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Collecting feedback from students through course, program and other evaluation questionnaires has become a costly and time consuming process for most colleges. Converting to data collection through the internet, rather than completion on paper, can result in a cheaper and more efficient process. This article examines several research questions which need to be answered to establish that results collected by the two modes of administration are equivalent. Data were gathered for a program evaluation questionnaire from undergraduate students at a university in Hong Kong. Students were able to choose between completion on paper or through the internet. In six of the seven Faculties the number of responses through each mode was roughly the same. Students in the Engineering Faculty favored the internet. Scores on the 14 out of 18 scales in the instrument showed small differences by mode of response, which became smaller still with controls for pertinent demographic variables. The main response question addressed in the study was whether there was any difference in the way respondents to the two modes interpreted the questions. The study demonstrated the equivalence of the two data sets by showing that both could be fitted to a common model with structural equation modeling (SEM). Five levels of tests of invariance further confirmed the comparability of data by mode of administration. This study, therefore suggests that changing to internet collection for course and program evaluations will not affect the comparability of ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality assurance of higher education in China is an issue of vital international interest. To improve the international reputation of the nation's universities, steps must be taken to ensure a sustained focus on the quality assurance within its ranks. This paper is primarily focused on the quality assurance models operational in Chinese universities, the Big data challenges and the legal framework backing them. The paper also discusses the implementation of the models, the extent to which they meet international standards, and how they adhere to prevailing laws. The degree of success in attaining and maintaining quality and evaluation of quality improvement opportunities are also discussed. Some of the solutions recommended in this study are the participation of more teachers and students in quality management, more emphasis of Higher Education Institution (HEI) quality assurance on self-regulation and a learning-oriented approach and conducting sessions to collect anonymous feedback from students to reward staff with best practices. Some of the Quality Assurance practices/models adopted in Chinese Universities are the Ministry of Education (MOE) reviews; the Academic Degree Committee oversight; Higher Education Evaluation Center (HEEC) overview, University self-evaluation according to HEEC Indicators, and the Webometric Ranking Model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently, modern science had been dominated by a handful of Western countries. However, since the turn of the millennium, the global science landscape has undergone dramatic changes. The number of nations where a significant proportion of research done is of high international standard has now increased considerably. China particularly stands out and is today one of the leading science nations in the world. Overall, Chinese research collaborations with countries in the Western world exemplify the general trend towards increasing complexity in the global research landscape. It has gradually become obvious that differences between institutional settings need to be managed more systematically to promote cross-border research cooperation for shared benefits, from individual to institutional levels. An informed discussion of managing complex conditions necessitates an understanding of the relationship-level dynamics of research collaborations. In order to identify what aspects of international research collaborations are the most pertinent to systematically manage at individual and institutional levels, this paper investigates projects in a bilateral Swedish–Chinese funding program. The paper finds that the majority of collaborations funded had yielded positive impact in terms of publications, strengthened research capacity in research groups, and resource accumulation. The challenges found in the collaborations are related to needs such as improving transparency, ethical concerns, and imbalances in reciprocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper draws on findings from a case study which explored factors influencing students' decision-making of postgraduate (PG) education at G University in China. Both questionnaires and follow-up interviews were used for data collection. This paper reports the main reasons for students' choices of subject and institution for PG education, and the influences of families and teachers, and of guanxi in their decision-making. The findings show that both families and teachers play important roles in shaping students' decision-making about PG education. It provides insights into students' decision-making about higher education embedded in the Chinese culture of Confucianism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the structure and operations of student governments in contemporary Chinese higher education and their effect on college students' political trust and party membership. We first investigate the structure and power distribution within student governments in Chinese universities, specifically focusing on the autonomy of student governments and the degree to which they represent students. Second, using a large sample of college students, we examine how participating in student government affects their political trust and party membership. Our results show that student government in Chinese higher education possesses a complex, hierarchical matrix structure with two main parallel systems—the student union and the Chinese Communist Party system. We found that power distribution within student governments is rather uneven, and student organisations that are affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party have an unequal share of power. In addition, we found that students' cadre experience is highly appreciated in student cadre elections, and being a student cadre significantly affects their political trust and party membership during college. