Iyer-Raniga, U and Wingrove, D (2012) Curriculum innovation in transnational teaching: A pilot study. In: Smith, S D (ed.) Proceedings of 28th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2012, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
Students are increasingly operating in a globalized world. Off shore education is challenging for students and teachers, as both need to make connections between local and culturally located knowledge and discipline. The relevant literature indicates that the transnational classroom has a number of challenges. Skills and knowledge of off shore and on shore teachers to enhance the quality of off shore learning and teaching are limited and unrealized. Off shore students experience culturally dislocated and disconnected pedagogies which impede student learning, engagement, programme cohesion, and graduate outcomes. Yet, the transnational classroom also offers opportunities. Not just from an economic perspective, it offers Universities an opening to build and maintain a global presence and has the potential to offer scholarship benefits to staff and students alike. This paper presents the results of one of RMIT University’s Learning and Teaching Investment Funded applied research project. The aim of this project, trialled as a pilot was to improve student learning experiences, outcomes and employment opportunities by developing and implementing a transnational educational partnership comprising; on and off shore teachers, students, and local industry stakeholders. This partnership used focus groups, interviews and surveys to develop and deliver three interactive workshops designed to integrate international and local contexts and enhance student’s learning and work. The results show that the partnership between on and off shore teachers introduced a change in teaching practice developed through a partnership with their local and off shore teachers, each other and local industry. In addition to enhanced student learning outcomes, opportunities for professional development for teachers were also realized. The success of this pilot has led to changes in the Bachelor of Applied Science Construction Management curriculum and teaching practices at RMIT University.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction management; curriculum development; teaching and learning; transnational education |
| Index terms: | learning outcome, curriculum development, learning experience, presence, classroom, pedagogy, programme, survey, partnership, science, employment, cohesion, focus group, workshop, professional development, interview |
| Subjects: | structural engineering, management, teaching methods, professional development, project controls, partnership management, student development, construction type, data collection methods, specialized education, learning methods, environmental science, curriculum development |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Information Management, Research Practice, Sustainability, Construction Technology, Stakeholder Management, Human Resources, Time Control, Education |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here