Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China Lessons from the MARIHE Programme

Transcription

1 Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China Lessons from the MARIHE Programme Yuzhuo Cai This paper discusses lessons learnt from the Erasmus Mundus Masters Course in Research and Innovation in Higher Education (MARIHE) from a participant s perspective and provides suggestions for European higher education institutions in their cooperation with Chinese counterparts. The MARIHE programme, implemented since 2012, is the first Erasmus Mundus joint degree programme with a Chinese university as a (potential) degree granting partner. The author, a Chinese scholar working at a European university as one member of the MARIHE consortium, has been deeply involved in the programme application and implementation, particularly regarding the communication between the Chinese university and other European partner institutions. The MA- RIHE case, as one of few pioneering joint degree programmes between European and Chinese universities, has revealed a number of barriers for academic cooperation between European and Chinese higher education due to differences of legislations, educational traditions and administrative practices in different systems. The efforts of the MARIHE consortium in resolving the problems may provide valuable experience for many other European universities when cooperating with Chinese partners, particularly in developing joint education and degree programmes. It has also been argued in the paper that the Erasmus Mundus joint programmes with Chinese partnership play a significant role in implementing EU s strategy on higher education cooperation with China. Content Page 1. Introduction Benefits and challenges in cooperation between European and Chinese higher education The role of Erasmus Mundus programme in realising the EU s China strategy regarding higher education cooperation Lessons learnt from the unique case of MARIHE Conclusions Recommendations for European HEIs 110 Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No

2 Yuzhuo Cai 1. Introduction The education dimension in EU-China cooperation In the last two decades, an increasing number of regions and countries in the world have put China a priority in their internationalisation strategy, due to China s fast economic development and the important role it plays in the global economy and politics. According to the European Commission, for instance, giving high priority to EU-China relations is not only for economic and commercial reasons, but also driven by a political interest in supporting China s sustainable development and successful transition to a stable, prosperous and open country (Brødsgaard & Lim, 2009; European Commission, 2007). The bilateral social and economic relationships often include a significant educational dimension, because education exchange can strengthen the value of cultural ties and create potential mutual business opportunities (OECD, 2004, p. 4). This proposition has been especially shaped by the historical development of relationships between China and the United States (US). For instance, the importance of attracting Chinese students to the US was realised a century ago. In 1906 the president of the University of Illinois, Edwin James, wrote to the American President Roosevelt: The nation which succeeds in educating the young Chinese of the present generation will be the nation which for a given expenditure of effort will reap the largest possible returns in moral, intellectual, and commercial influence Trade follows moral and spiritual domination far more inevitably than it follows the flag (Smith, 1907). The current situation of EU-China cooperation on higher education: policy dialogues and Erasmus Mundus programme While the US has gained great social and economic benefits through education exchanges with China, the significance of developing educational links with China has been only noticed recently in Europe. EU-China cooperation on education and research, particularly in the field of higher education has developed rapidly over the past decade, mainly through sectoral policy dialogues and facilitated by the Erasmus Mundus programme. The sectoral policy dialogues between the European Commission and China in the fields of education, training, culture and multilingualism have been established as the results of joint declarations signed between the Commission and Chinese ministers, on culture in 2003, on education and culture in 2007 and on multilingualism in 2009 (GHK Consulting & Renmin University, 2011, p. 58). To further upgrade the current sectoral policy dialogues, the European Union and China launched the People-to-People Dialogue in 2012 for boosting cooperation in education, culture, youth and research. It represents the third pillar in EU-China relations following the economic and trade dialogue commenced in 2008 and the strategic dialogue initiated in In the Dialogue, a number of follow-up actions have been identified. With respect to higher education, China and the EU will 96 Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No. 2