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical ideas about globalization and internationalization of higher education emphasize the tension among different ideologies of higher education. According to literature, a competition among states, economy, knowledge, and status generates this tension to drive higher education development. This theoretical understanding not only shapes our global imaginations but also permeates the organizational behavior of universities. In this paper, we focus on the institutional logics that motivate universities in Kazakhstan to engage with China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). We investigate the ways that Kazakhstani higher education interprets and responds to China's vision of a global order. Based on interviews conducted at 10 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Kazakhstan, we argue that Kazakhstan's engagement with the BRI circumvents the cultural connectivity and global cooperation that are embraced by Chinese policy discourse and perpetuated by academic literature. Rather, institutional leaders in Kazakhstan operate with a utilitarian logic that seeks revenue generation, links with industry, and opportunities for students in employment and further education. The pursuit of these strategic outcomes demonstrates a bilateral engagement with China rather than the multilateral cooperation envisioned by policymakers. In a higher education system dominated by the state, the institutions in our study exhibit partial agency to accrue pragmatic benefits rather than concede to isomorphic pressures or mimic internationalization from neoliberal contexts. The discrepancy between policy discourse from China and policy reception in Kazakhstan raises questions about the rhetoric of a multipolar global order and the realities of international cooperation in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International student education in China has been continuously changing in response to the rapid social transition since the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949. Adopting a historical perspective, this scholarly paper begins with an analysis of characteristics of international student education in China in terms of rationales, role of government, and international students. Several challenges are then identified and this paper concludes with observations on future trends of international student education development, with a special focus on the implications of “the Belt and Road”. This paper contributes to a better understanding of China’s role as an emerging host nation of international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the stimulus-organism-response theory, the present study aims to investigate the mediating role of environmental self-identity on the relationship of collectivism-organizational culture and green empowerment with employee's workplace green behavior. By adopting procedural remedy and purposive sampling approach, data was collected from 207 administrative employees in higher education institutions of China. Response rate in this study is 41.40%. The authors employed partial least square -structural equation modelling to validate the proposed hypotheses. The current empirical findings confirmed the direct effect of collectivism-organizational culture and green empowerment on employee's environmental self-identity. It is also proven that environmental self-identity significantly and positively influence employee's workplace green behavior. This study concludes with significant positive indirect impact of collectivism-organizational culture and green empowerment on the employees WGB through environmental self-identity. This study enriches the literature on sustainable development by examining the integrated relationship of collectivism-organizational culture, green empowerment, self-identity and green behavior. The limitations and implications have been elaborated at the end of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tendencies to marketization and privatization in higher education, along with other factors, have challenged the idea of higher education as a public good in many countries over the years. China has experienced this situation to some extent. During the last 20 years, this has triggered various discussions on higher education and public good(s) in China. Drawing on qualitative data from 24 semi-structured interviews in both government departments and universities, this study defines and explores public and common good(s) in relation to higher education in China. As the first empirical study on this theme in the country, it is argued that this study makes a significant and original contribution to knowledge with international relevance. This paper identifies the complex nature of higher education in China and proposes that it may be better described in relation to common good(s). Also, as a common good, higher education in China contributes to the (global) common good and generates (global) common goods in many aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search continues for a Chinese research university model that can balance quality and quantity in research and teaching. This paper argues that finding one depends upon deepening internationalization, defining educational sovereignty, and expanding university autonomy. The paper does this by examining selected aspects in the development of the research university systems of the Chinese mainland and China's Hong Kong, particularly with respect to the governance of research and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rapidly expanding university system aims to