EMI implementation. The questionnaire and interview data were triangulated with textual analysis results of institutional EMI policy documents. It was found that students' motivation generally declined over the course of EMI study and was often influenced by implementation factors such as pedagogical practices, assessment-related policies, and incentive strategies. Interactions and contradictions between the EMI policy goals, EMI implementation at different levels and students' motivation change were also analyzed through the Activity Theory lens to shed light on how higher education institutions could better sustain students' EMI motivation and enhance the quality of EMI programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of sustainable development is a topic that needs to be studied, analysed, and addressed by higher education institutions. Campus sustainability assessment tools (CSATs) are commonly adopted internationally to evaluate and improve measures utilised for the development outcomes of universities. Whilst some Chinese universities have taken positive steps towards attaining sustainability in their operations, teaching and/or research, and China has come up with its own evaluation criteria for green universities, majority of their approach still have shortcomings, such as lack of multiple stakeholder involvement and a one size fits all approach to campus sustainability strategy. Thus, the aim of this paper is to investigate two core methodological issues (top-down and non-transparent approaches and the limited consideration of context-specific issues) that impact the efficacy of CSATs in order to optimize the selection process for indicators and enhance the development CSAT for Chinese campuses and other campuses globally. Based on the widely used assessment tools (both campus and neighbourhood) in foreign countries, 147 corresponding assessment indicators in 16 domains were collated through qualitative review of existing assessment tools and the questionnaire-based analysis through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The case study campus selected was the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. The indicators to be investigated were selected based on frequency and distributed in the form of a questionnaire to the staff and students after a comprehensive stakeholder survey analysis. The staff and students were used to illustrate the high interest and high influence dynamic versus the high interest and low influence dynamic. This research was conducted to gain insight towards developing an integrated, inclusive, and context relevant CSAT. Furthermore, a new framework was developed for Chinese Campus sustainable assessment planning, using the University of Nottingham Ningbo as Case study. This framework provides step by step phases for CSAT development that includes the database phase, minimization phase, stakeholder phase and integration and implementation phase. Within these phases, factors that determined the success and failure were discussed such as issues of acceptability versus pragmatism, willingness of stakeholders to participate, weighing of indicators, stakeholder analysis and redistribution of power for the less influential. This led to the sample selection of indicators, which serve as validation of impact of this integrated methodological process. The final recommendation given is that all regions should create and provide avenues for tailored processes for the selection, weighting and criteria development of sustainability indicators and assessment tools. This needs to promote inclusivity, transparency and contextual relevance in decision making, which should be the main considerations for any truly sustainable framework. In addition, as a final measure to ensure methods such as CSATs are implemented in wider China and globally, this study identified the need for coordination, support, and participation of competent and sustainability driven leaders, government parastatals (National and provincial level), pilot demonstration, as well as data transparency throughout related campus departments. • Current assessment tools are top-down and non-transparent and limited in consideration of context-specific issues. • High interest and high influence versus high interest and low influence dynamic needs to be considered in stakeholder analysis. • Four phases for the framework are proposed: Database, minimization, stakeholder and integration and implementation phases. • China should provide an avenue for bespoke processes for the selection, weighting and criteria development of assessment tools. • For campus sustainability frameworks to be successful, participation from competent sustainability driven leaders is needed. • For campus sustainability frameworks to be successful, government support, pilot demonstration and data transparency is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in master's degree enrollment in China, ensuring the realization of value-added research skills of master's degree students with limited educational resources has become an urgent problem. We developed hypotheses and tested the mediating effect of academic passion (AP) in the role of training environment satisfaction (TES) on research skill increment (RSI) and the moderating role of academic self-efficacy (ASE) using the perspective of Research Training Environment Theory (RTE). We used a structured questionnaire to collect responses from 911 master's students from universities in central China, including 458 males (50.27%) and 453 females (49.73%), and 66.41% of the subjects were between the ages of 23 and 26. Our findings indicate that TES significantly impacts RSI and can influence RSI via a partially mediated effect of AP. In addition, we determined the moderating effect of ASE between the effects of the three variables. Based on RTE theory, we introduced the concept of value-add assessment and combined the two to realize the expansion of RTE theory. This study has implications for administrators and individuals in graduate education. It can help administrators make changes to the management model or methods of graduate education, as well as provide some inspiration for developing and improving master's students' research skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the West, China exhibits a proactive attitude and