Why Joint program?

1. 中外合作办学中的教育质量问题Quality Controls Issues on International Joint program 郑通涛 厦门大学Professor Tongtao ZhengXiamen UniversityMarch 13, 2010

2. Why Joint program? • Enhancing quality of education through joining forces • Broadening the study and coverage of the disciplines • Combining strengths and learning from the partners • Internationalization • Joining the overseas education systems andprocesses • Increasing the recognition of the joint degrees

3. Quality? If you can not measure it, you can not understand it If you can not understand it, you can not improve it

4. International Joint programs at Xiamen University • Foundation program • Exchange Students • Dual degree program • Two campus one degree program • Two or more campus one degree program • Co-supervision program (postgraduate)

5. Problems in the programmes • Slow response from partner university: 效率低。补考试题提交了等半年都没有回音。 • Unable or unwilling to tickle questions during communication 有回音的也不指明改进方案，多次询问都没有答复 • Lack of internationalized considerations教材所配录音太强调某种口音，不能满足学生考试的需要；在训练国外学习技能方面的内容不够丰富，如训练在内容选择和篇幅长度上不足；缺乏学术写作的critical thinking训练，以及presentation以外seminar skills的训练 • Content and level integrity problems 一些大学专业课采用MBA教材, 难度较大. 合作方应可以选择专业基础教材。课程名称与教材内容不符。如：课表是‘金融学’，但教材是‘财政学’；课表是‘产品管理’，但教材内容又以物流居多。翻译上的不严谨，造成排课及课程准备上的不便 • Course overlapping有的课程内容重复，安排不合理 • Progression limit: recognition problem 学生出路窄 • Country-specify curriculum and teaching methodology as well as evaluation is the most important factor in a successful international joint programme

6. WHAT IS QUALITY? • Teachers & students satisfaction • Fulfilling the set requirements • Best possible results with available resources • Continuous improvement

7. Quality in Joint programme • Mutual gurantor-quality as a partner • Future pathgurantor-quality of the consortium • Communication integretion-services in destinational languages • International experience-mobility • Mutiple integretion - courses in a curricula taken from several universities • Group recongnition- several universities can award the degree based on the same studies

8. Quality: Three Aspects • Quality of individual institution and their offers • More of the cooperation across institutional and national borders • The programmes as a whole

9. Formations of Quality: Joint!!! • Jointly developed and recognised by several institutions • Students can spend part of their studies at another institutions • The study are automatically recognised in full at their home institutions • The curriculum are worked out together, including regulations for admission, the examination and teaches at the other institutions • Students receive either national degrees from the individual institutions or a degree jointly conferred

10. Quality Factors • Successful program: teamwork, focus on patients, clarity of roles through standards, and synergy between the QC Project and the Project itself • Keywords: program evaluation, quality assurance, quality improvement, quality management

11. Value-added Factors • Commitment to quality is essential • Competition for market shares is hard • Students are quality conscious and demanding

12. Quality Motivation • Visibility in international educational markets • Attractiveness to national and international applicants • Combining adequate educational resources • Incorporating complementary teaching expertise in core areas • Expert exchange between partners • Research co-operation between the partners

13. Objectives • To provide students with wide range of high quality, internationally attractive and relevant programs on disciplines in a foreign language • To promote educational co-operation between China and other countries, the cultural and national equality, language plurality and gender equality

14. Process of Quality Implementation • Formulating the areas of competency in each partneruniversity • Formulating the core competences of the consortium • Formulating the sub-competences of the consortium • Formulating the curriculum for the joint degree programme • Joint implementation of the programme • Awarding the joint diplomas

15. Curriculum Structure • Compulsory courses, jointly produced • Home university compulsory courses • Elective courses from partner universities • Special courses, given by both sides experts, available for all the students • Cross-border Internship in a partner university • In cooperation with companies, supervised by two universities • Versatile teaching methods; Face-to-face, distance education, seminars, projects

16. Students expectations SKILLS AND COMPETENCES: • Applying their knowledge and understanding in international and multicultural environment • Internationalization that advances succeeding in business life • Problem solving and decision making in international environment • To work in an interdisciplinary and international team and context • Appreciation of diversity and multiculturality • Understanding of social and ethical responsibilities • Concern for quality

17. Other expectations • Services: • well arranged, effective and competent teaching • versatile teaching methodology • good supportive services (ICT, library, language...) • well organised guidance and tutoring • giving feedback and participating in developing of teaching • To have a choice of studies to be aligned with needs of labour markets • To get a national or double or joint diploma to apply for their working life or further studies • To build up individual international network in their field of expertise

18. Establishment of Quality System • After surveys set up indicators • To provide an additional element for existing systems. • Makes the quality visible

19. The Quality Objectives • Has to committed to the fulfillment of the goals and values by the quality assurance system with indicators and surveys • Has to produce and demonstrate high quality educational products and services that would attract young students to the program • Has to demonstrate that the degrees have better employment opportunities than students in general in partner universities • The program are internationally recognized and audited.

20. Main Features of QCS • Could be used via internet • Offers help and guidance for the partner universitiesto maintain and develop thejoint education and services • Provides common uniform procedures and methods for assuring the quality • Guarantees equal opportunities for students • Makes the quality of programmemes visible • Help the auditors’ work

21. STEP BY STEP • Defining Quality Actors • The Status of Present QA at the university • Quality of universities as partners universities • Student satisfaction/Feedback • Teacher satisfaction/Feedback • Other Stakeholders’ feedback • Quality reflection to the objectives, strategies, needs • Quality Development Action Plan • Documentation • Feedback and Availability of Quality Information • Internal Quality Audit • External Quality Audit

22. Partner Institutions Survey programme learning outcomes • commonly not defined QCS in teaching • Not always fully described and in use • Commonly not audited and certified by national or international bodies Evaluation of the quality of teaching • Some regularly evaluated (internal + national) • Some only occasionally evaluated

23. Feedback about education • In most universities regularly collected from employers and other stakeholders • Student feedback not always systematically collected • Feedback is used as a developing tool and available for the teachers but usually not to the students Participation • Students and teachers have an opportunity to participate in work of the universies’ administrative and developing bodies

24. Educational Processes and Resources Survey • Language skills of the teachers have to be active-proficient • Teachers are offered an opportunity to participate in pedagogical, language and subject specific training • Different teaching methods are used: including distance-education, team working, small-group instruction • Personal study plans are always obligatory • Studentsteacher ratio is 20-25: 1

25. Student Support • Dormitories are available for students • Health care and library services are always available in destinational language • Internet access libraries with course materials in destinational language

26. CONCLUSIONS • A very clear system for Quality Concto is essential • Who is responsible and of what • What shall be done • Regular feedback surveys, self-evaluation template with common quality indicators • Documentation and publish • Creating new programme by defining the learning outcomes • Provides a tool for continuous development • Provides clear added-value for each partner • demonstrate • good quality of education offered • concern of quality

27. CONCLUSIONS • To be realized in better market-value of joint international educational products • Create highly recognized brand • As profound mutual trust and respect in the consortium • A high-level QC would also enable the educational choices by students to be aligned with market needs