3 Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China identify themes of common interests and strengthen mutual exchange of best practice and information, expand the opportunities for student and staff mobility and increase the number of exchanges between students and scholars, and improve the mutual recognition of academic qualifications (European Commission, 2012). Erasmus Mundus as a cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher education was launched by the European Commission in The first phase of the programme was completed in , and the second is to be implemented in The programme is aimed to enhance the quality in European higher education through scholarships and academic co-operation between Europe and the rest of the world, to promote the European Union as a centre of excellence in learning around the world, and to enhance intercultural understanding between European and other countries in the field of higher education (EACEA, 2011). In the first implementation period, there was a specific China Window (for the period 2005/6-2007/8) established for providing scholarship supporting Chinese students to study in Europe. In the second implementation period, as third countries are allowed to join the Erasmus Mundus joint degree programme consortia, there has been a potential for more Chinese higher education institutions (HEIs) to participate. During , there have been 10 Chinese universities participating in Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses and Joint Doctorates. China has also become a strategic country in terms of cooperation in the field of higher education in the EU 27, and all member states have some form of cooperation agreement with China since the mid-1990s (GHK Consulting & Renmin University, 2011). In general, the European Commission as well as the member states objectives on cooperation with Chinese higher education can be summarised as follows (Cai, 2005; GHK Consulting & Renmin University, 2011): Objectives on cooperation with Chinese higher education To enhance the visibility and desirability of European higher education in China for enlarging and attracting top talented students to Europe to meet the skills need in the national labour markets and/or to generate revenue. To promote the mobility of staff and students between EU and China for enhancing mutual awareness and tightening economic ties between the two sides. Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No

4 Yuzhuo Cai To increase the transparency and compatibility between European and Chinese higher education for deeper cooperation in higher education cooperation. To identify the reciprocal basis for sustainable cooperation. What role of Erasmus Mundus programme in EU-China cooperation The case of MARIHE Structure of the study It can be expected that the Erasmus Mundus programme, particularly in partnership with Chinese HEIs, may have a particular role in realising the above objectives as well as solving the problems on the way to success. However, there has been little research tackling with such issue. This study is an attempt to analyse the role of Erasmus Mundus programme in realising EU s strategy on cooperating with Chinese higher education, by taking as example the Masters Course Research and Innovation in Higher Education (MARIHE) that will be financed by the European Commission during the period of The consortium of the programme is coordinated by Danube University Krems (Austria) and includes other partners, namely University of Tampere (Finland), University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück (Germany) and Beijing Normal University (China). This is the first Erasmus Mundus Masters Course with a Chinese university as a full partner who is responsible for hosting an entire semester teaching for the students in Beijing and is authorised by the European Commission to offer a joint or dual degree. This article starts with a review of potential mutual benefits and major challenges in EU-China cooperation in higher education. It is followed by a discussion on the role of Erasmus Mundus in EU s strategy regarding higher education cooperation with China. Then the case of MARIHE will be analysed to elicit challenges in cooperation between European and Chinese HEIs in developing joint degree programmes. Finally it concludes with an argument that Chinese universities deep involvement in Erasmus Mundus programme plays a key role in facilitating the EU and China cooperation on higher education, and accordingly provides recommendations for European HEIs. 2. Benefits and challenges in cooperation between European and Chinese higher education Fits between EU s expectation and China interest in higher education cooperation Although the EU-China cooperation in higher education is eventually for political and economic benefits, most European HEIs interests in engaging in Chinese higher education is mainly concerned with students and staff mobility, research and teaching cooperation, and education export. Their actions in the field are often motivated by the internationalisation strategies and financial incentives of EU and their home countries Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No. 2

5 Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China Based on review of both EU s and China internationalisation strategies, it can be seen that the cooperation between European and Chinese higher education is in line with the interests of each other. In China, the internationalisation of higher education is an inevitable result of China s integration into the global economy since 1978 as well as an essential measure to improve its higher education system. China s higher education reforms signify an integration of Chinese higher education with the international community, as part of the governmental strategies for building world-class Chinese universities and strengthening national economic competitiveness. The main policies include: encouraging both inbound and outbound student mobility, enhancing international dimensions of teaching and research, and developing joint education provisions by Chinese and foreign educational institutions (Cai, 2011). EU s and China s policy objectives on internationalisation basically supplement each other as shown in Table 1. EU s expectations Recruiting more Chinese students to study in Europe Exporting educational programmes and services to China Enhancing Education and research cooperation with Chinese HEIs Sending more European students to study in Chinese higher education China s interests Encouraging more Chinese students to study abroad Meeting growing demands for higher education by importing high quality foreign education Increasing international reputation and competitiveness through cooperation with (prestigious) foreign HEIs Attracting more international students to study in China Table 1 EU s expectations and China s interests in internationalisation of higher education While the EU-China cooperation in higher education has been considered important by both sides, there are also challenges, such as language and cultural barriers, gaps between legislations, practices and traditions in higher education, lack of mutual understanding and trust between cooperating parties. To resolve these problems, the EU has recently been promoting the people-to-people contacts though solid academic cooperation between European and Chinese universities (Wiessala, 2007, p. 299). The recent years saw increasing academic links between the EU and China. In the research dimension, the Science & Technology Agreement between the EU and China in 1998 provides a legal basis for future cooperation on science and technology between the two sides. As a result, the EU has opened its research and technology develop- Challenges for EU-China cooperation in higher education EU-China cooperation in research and teaching Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No