conservative actions to developing entrepreneurial universities. This article deconstructs such a paradoxical approach by analysing the scholarly literature, policy discourses, and empirical data and their various perceptions of entrepreneurial universities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). We conducted 71 interviews in four case universities to obtain empirical data for triangulation with the literature and policies. Our main research findings include the following: (1) there is a desire to introduce the concept of entrepreneurial universities from the West, along with their characteristics and aims; (2) China's policy discourse of excellence and pragmatism affects entrepreneurship education and technology transfer; and (3) an emerging identity of entrepreneurial universities is constrained by attitudes and barriers at the institutional level. China's perceptions and practices reflect a lack of sustainability of and fragmented approach to developing entrepreneurial universities, with strong implications for establishing entrepreneurial universities elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The largest group of international students pursuing their overseas higher education in the UK come from China; and yet, little qualitative research has explored the experiences of Chinese students who have recently made this transition, with even less focusing on the experiences of both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The present article set out to explore the unique perspective of a small sample of first-year undergraduate and first-year postgraduate students (N = 18), on their experience of transitioning to a higher education institution in the UK. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was used to explore their experiences in greater depth. Two superordinate themes are reported here: "Education Dialogues and Scholarship" and "Intercultural Relations and Notions of Difference." The findings suggest that despite advances in institutional practices to support international students' transition to higher education in the UK, more work needs to be done to redress the sociocultural (and other) challenges that continue to exist for international Chinese students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creation of lightscapes in colleges and universities are of great significance in enhancing the perception of the campus environment, improving physical and mental health, and shaping humanistic connotations. This research aims to examine lightscape perceptions and impacts of different campuses. At Chongqing University A and B Campuses, lightscape walking experiments, subjective questionnaires, objective luminance measurements, and HDR picture processing were used to examine lightscape perception and factors. The relevance and differences in the perception of circadian lightscapes in the two campuses were analyzed using SPSS software. The study found: (1) natural lightscapes such as sky light, cloud shadow, and lake water reflection were the most popular during the daytime, while artificial lightscapes, such as decorative lighting of buildings, were positively evaluated at night; (2) the frequency of visits by a crowd directly impacts the ambiance of the environmental area; (3) males showed strong emotional awareness and social interaction skills in daytime, leading to increased social activity and stronger emotional responses, but no differences in nighttime; (4) optimal nighttime luminance enhances the overall perception satisfaction of the illumination; (5) the amount and arrangement of outdoor space, vegetation, minor landscape design, and service facilities all affect the perception of circadian lightscapes. In conclusion, design concepts and proposals of landscapes were suggested to optimize college and university lightscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging studies on university stratification have often attributed the developmental gaps between universities to the popularization of new public management in contexts where market mechanisms prevail in higher education governance. However, less attention has been paid to how state powers continue to mediate university stratification alongside market influence. Embracing the competitive emphasis of new public management, the Chinese state has launched a new world-class university scheme, the Double World-class (DWC) Project, replacing the past one, Project 985/211. Tracing the continuities and changes from Project 985/211 to the DWC Project, this study examines the mechanisms and outcomes of China's university stratification at two levels. Firstly, the DWC Project has reproduced and reinforced the overall stratified landscape of China's universities. The state-designated hierarchy of elite and non-elite universities is reproduced in a more complex form of market-based stratification through what we propose as a "lock-in cycle" mechanism. Secondly, the DWC Project is nonetheless reshuffling the internal stratification of elite universities in three aspects: privileged identities are becoming volatile, which catalyzes inter-university competition financed by local governments; the distinction between central and local universities is collapsing when stratification becomes increasingly discipline-based; and the rising market-based stratification is challenging the state-designated hierarchy and the lock-in cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's higher education system is one of the largest and most complex in the world, with a vast number of higher education institutions scattered across different provinces. Evaluating the efficiency, productivity change, and technology gaps of these institutions is significant for understanding their performance and identifying areas for improvement. In this context, this study employs three different approaches, DEA super-SBM, Malmquist Productivity Index, and Meta-Frontier Analysis, to evaluate the efficiency, productivity change, and technology gaps of China's provincial higher education systems. The study results revealed that the average higher education efficiency in China is 1.0015 for the study period of 2010–2021. A rapid and continuous increase was witnessed in higher education efficiency in China from 2014 to 2020. Meta-frontier and Group-frontier, higher education efficiency