This paper examines the Canada-China Management Education Program (CCMEP, 1983–1996) between the University of Toronto (UT) and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). In this paper, we create a “Three Levels/Four Parameters” analytical framework, based on the concept of mutuality from Johan Galtung (1980) and the concept of institutions from W. Richard Scott (2007). We use this framework to analyze management cooperation between UT and HUST. Qualitative data is collected through open-ended interviews with participants of the CCMEP and from a review of historical literature. Through this analysis, we find that mutuality in the CCMEP was gradually established. During this process, the national macro-level institutional framework, the interactive consultations between UT and HUST, and the increased understanding of HUST’s needs and culture constitute the three levels of institutionalized mutuality in the CCMEP. The UT project directors’ understanding about Chinese culture, values, and beliefs was the key to the success of the CCMEP. Among the four parameters of mutuality, autonomy is the core parameter.
The Department of Surgery at Laval University has been a key player in the development of Canada-China cooperation since the 1980s. The projects initiated and developed by Jean Couture and Guojin Liu to address cancer issues, and specifically breast cancer, were heralded as outstanding successes. In the meantime, the Department of Surgery at Laval University trained numerous Chinese scholars, students, and post-doctoral fellows who became leaders in their fields of expertise. A few of these scholars and students settled in Canada, but the vast majority returned home. Since 2007, a highly specialized research program related to surgical implants with the College of Textiles at Donghua University has been opening new avenues in medical textiles to develop expertise through student training, to launch bridges between textile engineers and clinicians, and to provide the industry with a unique expertise. The final goal is to improve the accessibility and affordability of health care delivery in both Canada and China. China is now a key player in related research and no longer requires foreign assistance. Since it can easily find multiple partners, Canada must be alert to building on its legacy and maintaining its privileged position. China is now a place for Canadian champions.
Through funding from the Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) China Program, the University of Regina (UofR), Canada, implemented two major development projects with the Educational Institute of Jilin province (EIJP) from 1990 to 2001. This paper re-examines this historic cooperation. The paper argues that prevailing theories of sustainable development which had been percolating in education faculties of Canadian universities in the 1990s allowed the UofR/EIJP program to transcend a simple international aid paradigm and to focus on the mutual benefit of the partners. At the same time, we observe that despite the enormous goodwill and institutional learning achieved through the UofR/EIJP program the project failed to live up to its significant potential. The paper concludes with some practical measures that institutions might implement to ensure important cooperative projects can build robust international capacity sustainable for the long term.
The Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University-Nova Scotia Agricultural College (FAFU-NSAC) 2 + 2 undergraduate program initiated in 2003 is a model for creative collaboration between China and Canada in undergraduate education. This paper addresses the achievements of the program development and highlights the process for successful curriculum development in the joint program. The authors also discuss some issues and challenges related to the Chinese-Canadian experience in undergraduate education, and propose some recommendations for further collaborations including: enlarging the scale of qualified programs; proposing a systematic baseline to control the program at a macro-level; simplifying coordination procedures with foreign partners; and adjusting the emphasis of courses introduced by the cooperative partner from quantity to quality.
This article examines the outcomes of the overseas experiences of Chinese visiting scholars and the implications of visiting scholar programs for faculty development at Chinese universities. On the basis of semi-structured interviews with 17 returned Chinese visiting scholars who spent six to 12 months in a faculty of education at one of five Canadian universities, the following significant aspects of their experiences and related outcomes were highlighted: The cycle of overseas experiences and associated outcomes of Chinese visiting scholars, factors influencing the outcomes of their overseas experiences, visiting scholar programs as a type of faculty development, and China-Canada academic collaboration through visiting scholar programs. The findings support the literature-based conceptual model for investigating the experiences and outcomes of visiting scholars. In the new era of sending university faculty abroad, we suggest that visiting scholar programs should be treated as an important approach to professional development for faculty and be incorporated into a comprehensive faculty development package for Chinese university faculty.
This article is part of a narrative study of Chinese beginning teacher induction through cross-cultural teacher development, which has been developed and contextualized in the Teacher Education Reciprocal Learning Program between the University of Windsor (UW), Canada and Southwest University (SWU), China. This program is part of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Grant Project, Reciprocal Learning in Teacher Education and School Education between Canada and China. The partnership builds on the Teacher Education Reciprocal Learning Program, and the Shanghai-Toronto-Beijing Sister School Network. In this article, the authors conducted narrative inquiry with two of the SWU participants in the Teacher Education Reciprocal Learning Program to explore their experience from their cross-cultural learning in Canada to beginning teachers in West China. The findings of the research suggest the need to develop a global and cross-cultural dimension in teacher education and development in West China. It is evident that the cross-cultural experiences in Canada have influenced beginning teachers’ curriculum views, relationship to students, and beliefs about teaching. Their “lived stories” (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990, p. 6) also indicate that the personal, pedagogical, and social influences of cross-cultural experiences play important roles in beginning teachers’ teaching careers.