6 Yuzhuo Cai ment Framework Programme to China, which allows the participation of Chinese institutions. In turn China opened its National High Technology Research and Development Programme (863 Programme) and the National Key Basic Research Programme (973 Programme) to EU researchers and institutions. In 2010, the Europe-China Clean Energy Centre in Beijing (since 2010), co-financed by the European Commission and the Chinese Government, was established. As regards education cooperation, some flagship joint EU-China higher education programmes are: the China-Europe International Business School in Shanghai (since 1994), a non-profit joint venture established under an agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Cooperation of China and the European Commission, the China-Europe School of Law (since 2008) affiliated to the China University of Political Science and Law, founded on the basis of a financial agreement between the European Community and the Chinese Government, In addition, some universities, such as, from the UK, Germany and France have also set up off-shore campuses in China in cooperating with local HEIs. The most famous example is the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China (UNNC). It was established in 2004 based on the partnership between the University of Nottingham and Wanli Education Group. It was the first joint-venture university to obtain legal status as an independent campus in China. People-to-people contacts as an important means for EU-China cooperation in higher education While these kinds of cooperation have enhanced the human face of EU-China contacts, the Erasmus Mundus programmes, especially with Chinese HEIs as consortium partners, may further strengthen the people-to-people links. Erasmus Mundus programmes have a particularly role in realising the EU s China strategy regarding higher education cooperation. 3. The role of Erasmus Mundus programme in realising the EU s China strategy regarding higher education cooperation Four dimensions of Erasmus Mundus programme s role in EU-China higher education cooperation Following the general spirit of the Erasmus Mundus, the role of Erasmus Mundus programme in facilitating EU-China cooperation can be understood in the following four aspects, namely promoting the visibility of European higher education in China, enhancing exchange of high quality student and staff exchange, increasing the compatibility of curricula and qualifications and deepening people-to-people dialogues Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No. 2

7 Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China 3.1 Promoting the attractiveness of European higher education As it has been mentioned earlier, there is a fit between EU s expectations and China s interests in internationalisation of higher education. However, the fit can only be optimised when the image of high quality of European higher education could be correctly perceived and appreciated by the stakeholders of Chinese higher education. As the quality of education can hardly be measured and perceived by students, in practice they are likely to judge the quality of a higher education system or a particular institution by its international reputation (Marginson, 2006). Institutional reputation is closely associated with university rankings. Indeed, some European universities are among the top ones recognised worldwide, but the majority of European HEIs are not well known outside Europe, in China for example. For this reason, Erasmus Mundus, connected to the Bologna Process and the Lisbon Strategy, was launched with an aim to enhance the attractiveness of European higher education in the world. The Erasmus Mundus degree programme is presented as a flagship of high quality European masters and doctoral courses. The participation of prestigious Chinese universities will particularly help increase the attractiveness of the Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses as well as the European partner universities involved, as the Chinese top universities are very selective in choosing cooperating foreign partners (Willis, 2006, p. 116). Raising the reputation of European higher education in China 3.2 Attracting talented Chinese students to study in Europe European countries not only want to enlarge the number of incoming Chinese students, but also expect gifted ones. Besides generating revenues for universities where tuition fees are charged, recruiting international students is also a means for attracting highly talented international students into the European labour markets. Recruiting Chinese students to degree programmes in Europe also provides a firm basis for economic cooperation in the long run through the development of a mutual awareness and understanding, as the European-educated Chinese graduates will become good ambassadors for European business. The effect will be stronger if the quality of Chinese students is high, following the proposition that those Chinese students will gain high-level employment in China after studying in Europe (Cai, 2005). Improving quality of incoming Chinese students to studying in European higher education The establishment of the Erasmus Mundus, a cooperation and mobility programme in postgraduate higher education, aims to promote the European Union as a centre of excellence in learning around the world, by attracting high quality students from countries outside the European Union to register for joint degrees. Due to both the flag- Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No