balance quantity and quality through a variety of measures, including internationalization. This paper employs data from a survey of 1264 students from 39 higher education institutions in order to understand students' view on institutional approaches to internationalization. The data show that 'the Project 985' universities (elite research universities in China) have used internationalization to sustain two objectives: elite education and innovative research for quality, because there are high levels of agreement on three indicators with internationalization of these universities: student and faculty mobility, internationalizing curriculum and program, and international research collaboration and partnership. In 'the Project 211' universities (second-tier research universities), the data show that internationalization activities are highly related to curriculum reforms and faculty mobility. While the other degree-offering universities provide less opportunity for internationalization, the non-degree-offering institutions find their distinct way for institutional internationalization by providing more 'international internship' opportunities. Our analysis also indicates that institutional internationalization is disciplinary oriented. In disciplines like law and art, students do not think that many activities are taken for internationalization by their institutions, while such disciplines as economics, management, and education have a higher level of internationalization. The paper will explain these findings in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines China's progress in developing endogenous capacity for knowledge diffusion and commercialization in the higher education sector. Despite a promising start in the 1980s and early 1990s, academic technology transfer has not kept pace with rapid growth of the country's overall technological endeavors. But there is evidence of institutional evolution in that university-industry linkages are moving from more hierarchical and rigid forms established under the centrally planned economy into more flexible and market-based arrangements. After probing what underscores the stalling of universities' new found mission, the paper offers layered policy suggestions on what can be done to overcome the conundrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective way to change student learning is to change the form of assessment. This has become known as the backwash effect of assessment. However, academic teachers’ ways of understanding the role of assessment in student learning are also important. This paper reports a phenomenographic study of the views of the role of assessment amongst Swedish and Hong Kong university teachers. The results are described in eight categories of conceptions, placed within a two-dimensional outcome space. The two dimensions are (1) the relation between teaching and assessment, and (2) the focus of the backwash effect. The results indicate that two features of the described conceptions are critical for changing teachers’ views of the role of assessment. One is the way one understands the significance of “basic knowledge” in one’s discipline while the other is whether one looks upon the relation between teaching and assessment as being of an internal or external nature. As much research literature points out, to bring about changes in approaches to teaching and learning you must first bring about changes in conceptions of teaching and learning. To utilize assessment to improve student learning, teachers need to be made aware of the need of such improvement and of the role assessment can play in this process. On the basis of research such as that reported in this paper, staff developers could develop workshops or other strategies, which can accomplish this task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the current situation of the popular Chinese university education, points out the impact of popularized Chinese higher education on its university mathematics education, and presents the actualities and existing problems of university mathematics education research in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on policy transfer between countries and organization has seen rapid growth. Whether framed in terms of policy transfer, institutional transplantation, imitation and emulation or copying policy models and ideas, a sizeable number of determinants for success have been identified to understand why such conceptual or institutional transfers grow out to become successes or failures in their countries or organizations of adoption. What is much less common is to describe such a process through the lens of participants inside this transfer. This paper is an attempt to do just that. It will tell the story of the higher-educational concept of Technology, Policy and Management from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands to Harbin Institute of Technology in China, studied by means of participatory observation. The keys and clues for successful transplantation from the literature will subsequently be compared with the experiences from this case, and additional lessons, some of which are specific to Western-Chinese mutual learning, are formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we examined the resource-research relationship at China's research universities. The stochastic frontier production function was employed in analyses of a panel data set on a group of the most research-intensive universities in China from 2000 to 2010. Results suggested overall tight relationships between various resources (including human resources, research expenditures, and research equipment) and research publications. Distinct patterns emerged when research publications were disaggregated by fields [i.e., science and engineering (SE) vs. non-science and engineering (non-SE)] and publishing venues (i.e., domestic vs. international journals). Research publications in SE, especially those published in international journals, depended heavily on all three resources, while research in non-SE