SustainableTransformation of Undergraduate Engineering Education in China through Sino-Australian Cooperation: A Case Study on Electro-Mechanical System

Yufei Guo, John M. Long and Huynh Van Thanh ()
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Yufei Guo: School of Machinery and Automation, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, China
John M. Long: School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3217, Australia
Huynh Van Thanh: School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3217, Australia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 8, 1-17

Abstract: China’s undergraduate engineering education is facing two significant challenges: passive learning and limited cross-cultural communication. In response, active learning methods such as project-based learning (PBL) and Sino-foreign cooperative education emerge as promising solutions. However, despite their potential, PBL’s application remains constrained, and many Sino-foreign cooperative programs persist with traditional passive learning approaches. How to adeptly integrate the two, namely realizing active learning in Sino-foreign cooperative education, is the primary objective of this study. To this end, a sustainable strategy for cross-cultural transfer and the adaptation of active learning is proposed. Initially, a PBL-based active learning pedagogy is tailored for a course within a Sino-Australian cooperative undergraduate program. This approach integrates hands-on activities, teamwork, and the flipped classroom method. Moreover, to ensure implementation quality, an assessment method reliant on continuous student survey feedback is suggested. Subsequently, through the statistical analysis of students’ survey data as well as final grades, both quantitative and qualitative results affirm the efficacy of the proposed strategy.

Keywords: undergraduate engineering education; transformation; Sino-foreign cooperation; active learning; PBL (project-based learning); cross-cultural communication; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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