8 Yuzhuo Cai ship effect and scholarship incentives, indeed many top Chinese students apply for Erasmus Mundus degree programmes. During the period of 2004 and 2009, 2866 Chinese students have been selected in Erasmus Mundus degree courses (GHK Consulting & Renmin University, 2011, p. 62). This is indeed a good record of success, but the absolute number of incoming Chinese students to Europe through Erasmus Mundus is still relatively small. The most significant outcomes of the Erasmus Mundus can be expected to be: European higher education especially the HEIs participating in the Erasmus Mundus will become more attractive to Chinese, and the success of the Chinese graduates from Erasmus Mundus degree programmes will help influence many gifted Chinese students to make their choice to study in Europe. 3.3 Increasing compatibility of qualifications Enhancing transparency and compatibility of European and Chinese curricula and degrees Since the turn of the new century, the compatibility of studies, cooperation activities and wide access to education have become the key ideas of educational strategies and discussions in Europe. As such, the Bologna Process was initiated in 1999, which is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements between European countries designed to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher education qualifications. Erasmus Mundus is one of the important dimensions in implementing the strategies in the Bologna Process and does play a key role in improving the transparency and compatibility among degree programmes in European HEIs, through developing joint and dual degrees. In the second implementation phase of the Erasmus Mundus, Chinese universities are allowed to join the consortia operating Erasmus Mundus joint degree courses, and even have the possibility to provide modules of studies as well as to grant (joint or dual) degrees. However, one of the biggest obstacles for the cooperation on degree programmes is the less transparency and compatibility of curricula and degrees. When Chinese and European HEIs are developing Erasmus Mundus joint degree programmes, they must first resolve the problems concerning the curriculum transparency and degree compatibility. Thus, the first a few Erasmus Mundus joint degree programmes may become the catalyst for policy adjustment on degree regulations Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No. 2

9 Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China 3.4 Establishing people-to-people dialogues for enhancing mutual understanding and evoking policy adjustment To make degree programmes and qualifications transparent and compatible between European and Chinese higher education systems, it is by no means of an easy task. It is even still a challenge among the countries within the European Higher Education Area. Thus the European Commission has set the expectations that the Erasmus Mundus joint degree programmes would influence national policy-making either directly or indirectly through course adjustment (Vellamo, 2010, p. 122). The same logic may apply to the cooperation with Chinese higher education. Strengthening people-topeople dialogues Operating on Erasmus Mundus joint programmes between European and Chinese HEIs also, to a large extent, enhances the dialogues between academics, institutional decision makers and national policy makers. Compared to most European countries, China has different regulations on higher education degrees. The legislation differences impede the deep cooperation between Europe and China in higher education. The Chinese government is willing to adjust their national policies to enable Chinese universities to offer joint degrees with foreign partner institutions. However, when it comes to concrete policy design and especially implementation, the situation is more complicated than it can be imagined. For a joint degree, it is not merely a matter of legislation, it also requires education providers of both sides share understandings on curriculum, teaching methods, students performance evaluation, etc. The resolutions to these issues are dependent on the dialogues among academics and decision-makers within China as well as dialogues with counterparts in other higher education systems. The experience of implementing the first a few EU-China cooperatively-run Erasmus Mundus joint degree programmes will provide a solid basis for policy adjustment. 4. Lessons learnt from the unique case of MARIHE While the above discussion indicates that cooperating with (prestigious) Chinese universities in Erasmus Mundus degree programmes could be important and promising, the problem is that there are not many cases yet. Currently, one of the few cases with the deepest cooperation with a Chinese partner university is the MARIHE programme. The first cohort of students enrolled in the programme in autumn All students of MARIHE will subsequently study at the Danube University Krems, University of Tampere and Beijing Normal University during the first three semesters. For the fourth semester, the stu- MARIH as a unique case Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No

