Xiangyun Du

Gendered practices of constructing an engineering identity in a problem-based learning environment

This article examines the learning experiences of engineering students of both genders in a problem-based and project-organized learning environment (PBL) at a Danish university. This study relates an amalgam of theories on learning and gender to the context of engineering education. Based on data from a qualitative study of an electrical and electronics engineering study programme, this study found that studying engineering in a PBL environment involves not only the mastery of technological knowledge but also an engineering identity development process. However, the association of an engineering identity with masculinity and the culturally defined engineering competencies leads to different learning experiences for male and female students. The nature of hard-core engineering subjects, based on male interests, privileges men and acts as a barrier to women. The masculine culture in engineering communities of practice involves more effort in identity management for women students than their male peers.

Increasing the diversity of engineering education – a gender analysis in a PBL context

This paper discusses how to increase the diversity of engineering education by making it more relevant and gainful for all students, as well as more attractive to women. Questions were raised whether, and in which ways the problem-based and project-based learning (PBL) method is apt for increasing gender diversity from both the quality and the quantity point of view. Empirical resources of this article are based on the results from two PhD studies on gender and PBL in engineering education carried out in a Danish context. The results suggest that the learning environment along with the establishment of new engineering programmes with more contextualised content would result in increased recruitment of women along with a substantial level of appreciation of learning. However, recruitment in terms of increasing numbers is not enough for the improvement of diversity. A solution for producing both more and better engineers therefore calls for a change in engineering education. This can be achieved by not only trying to address the requirements of accreditation boards in terms of diverse new engineering competencies, but also including contextual issues in the contents of engineering programs together with an improvement to the learning environment.

PhD Students' Work Conditions and Study Environment in University- and Industry-Based PhD Programmes.

During the last 10 years, new models of funding and training PhD students have been established in Denmark in order to integrate industry into the entire PhD education. Several programmes have been conducted where it is possible to co-finance PhD scholarships or to become an employee as an industrial PhD in a company. An important question is what impact these new conditions will have on the PhD students’ training, work conditions and study environment. In this article, the new type of programmes will be presented together with data analysis of PhD students’ work conditions and study environment in various programmes mainly based on a research project from 2006. The results of this study show no significant difference between PhD students in a traditional university PhD programme and PhD students in an industrial programme concerning working environment. However, the study shows significant differences in the intercultural dimension, where foreign PhD students are significantly more satisfied with their study environment compared with Danish PhD students. In general the workload is very high and the environment is stressful for all PhD students.

Innovative Application of a New PBL Model to Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Projects

In the knowledge society, learning is not only knowledge acquisition or participation in established social practice. It is also a process of creating new knowledge collaboratively when addressing complex problems which involve interdisciplinary knowledge and innovative thinking. In our research we focus on questions of how to prepare engineering students for the increasing complexity of their professional lives and how to help them acquire skills of collaboration, management and innovation as well as awareness of knowledge creation. This paper will discuss these questions by examining the learning process in the ICT-based, intercultural and interdisciplinary PBL environment of an international student satellite project.

Quality of higher education: organisational or educational? A content analysis of Chinese university self-evaluation reports

Based on a study of Chinese university self-evaluation reports, this paper argues that higher education institutions are trying to manage the tensions between educational and organisational quality and the increasing and worldwide concerns about quality assurance. After 30 years of dramatic educational reform, China has established a nationwide evaluation system for assessing its higher education institutions. This comprehensive system includes a series of procedures for both internal self-evaluation and external peer reviewing, among which self-evaluation reports prepared by each institution remain an important basis for external review. In an attempt to examine the institutional understanding of quality in higher education, the authors conducted a content analysis study of 53 self-evaluation reports written by a wide range of higher education institutions in China. This study concludes that the self-evaluation reports have a greater tendency to demonstrate their organisational quality to the external world than reflecting on the internal teaching and learning quality.

Implementation of Task-based Language Teaching in Chinese as a Foreign Language: Benefits and Challenges

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been drawing increased attention from language teachers and researchers in the past decade. This paper focuses on the effects of TBLT on beginner learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) in Denmark. Participatory observation and semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 participants from two beginning-level Chinese classes. Qualitative analysis of the data indicates that TBLT benefits learners in terms of increasing participation, creating more opportunities for speaking, easing learners’ anxiety, and enhancing enjoyment. However, TBLT encountered challenges such as lack of Chinese pronunciation practice, difficulty in balancing learners’ different preferences for learning strategies, and a lack of sufficient instructional time support. Possibilities for improving TBLT and proposals are discussed. This study provides further evidence that TBLT is not a one-size-fits-all method, but rather interacts with various contextual factors in its application, and suggests that the features of the Chinese language need to be taken into consideration as well.

Confronting Cultural Challenges When Reconstructing the Teacher-Student Relationship in a Chinese Context

Traditionally, the Chinese educational system is shaped by teacher-centeredness, meaning that the teacher directs and controls the design of the overall educational objective and the educational process. However, in the past three decades, Chinese educational institutions have gradually made initiatives to transform their teachercentered educational approach into student-centered learning in order to enhance student learning motivation and learning outcome.

Teaching and Learning Culture

The labour market in Romania is faced with many problems such as certain demographic imbalances, legislative instability, a weak correlation between educational supplies with market demands and a rising of informal economy and informal employment. The paper aims to capture the labour market conditions in Romania in terms of informal employment in the current context. Informal employment in Romania cannot be understood without recognizing its diverse nature. There are presented some causes and forms of the informal employment in Romania in order to identify measures to reduce it.

The Power of Context in Teaching and Learning Culture

Culture is not taught in a vacuum or learned in isolation; an ongoing dialogue and negotiation takes place between teachers, students, subjects, and context. This happens both explicitly and implicitly, and the implicit dialogue and negotiation is especially in focus here. Teaching and learning are influenced by many factors both inside and outside the classroom and, at the same time, also influence the context.

Chinese business students’ changes in beliefs and strategy use in a constructively aligned PBL course

ABSTRACT This study adopted a longitudinal retrospective case study approach to investigate Chinese business students’ transitional learning experience in a problem-based learning (PBL) course with innovative assessment practices. The study focused on students’ beliefs and strategy use in a constructively aligned PBL course for business communication. Eight students who had made notable progress were chosen for retrospective analysis. The data included 48 journal entries, interviews, and writing samples collected at different stages of the course. This study identified taxonomies of participants’ beliefs about learning and writing, their perceptions of assessment, and their strategy use for learning. It also examined changes in beliefs, perceptions, and strategy use to determine the nature of the students’ learning experience in this PBL course. Findings suggest a recognised need to design PBL courses that align social constructivist learning principles with students’ beliefs and strategies. The results also highlight the importance of developing appropriate assessment rubrics to enhance student engagement with PBL learning for improved outcomes.