scores of low-level literate provinces are greater than middle and high-level literate provinces. However, the TGR of higher and middle-level literate provinces is greater than low-level literate provinces, indicating a superior technological level. The average MI score is 1.0034, indicating growth in productivity change. Efficiency change is the main determinant in higher education productivity growth instead of technological growth. The Middle and Low-level literate provinces witnessed growth in higher education productivity, while high-level literate provinces observed a decline in productivity change. The Kruskal-Wallis test provides evidence that a significant statistical difference exists among the three groups of education levels for the average scores of MI, EC, TC, and TGR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: Driven by Innovation 2.0 (the information age, the innovation form of the knowledge society), the form evolved by the Internet development, giving rise to economic and social development ("Internet +"). With this background, a novel approach is presented for fostering excellence in physicians, aligning with the contemporary demands of our era. Methods: Self-administered questionnaire was used to facilitate the collection of data on medical advanced mathematics course offerings, distribution of teaching hours of each major and the perception of the course teaching system in 11 medical universities in China. The distribution of course offerings in each major was analyzed, and one-sample t-test was conducted on the perspectives of course offerings, content settings (theoretical & practical), educational objectives, teaching reforms, and Synthetical Sensation (SS) of the curriculum system and educational model. Results: The study included various specialties such as clinical medicine, pharmacy, public health, health management, and life sciences, all of which offered advanced mathematics course. The content of medical mathematics textbooks was designed to meet the practical needs of relevant professions, and encompass online laboratory classes and social practice. However, a noticeable misalignment was observed between the content of medical mathematics courses and the realistic requirements of professions (t = -3.614~-3.018, P < 0.05). The perceived difference in the completeness of curriculum systems was not significantly apparent. There was a difference in the perception of the effectiveness of teaching reforms (t = -4.485, P < 0.05), and there was a difference in the perception of the synthesis of the educational model in all cases (t = -5.067, P < 0.05). Conclusion: There are localized differences in curricula, and the number of course hours is basically reasonable; course content needs to be updated; the implementation of course objectives is not in place; the curriculum system can meet the needs of talent training; the innovation of the education model needs to be put into practice; and there are obvious differences in the comprehensive cognition of the teaching system and the education model. Based on the analysis of the problems, we build a new STC teaching mode with smart classroom based on "professional needs, practical needs and requirements for cultivating excellent physician talents". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the five-word lexical bundles (LBs) expressing gratitude in acknowledgments of dissertations written by Chinese and American PhD students of linguistics. Two corpora were built: (1) The Chinese University Dissertation Acknowledgments Collection (CUC) which contained 700 acknowledgments with a total of 300,686 tokens, and (2) the American University Dissertation Acknowledgments Collection (AUC) which contained 700 acknowledgments with a total of 493,045 tokens. We then retrieved five-word LBs, of which LBs expressing gratitude in CUC and AUC were identified, categorized, and compared with respect to frequency, forms and structures. Major findings were: (1) the Chinese students used a substantially greater number of gratitude LBs than the American students, (2) the two groups used considerably different gratitude LBs, and (3) the two groups mainly relied on verb phrase-based LBs to express gratitude, but the Chinese students used a larger proportion of noun phrase-yet a smaller proportion of verb phrase-based items than the American students, and (4) the two groups used dissimilar structures and words to construct gratitude LBs. These findings enrich our knowledge of linguistic patterns in dissertation acknowledgments as a unique genre of academic prose, and provide corpusbased learning materials for students tasked with properly expressing gratitude in their theses or dissertations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With a focus on undergraduate music major students in China, the study sought to examine how higher music education institutions prepare professional knowledge, professional skills and soft skills in relevance to music students' employability. Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative survey engaged 359 music students from five music institutions in Western China to report their perceptions toward music curriculum related to employability. The current study examined whether their perception varied based on their gender, location, school, educational background and professional option purpose. Findings: Perception differences in the music curriculum were observed across gender, schools, educational background and professional option purpose. School differences were the most significant among all five factors, followed by professional option purpose, educational background and gender. The location difference was insignificant among the five factors. There were insufficient opportunities for community and industrial engagement in higher music education. Originality/value: The current study provides an insight into the higher music education curriculum for employability preparation in current China. This is one of the limited empirical studies in Western China to investigate music students' perceptions of professional knowledge and skills and the soft skill line with employability. The findings can serve as a reference for prospective employees in the music industry, policymaking and curriculum design and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]