10 Yuzhuo Cai dents will decide whether they want to specialise in the management track (in Osnabrück) or academic track (in either Krems or Tampere) for doing their theses. Challenges faced by the MARIHE consortium In this section, the author uses this case to illustrate the challenges in the cooperation between the Chinese and European partner HEIs, and discusses how the dialogues between actors involved in the programme has enhanced mutual understanding on teaching and learning, and has even had an impact on possible policy changes in China. 4.1 Dialogues between Beijing Normal University and European partner universities Invitation of Beijing Normal University to the consortium in the application stage Communications between the European partners and Beijing Normal University in the consortium Beijing Normal University s positive attitudes on resolving administrative barriers Beijing Normal University was invited to join the consortium for the Erasmus Mundus application in the beginning of The operating unit at Beijing Normal University is the Institute of International and Comparative Education (IICE), which had been long time committed in academic cooperation with the Higher Education Group (HEG) as the operating unit at the School of Management, University of Tampere before the application. The other basis on which Beijing Normal University was considered as a partner in the programme is that the IICE just started an English-teaching International Master s Degree Programme on Educational Leadership and Policy and the first enrolment would take place in The communication between Beijing Normal University and the European partners in the consortium during the application stage was mainly through HEG. Particularly, the author, as a Chinese scholar working at HEG, took the main responsibilities in detailed negotiations with Beijing Normal University on behalf of the European partners. He even travelled to Beijing Normal University for two days in the beginning of March, 2011 to discuss with a variety of actors at the university, including the academics at the IICE, the Dean and Vice Deans at the Faculty of Education where the IICE was located, the head of the Office of International Affairs and the Graduate School, and the university leaders. During the two days, he introduced the policies of Erasmus Mundus, explained the procedures of the application, identified conceivable barriers and discussed possible solutions in together with the Chinese colleagues. Regardless of a number challenges in the joint application, the attitude of Beijing Normal University was positive and flexible. They confirmed their participation and set up the principle: if the barriers were concerned with university regulations, the university would try their best to make possible adjustment; if the barriers were about administrative procedures and policies at the national level they would take the initiatives to discuss with the Ministry of Education Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No. 2

11 Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China After the application was approved by the European Commission, the programme came to the implementation stage. Then the communication between Beijing Normal University and other partners has been coordinated by the Danube University Krems, though HEG has a strong role in communication and working with Beijing Normal University regarding administrative issues for students transfer from Finland to China as well as consortium and student selection meetings held in Tampere. The author still acts as a mediator when some issues cannot be easily understood by either the Chinese or European actors due to the difference between the Chinese and European systems and cultures. Commutation structure in the implementation stage In the following section, I will present some major differences between the Chinese and European higher education which has challenged the preparation and implementation of the MARIHE programme. Meanwhile, the responses and solutions of the consortium will be also discussed too. 4.2 Legislation barriers on joint degree provision According to the original plan of the application, the four universities intended to jointly recruit students, cooperatively offer courses and issue joint or dual degrees. Before this application, no Chinese university had joined the Erasmus Mundus as a degree granting partner. As regards joint admission and granting of degrees, Beijing Normal University indeed faced crucial policy barriers, such as: Restriction of Chinese legislation on joint degrees with foreign partner universities The current Chinese legislation on higher education degrees does not allow a Chinese university to offer joint degrees with foreign universities. In addition, a student must study minimally one year at a Chinese university as one necessary condition to get a degree from the university. It is possible for Chinese HEIs to cooperate with foreign partners in dual degree programmes, but normally for Chinese students who have formally enrolled in the Chinese HEIs. It is possible for Beijing Normal University to offer foreign students in the Erasmus Mundus programme a (separate) degree, but it is impossible to issue a degree for the Chinese students in the programme. According to the Chinese regulations, one necessary condition for a student of Chinese nationality to be awarded a master s degree at a Chinese HEI (such as Beijing Normal University) is that he or she has passed the national examination and enrolled in the institution. But when recruiting students to the Erasmus Mundus program, no applicant will take part in the Chinese master s degree programme enrolment examination. Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No

