Case Study: Education A
CLASS in operating with Chinese partners
Ten years ago, Charles Sturt University (CSU) was one of the very few foreign universities in China. Now the University is looking to take its relationship with its Chinese partner universities to a new dimension. Charles Sturt University offers its Bachelor of
Business Studies through four Chinese partner institutions - Yangzhou University, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Tianjin University of Commerce and Changchun Taxation College. Upon completion of the four-year course, students receive cross-credit from both CSU and the Chinese partner, which allows students to graduate with both their Chinese university qualification and the CSU Bachelor of Business Studies degree. “Charles Sturt has accredited these universities to
teach the first three years of the course, using the IP for 16 of our 24 subjects,” says Professor John Atkinson, Head of School of the International School of Business and Partnerships. “Then we physically come in and deliver the final eight subjects, and for that final year of the course we are enrolling between 600 and 1000 students per year.” CSU constantly checks on the quality of the course
delivery, with CSU staff going to China four times per year. As of 2011, CSU will be delivering 40 hours of contact per subject. “The advantage for students is that they get the same quality and standard of an Australian education degree as if it was delivered in Australia,” says Prof. Atkinson. “It also avoids the expensive living costs that may come with study overseas and the cost students pay per subject is considerably less than they would pay in Australia.” This strategy allows CSU to deliver to a much bigger student base in a much more cost-effective manner.
“It’s not all one way - now the Chinese partners contribute in the development of the subjects”
Image courtesy of Charles Sturt University. Image by Tim Riley “By choosing to primarily deliver the course offshore
to overseas students rather than bringing overseas student onshore, the university reduces its vulnerability to issues such as currency fluctuations,” says Prof. Atkinson. “We’ve been far less affected by certain problems that other universities have suffered because of changes in visa requirements, the high Australian dollar or racial vilification that have occurred in recent times.” The challenge for CSU is to maintain good
communication with its team and partners in China. “In 2010, we were using electronic communication a
lot more, such as using Skype for weekly meetings with our Chinese partners,” Prof. Atkinson says. “This allowed us to quickly and efficiently talk about any issues as they came up, and soon we were not just solving problems, but actually making improvements. So we were being proactive rather than reactive.” The CSU team also has annual meetings where all the partners come together, typically in a Chinese location, to discuss issues regarding the analysis of grades and maintaining quality. “We now have greater collaboration so it’s not all
one way - now the Chinese partners contribute in the development of the subjects,” Prof. Atkinson says. The next stage for the Business Studies program is
research. “We recently appointed a professor to look at international research collaboration,” Prof. Atkinson says. “The main areas are business, IT and accounting, but there’s also a great interest in China in HR, especially in finance.” CSU is also being more proactive in attracting its China
graduates into Masters studies programs in Australia – the Business Studies program already has PhD students in China whom it supervises. Today CSU has close to 8000 Chinese graduate
Image courtesy of Charles Sturt University
working in China. “Even though it is only a small proportion of China’s total graduate population, the goodwill that we have developed makes sure that the program will continue,” Prof. Atkinson says.
Australia China: BEYOND TOMORROW 151
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