depended more on human resources. In addition, results suggested that research in SE had shifted its focus from domestic to international publications during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To respond to an increasing emphasis placed on research capability and productivity, universities in China are reforming their policies regarding faculty's performance evaluation and promotion criteria. Faculties are motivated to invest in research, and those without a PhD degree are strongly encouraged to enroll in doctoral programs. From the perspective of the theory of planned behavior, we conducted a qualitative study to explore the factors underpinning the intention to pursue a PhD degree among female teachers in a Chinese university. From data collected via semi-structured interviews, we found that participants were evaluating their pursuit of a doctoral degree in the clashes between the entrenched social-cultural beliefs of women's role and the institutional expectation of a fully devoted scholar. Accordingly, theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine how the concept of world-class universities has emerged in Chinese higher education at both the sectoral and institutional level. We examine policy decisions related to creating world-class universities on China's mainland and institutional responses to these policies. We then read these policies through "cultural scripts"—an analytic approach focused on visible and hidden cultural properties (Tan 2012, 2015) that may inform policy direction. First, we examine the intersection of Confucian values and Communist history in China as they relate to higher education. Second, we critically analyze the role of neoliberalism in higher education development worldwide and specifically in China. Third, we investigate utilitarianism as a feature of higher education in China. Finally, we draw critical conclusions about the emergence of world-class universities in China and their overall impact on the higher education sector there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical debate between a liberal orientation of university education and a university education with a more practical orientation has been reproduced by defenders and detractors of the course that is being adopted by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Instead of resorting to a dichotomous view of these two arguments, this article employs an anthropocosmic worldview to look at the university by examining the past and present of Chinese higher education, in contrast to the philosophy and reality of the European university within the framework of the EHEA. The anthropocosmic view is central to Confucian holistic humanism, which asserts that humanity is part of a continuum consisting of community, Earth and Heaven. With the self as a 'centre of relationships', the individual is interconnected with an ever-expanding network of human relatedness, extending from the self to the family, the community, the country, the world and beyond. The authors argue that despite being based on a European model, the Chinese university, in fact, boasts a unique Chinese character that can be traced back to its Confucian learning tradition, which itself reflects this anthropocosmic worldview. In our world today, a world of unprecedented globalisation, an anthropocentric view of higher education is no longer sufficient. Instead, to address the challenges humanity faces, a Chinese model of the university based on anthropocosmism presents a potential new pathway for the global university of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional differentiation and diversity in higher education have now become an important policy issue. To tackle this issue requires sound methods to measure systemic diversity in higher education, i.e., the number of institutional types, distribution across all types, as well as between-group heterogeneity. The current methods may well measure distribution of institutions across all types or concentration of certain types, yet they are not effective in assessing the degree of within-group homogeneity and between-group heterogeneity. This study proposes to cluster three different (but related) methods to measure diversity in higher education, which are then applied to data of Chinese universities in 1998 (438 in total at dawn of the enrolment expansion) and 2011 (617 altogether when the massification movement started turning to a new page). The results show a high degree of consistency, and all indicate an increase of systemic diversity in Chinese university sector as a consequence of the aggregate expansion since the late 1990s, which in turn have explicit policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationalization is an integral part of the strategies of leading Chinese universities to strive for world-class standing. It has left its marks on the academic life of China’s social scientists. This article explores the impact of internationalization on the academic life of Chinese social scientists using Tsinghua University as an example. Emphasis is placed on the transformation of their academic life in the process of internationalization. Employing a qualitative case study method, this research draws on approximately two thirds of the faculty members in the Department of Sociology to present in-depth insights into the dynamics and ecosystems of their academic life. The findings show that internationalization promotes the adoption of internationalized criteria in faculty recruitment and promotion mechanisms, stimulates enthusiasm for international activities, and strengthens internationally oriented (largely North American) norms and practices in research, teaching, and discipline development. In discussing these dimensions, this article argues that Tsinghua social scientists experience both benefits and costs as the university works hard to pursue world-class status, echoing their peers in China’s other top institutions of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For long, the research-teaching nexus has