12 Yuzhuo Cai If only the foreign students get the degree from Beijing Normal University while the Chinese students not, it is not in line with the spirit of Erasmus Mundus. As the degree issue can only be decided by the Chinese Ministry of Education, in the application, the consortium had not made any promise on this matter. Rather it was stated in the application that all partners would work towards the direction of having joint degrees with Beijing Normal University but the final result is dependent on the decision of the Ministry of Education. Although a decision from the Chinese Ministry of Education is still pending, the European Commission, on its side, has already authorised Beijing Normal University to offer joint degrees with other European partner institutions. Progress in resolving the problems of joint degree Beijing Normal University has been actively discussing this matter with the Ministry of Education. As China s National Plan for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development ( ) issued by the State Council in 2010 provides that more support shall be given to exchanges of students and teachers, mutual recognition of academic credits, and mutual or joint conferment of academic degrees between Chinese and foreign colleges, the Ministry of Education is also very interested in taking the MARIHE as a special case to pilot joint degree arrangement with European HEIs before formal regulations are promulgated. The Ministry is likely to make a decision not before too long. This case might possibly open the path for other similar collaborations between European and Chinese universities. 4.3 Differences in programme administration and coordination Administrative procedure in Beijing Normal University For the three European consortium partners, their administration structures are quite similar: there is an academic coordinator and an administrative coordinator at each operating unit. The programme administration at Beijing Normal University is different. In the application stage and the beginning of the implementation period, it was the Director of the IICE who took the main responsibility of the coordination. He was closely working on related issues with the Faculty of Education and other relevant administrative departments at Beijing Normal University. Soon the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Education (in charge of international affairs) and the international coordinator of the Faculty became more engaged in communication with other consortium partners about administrative issues of the programme. In the end of 2012, the IICE recruited a new faculty member to take the position as administrative coordinator of the programme at Beijing Normal University, in addition to his other academic duties. The changes and uncertainties in programme administration at Beijing Normal University, for some time, caused anxiety of some administrators at the European partner institutions. They felt unclear of appropriate communication channels Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No. 2

13 Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China since they could not find a counterpart of themselves in China. All these became clear to the European partners, when the newly recruited faculty member was in place. Although at Beijing Normal University the administration issues concerning the programme are still handled by the international coordinator and the vice dean, he plays a role as a contact person/interface to European partners. 4.4 Difficulties in credit transfer As a result of the Bologna Process, higher education in European Higher Education Area has adopted the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). ECTS credits are based on the workload students need in order to achieve expected learning outcomes. In general, one academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS-credits that are equivalent to hours of study (Austria, 1,500 hours; Finland 1600 hours). One credit point corresponds to hours of work (Austria, 25 hours, Finland, 27 hours) that students typically need to complete relevant learning activities required, such as lectures, seminars, projects, practical work, self-study and examinations (European Commission, 2009). To complete the MARIHE programme, students must acquire 120 ECTS, and in the programme one ECTS corresponds to 25 hours of students work. Since 1950s, in Chinese higher education the academic year system has been the major approach to manage degree programmes, meaning that students workload were measured by academic years. It was a practice borrowed from the Soviet Union. Since 1978, the credit system has been gradually adopted in China, though the academic year system is still commonly used. In most Chinese HEIs there exists a mix of academic year and credit management systems. However, recently there is a clear tendency that the credit system is going to be dominant, underscored by a shared belief that the credit system encourages student autonomy, facilitates student mobility, and meets the challenges of massification of higher education and internationalisation. In fact, more and more universities are implementing the credit system, but many problems remained: Credit system in Europe Credit system in China Lack of government guidance: no relevant laws or regulations in credit system at the national level, Lack of unified standards in implementing: no governmental guidelines in how to implement credit system, Credits of different universities are incomparable: understandings and practices in credit system varies between different universities, Lack of recognition in credits and learning outcomes among Chinese universities: difficult for students to transfer credits between universities (Che, 2010). Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No

