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Chinese Academics Learn NZ Teaching Style
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Visiting Chinese academic staff are amazed at the amount of freedom and independence Wintec (Waikato Institute of Technology) students have.
The academics, from Chengdu University, said teaching methods in China were structured and classroom based.
"But here teachers give the students a topic and then the students go to the library to learn about it and then report back," business management lecturer Fu Jianbo (Fred) said.
In China students were less independent and wanted to be told "what to do next".
Fu Jianbo is one of 14 Chengdu academics who arrived at Wintec at the end of June.
They are shadowing Wintec staff over six months to help design a postgraduate programme for Chengdu University.
The programme will mirror the equivalent Media Arts qualification at Wintec and allow Chengdu students to enter the Wintec Masters of Media Arts programme, in Hamilton, on completion.
A significant part of the agreement will focus on teaching styles and curriculum development.
The Chengdu academics come from such disciplines as business management, software design, journalism, photography, music and early childhood research.
Wintec internationalisation director Stewart Brougham said there was tremendous will in both organisations to make the programme work well.
The co-ordinator of the six-month programme, Wintec Media Arts tutor Tim Croucher, said the shadowing process had mutual benefits for both institutions.
There was much Wintec could learn from the way they did things in China, too, Mr Croucher said.
Chengdu journalism lecturer Tan Xiaoling (Taylor) said the Wintec experience was "going to help us find ways to improve our teaching skills."
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