"The book is based on careful empirical studies and makes both practical and theoretical contributions. It is particularly useful for educators and educational institutions to better understand the needs of international students and to create appropriate and effective instructional techniques. It is also an important read for scholars interested in broader questions concerning international education and intercultural exchange." (Lisong Liu, Journal of Chinese Overseas, Vol. 18 (2), 2022)
1 Introduction.- Part I Theory and Conceptual Framework.- 2 Learning Culture: Characteristics and Complexity of Cultural Values.- 3 Educational Context: Instructional Techniques and Learning Effectiveness.- 4 Learning styles of Mainland Chinese.- Part II Applications to Universities and Higher Education Institutions.- 5 How to effectively teach and engage Mainland Chinese Students: Examining the impact of instructional techniques across learning effectiveness, comfort, familiarity and knowledge transfer.- 6 Learning Design: Effective adaptation of instructional techniques to engage Chinese students to achieve optimal learning and knowledge acquisition.- 7 Concluding Thoughts.
Dr Rajaram is a Senior Lecturer and Course Director at Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he teaches, leads a team of senior instructors, and is responsible for the curriculum & learning design of management and leadership courses. He is also a Research Fellow-Affiliate with the Centre for Research and Development in Learning, and Founder & Executive Director of the Research Lab for Learning Innovations and Culture of Learning - InnosolvLearn, Creative Solutions. He holds a PhD with Distinction in Business and Management (focusing on Learning Science). In recognition of his contributions, he was nominated for the Emerald Outstanding Doctoral Research Award in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He has received multiple competitive school, university and national level research grants and awards on topics related to pedagogical innovation and leadership competencies. He has published extensively on management education, learning culture in multi-disciplinary contexts, learning analytics and internationalization of business education. Dr Rajaram has over 18 years of leadership and senior management corporate experience in organizational change, strategic management and learning & training development. He is an expert in internationalization, learning cultures & cultures of learning, management education, innovation management, leadership, competency and soft skills development, and change management. He was instrumental in transforming and implementing the flipped-classroom pedagogy, adopting problem-based and team-based learning in the program that he chairs. He was nominated for the Outstanding USQ Academic & Research Alumnus Award in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He was also selected for the John Cheung Social Media Award 2016, NTU EdeX Grants 2016 & 2017 and MOE TRF National Level Grant 2017.
This book presents strategies and practices for facilitating effective learning for mainland Chinese students in western based education – regarding e.g. the choice of instructional techniques, attention to students’ cultural dislocation aspects, comfort, familiarity, and ease of knowledge transfer. It embeds innovativeness at a conceptual level, and argues for a holistic and “engaged” approach to learning effectiveness for mainland Chinese students.