14 Yuzhuo Cai Credit system in Beijing Normal University Credit transfer between two systems to be piloted in Beijing Normal University In Beijing Normal University, the credit rhetorically measures student workload but in practice the calculation is strictly based on the hours of lectures. For instance, a course of hours lectures corresponds to one credit point. Certainly besides the lectures, students are required to read course materials, write papers and do exams etc., but the time spent on these activities are not specified in the credit system. While completing a master s degree needs 120 ECTS in European higher education, in Beijing Normal University the requirement for courses is 35 credits. The master s thesis is compulsory in the degree programme, but credits are not counted. Currently Beijing Normal University is operating a number of master s programmes for international students, in which the credit system is similar to the programmes for the Chinese students in the university, only with slight differences. In the international master s programmes, the course requirement is 34 credits and the thesis is 6 credits. In next autumn semester, Beijing Normal University will offer one semester courses for the MARIHE students. For this, the relevant academic and administrative staff at the university are seriously considering the compatibility between Beijing Normal University s credit system and the ECTS. According to the regulations of Beijing Normal University, all registered students have the right to attend all courses provided in the university. Therefore, when either other students of Beijing Normal University take the MARIHE courses or the MARIHE students study in other courses of the university, how to transfer the credits from one system to the other must be clarified. For instance, one concrete plan at the Beijing Normal University is to integrate the Quantitative Methodology and Education Statistics module of the MARIH programme with a similar course of the International Master s Degree Programme on Educational Leadership and Policy, both provided by Beijing Normal University. As the two programmes respectively use ECTS and Beijing Normal University s own credit system, there must be a solution on credit transfer. 4.5 Challenges in curriculum and teaching planning Curriculum and teaching plan in MARIHE Curriculum and teaching plan in Beijing Normal University In the MARIHE curriculum plan, teaching methods are multi-fold, including lectures, team projects, group discussions, oral presentations, case studies, workshops, paper writing, etc. Lectures normally account for a very minority of student workload. For instance, when providing a 5-ECTS module courses, there may be only hours lectures among the total 125 hours of work required. In Beijing Normal University, lecturing is the main teaching method while there are few team projects, group discussions and student presentations. When implementing the MARIHE curriculum, Beijing Normal University does confront the challenges in adopting local teaching practices to the European styles. First, as the teachers at Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No. 2

15 Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China Beijing Normal University nowadays enjoy the freedom in deciding how to teach in the courses they are responsible, when one is in charge of a module of the MARIHE programme, he/she may face the dilemma between following their own intrinsic value in teaching and conforming to the MARIHE curriculum requirement. This may also result in tensions between teachers and administrators in the programme. The second challenge is concerned with the teachers evaluation system in Beijing Normal University. In the university, teachers must fulfil a minimal requirement for teaching hours. When some come to teach as responsible lecturers in the MARIHE modules, they are likely to have less teaching hours compare to the equivalent local courses. Moreover, though as MARIHE modules with same amount of ECTS, the requirement for lecture time may be different according to the MARIHE curriculum plan. However, it is worth noting that Beijing Normal University encourages teachers to teach in English. For instance, the work load of an hour lecture taught in English is counted as 2.5 times than that in Chinese language. Planning the MARIHE modules at Beijing Normal University challenges the traditions of teaching methods and administration at Beijing Normal University. In this moment, the team in Beijing Normal University is working hardly on it in together with their European partners. It is also the plan that the author as a teacher familiar with both Chinese and European higher education will work at Beijing Normal University for a month or so in autumn 2013 as an Erasmus Mundus scholar. In addition to his teaching tasks, he will also closely work with local partners in studying the process of integration of Erasmus Mundus teaching models into the Chinese practices for further improvement of teaching in the future. Planning MARIHE course modules in Beijing Normal University 5. Conclusions In the recent years, many European and Chinese HEIs have established various cooperation in staff and student exchange, research, teaching and joint educational programmes. As illustrated by the MA- RIHE programme, the Erasmus Mundus joint degree courses in cooperation with Chinese HEIs entail substantial people-to-people contacts between China and Europe. When academics and administrators from Chinese and European HEIs start to cooperate in Erasmus Mundus joint degree programmes, they will first see problems and challenges resulted by the contrast between Chinese and European higher education teaching traditions and administrative procedures. When integrating Chinese and European systems as well as embedded values into a joint degree programme, it requires the trust building between the partners, tolerance to the different behaviours and values, and patience to the slow integration process. Through overcoming the administra- Erasmus Mundus degree courses straitening people-to-people contacts and enhancing the sustainability of EU- China higher education cooperation Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No