maintained the interest of the scholarly community. The present study introduced a process variable-teaching styles-into the investigation of the association between research and teaching. The study adopted a predominantly quantitative-driven, mixed research method design, with a questionnaire survey supplemented by insiders' views. Three hundred and fifty-four academics from 15 institutions in Beijing, P. R. China, responded to the Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory and reported their research publications for 3 years. The quantitative findings suggested that after key demographics and contextual factors were controlled for, teaching styles were related to research productivity largely in the anticipated directions. Subsequently, four additional academics who met the criteria of possessing expertise in teaching styles and of having experiences as academics in China were invited to explain the quantitative findings concerning the relationships between specific teaching styles and particular types of publications. It was concluded that although the magnitude of the relationship between teaching and research is rather small, the research-teaching nexus does exist. Theoretical significance is discussed and practical implications of the findings are proposed for academics and for university senior managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Chinese university students' perceptions of plagiarism have been extensively investigated, those of their teachers have been surprisingly under-researched. This study sought to address this gap by investigating 112 Chinese university English teachers' knowledge of and attitudes towards plagiarism. While 57 participating teachers had overseas academic experience, the remaining ones received all their education in mainland China. They completed a perceptions of plagiarism survey that elicited their knowledge of several common forms of plagiarism in Anglo-American academia, perceptions of various possible causes of plagiarism, and attitudes towards plagiarism induced by different causes and plagiarism in general. The study found that the teachers reported varying knowledge of different types of transgressive textual practices, variegated perceptions of the different causes of plagiarism, but clearly punitive attitudes towards plagiarism. It also revealed significant differences between teachers with and without overseas academic experience in knowledge of and stances on plagiarism. These findings highlight the complexity of plagiarism as an intertextual phenomenon and point to the important role of cultural practices and academic socialisation in shaping perceptions of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the implementation of position appointment and contract system in China, faculty become more mobile than before in this emerging academic market, though in terms of mobility frequency and rate, they are still less active than their counterparts in the West. Using the data collected from 50 renowned research universities throughout China, this empirical study probes into the relationship between faculty members' working perception and their mobility intention, aiming at achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the academic profession in China. It proposes (a) to figure out the relationship between faculty members' mobility intention and their satisfaction with the internal environment within a university, and (b) to clarify which is more significant in predicting faculty members' mobility, the internal or external organizational environment factor. Additionally, given the social background of China, we intend to examine whether western-based theories about satisfaction and mobility intentions can provide an adequate account of the phenomenon in this particular context. A most significant finding is that Chinese faculty members' low level of satisfaction with organizational environment is operative as the 'push' factor but often in a potential way and even if when the 'pull' factor, better opportunities for academic development emerges, the 'pull' factor can not necessarily exert apparent influence, because the parameter 'region/city' where one university is located works as a precondition or the most critical cause for their mobility or stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese students constitute the most rapidly growing international cohort of students enrolled in many Western tertiary settings, and it is important to understand more about their preparation for engaging with commonly used teaching approaches such as groupwork. This study investigated their attitudes and experience of groupwork while enrolled at a large Chinese university. Semi-structured and video-stimulated recall interview data were collected from 16 third-year Finance students over a 5-week field study. Results showed that this group of Chinese students experienced more out-of-class than in-class groupwork activities. These out-of-class groupwork sessions fell into three categories: (1) student initiated, (2) student league initiated and (3) teacher initiated. Students identified both individual and collective benefits from groupwork, highlighting that Chinese students value groupwork and actively seek to engage with it in the Chinese tertiary context. This study contributes to the understanding of Chinese students' group practices in Chinese tertiary settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the relentless internationalization and marketization of higher education in the past decades, English has been increasingly adopted as a medium of instruction at universities across the world. Recent research, however, has shown that despite its various optimistically envisioned goals, English-medium instruction (EMI) is not without problems in practice. This article reports a case study of an EMI Business Administration program for undergraduate students at a major university of finance and economy in mainland China. Informed by Spolsky's language policy framework, the study made a critical analysis of