Creative Moments in Company: A Quality Pursuing Case of an International Graduate Education Program in a Chinese University

Abstract

This chapter explores an autonomous and collaborative approach for academic quality in a full English instruction program for international graduate students in China. It focuses on a research seminar practice in the context of cross-cultural learning in North University (NU) of Mainland China. NU has hosted approximately 10,042 international students in its Chinese language and culture programs and the taught in Chinese programs for decades. However, since 2008, a full English instruction program of postgraduate studies in education for international students has been developed. It has attracted 116 MA and PhD students from 41 countries in Africa, Asia, America, Latin America, Oceania, and Europe. On one hand, this program marks a significant shift in China’s higher education as it reaches out to the world; on the other hand, it also brings various challenges of academic quality regarding internationalization. The study describes how these challenges have become opportunities for cross-cultural learning and how barriers have been overcome for academic quality through a case study of a supervised student autonomous research seminar. It also discusses the implications of this case for advocating academic autonomy and across cultural collaborative learning in Chinese universities.