16 Yuzhuo Cai tive barriers as well as the challenges concerning teaching, learning and course design, deep mutual understanding can be achieved and trust will be built. Mutual understanding and trust are the bases for the cooperation between Chinese and European HEIs. The implementation of the MARIHE programme clearly evidences the development towards that direction. The experience of the MARIHE programme will hopefully generate valuable insights on best practice and information for European and Chinese higher education cooperation, set up benchmarks regarding credit transfer and course design, and even influence national policy adjustment for mutual recognition of academic qualifications and issuing joint degrees. In the end, it must be emphasised that developing joint degree programmes should not be a direct transfer of European model of higher education to China. Rather, the European approaches must be integrated into the Chinese local practices. It is also possible that European HEIs learn something useful from China and progress together with Chinese partners. 6. Recommendations for European HEIs Suggestions for European institutions to achieve success in cooperation with Chinese universities Based on the above discussion, the paper recommends the following strategies for European HEIs when cooperating with Chinese HEIs: To reconcile the expectations from the cooperation with Chinese higher education with the interest of Chinese higher education in order to get maximal support from the Chinese government as well as HEIs. Try to understand the system and culture in Chinese higher education, when planning to cooperate with Chinese HEIs. To build trust with Chinese partners first before any ambitious plan is pursued. To partner with prestigious universities in order to effectively promote the reputation of the joint programme as well as the European HEIs involved. To deeply engage in academic cooperation, for example for joint Master s and PhD training and research collaboration for trust building. To fully utilise the Erasmus Mundus Chinese graduates as messengers to promote the image of European higher education and enhance other links between EU and China. To utilise experts who are familiar with both Chinese and European higher education to smooth the cooperation process Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No. 2

17 Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme and EU s Strategy on Higher Education Cooperation with China References [1] Brødsgaard, K. E., & Lim, C. K. (2009). Eu-China: Managing a strained relationship. EAI Background Brief, No [2] Cai, Y. (2005). The future of European higher educating from a Chinese perspective the internationalisation dimension. In J. Enders, J. File, J. Huisman & D. Westerheijden (Eds.), The European higher education and research landscape 2020: Scenarios and strategic debates (pp ). Enschede, the Netherlands: CHEPS. [3] Cai, Y. (2011). Chinese higher education reforms and tendencies: Implications for Norwegian higher education in cooperating with China. In K. G. Pettersen (Eds.), SIU Report (Vol. 4, pp. 1 69). Available from 0education%20reforms%20and%20tendencies%20-%20til%20publisering.pdf [4] Che, W. (2010, April). Credit system and qualification recognition: Promoting international academic mobility. Paper presented at the ASEM seminar on credits and learning outcomes: credit systems and learning outcomes in ASEM member countries, Berlin. [5] EACEA. (2011). About erasmus mundus Retrieved from _en.php [6] European Commission. (2007). China strategy paper [7] European Commission. (2009). ECTS user's guide. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. [8] European Commission. (2012). Follow-up actions of the first round of the eu- China high level people-to-people dialogue (hppd). Retrieved from [9] GHK Consulting, & Renmin University. (2011). Eu-China student and academic staff mobility: Present situation and future developments--joint study between the European commission and the Ministry of education in China Available from [10] Marginson, S. (2006). Dynamics of national and global competition in higher education. Higher Education, 52(1), [11] OECD. (2004). Policy brief: Internationalisation of higher education. Paris: OECD. [12] Smith, A. (1907). China and America today. New York: Fleming G. Revell Company. [13] Vellamo, T. (2010). Erasmus mundus masters courses as networks: A study of two Finnish coordinators. Unpublished Master's thesis, University of Tampere, Tampere. [14] Wiessala, G. (2007). 'Re-orienting' the global learning experience: Higher education in the relations between the European union and Asia and the subject of 'European studies'. European Studies: A Journal of European Culture, History and Politics, 25(1), [15] Willis, M. (2006). Why do chinese universities seek foreign university partners: An investigation of the motivating factors behind a significant area of alliance activity. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 16, Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No

18 Yuzhuo Cai Biography: Dr Yuzhuo Cai, University Lecturer and Adjunct Professor at the Higher Education Group, School of Management, and Research Coordinator of the Chinese Education Research and Exchange Centre (CEREC), University of Tampere in Finland. His main research areas are higher education policy and management, internationalisation of higher education, graduate employability and transformation of higher education in innovation systems. His publications include six books/ monographs and around 30 refereed journal articles and book chapters. Contact: Find more related articles in our online archive: Stefanie Hofmann, David Crosier Institutional Guidelines for Quality Enhancement of Joint Programmes (in Bologna-Archive Dieter Leonhard, Siegbert Wuttig Jоint Programmes and Joint Degrees (in Bologna-Archive Recommended by your EHEA Team Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2013, No. 2