national/institutional policy statements and interviews with professors and students to uncover EMI-related language ideologies, language practices, and language management mechanisms. Findings evinced a complex interplay of these three constitutive components of language policy in the focal EMI program and revealed considerable misalignment between policy intentions and actual practices in the classroom. These findings raise concerns about the quality and consequences of EMI in Chinese higher education. The article concludes with recommendations for further research on EMI policies and practices in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports a case study of an undergraduate English-medium program at a major university in mainland China. The study critically examines the language ideology, language management, and language practices revolving around the focal program. The data sources included national and institutional policy documents related to English-medium instruction and interviews with both professors and students in the English-medium program and its parallel Chinese-medium program. Drawing upon Spolsky's language policy framework for 'sensitizing concepts', qualitative analyses of the data revealed gaps between policy rhetoric and ground-level reality in the implementation of the focal program. Notably, institutional measures intended to enhance the quality of English-medium instruction were found to function as gate-keepers of access to English and potential benefits accruing from English proficiency. These findings add to our understanding of how medium-of-instruction policies in higher education are complicit in perpetuating and accentuating inequalities in Chinese society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research analyzes the scheme proposed to assess the quality of higher education institutions in China, namely, the Quality Assessment of Undergraduate Education (QAUE) scheme. This article aims to determine the impact of the QAUE on universities and explore the reasons that intended effects have or have not been generated in the evaluated universities by conducting case studies of three Chinese universities with different statuses. The empirical studies show the effects on the various dimensions of quality provisions at different universities were not the same. It was found that the impact of the QAUE was not a linear consequence of policy implementation, but the result of an interaction between the external quality assessment scheme and the evaluated universities. Quality assessment is regarded to be an external force to cause universities to change. This empirical study of the QAUE shows that changes will only take place when the external force is integrated with the evaluated universities' internal motivation and capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to determine if there are gender differences in the perception of university support. The study is based on a survey of 368 students in a Hong Kong university. The findings of the study are threefold. First, female students perceive the university as being more supportive in their academic adjustment than do male students (t = −4.256, p < 0.001). Second, male students perceive the university as being more supportive in their social adjustment than do female students (t = 2.156, p < 0.05). Last, male students perceive the university as being more supportive in their psychological adjustment than do female students (t = 2.401, p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's recent quest to develop world-class universities is a significant phenomenon within the worldwide transformation of tertiary education. Taking a cultural approach and drawing on empirical findings, this article investigates the emerging Chinese model of the university, considering its key features and contributions to global communities. First, examining the rhetoric about world-class universities in varied societal contexts, it explores the institutional initiatives and government agendas involved in China's drive for global status. Then, using case studies of three universities moving toward mass higher education and world-class status, it shows the role played by their individual institutional initiative. It next describes key features of the emerging Chinese model of the university, including the core values of self-mastery and intellectual freedom, to show how it differs from the dominant Anglo-Saxon and American models but shares some features with the continental European and Japanese models of the university. The final section considers policy implications of the emerging Chinese model, its potential lessons for reform and practice, and its role in fostering vibrant democracies and global dialogue among civilizations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through case study methods, we examine a vocational university in China to ascertain if and the extent to which industrial modernization, the global economy and economic market forces, and state planning have altered this institution. We focus specifically upon a vocational university in China, as these institutions comprise the newest higher education sector in that nation and those most logically connected to work in the new global economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the major issues and character of internationalization of curricula in higher education institutions in recent years in three non-English-speaking countries – China, Japan and The Netherlands. By making a comparative analysis of curricula provided for international students and curricula with international subjects, perspectives or approach offered in both English and the local language, the author examines development and character of internationalized curricula in the three countries, describes the similarities and different aspects of how the three countries internationalized their university curricula and met the needs of different regions and social, economic and higher education systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]