Developing student learning in the ever-changing landscape of higher education

In the last 20 years, higher education jumped many hurdles, including a pandemic. There have been three main trends with major influence on student learning in this sector. First is the shift from offline or classroom education to an online or hybrid educational ecosystem. Following the COVID-19 global pandemic, higher education, like several other aspects of our lives, underwent transformation to adapt to the unprecedented situation. Secondly, international student mobility in higher education has been significantly intensified and diversified in these past years. Finally, the third trend has to do with the extensive international assessment programs on student learning, such as the National Survey of Student Engagement and Student Experience in the Research University. 

But what do these trends mean in the development of student learning in higher education? The special issue of the ECNU Review of Education – Empowering Student Learning in Higher Education: Pathways to Possibility – addressed this very question and provided significant insights into the nature of student learning in higher education amid the ever-changing global circumstances. “In light of the reflections and debates surrounding higher education, researchers are required to take a more balanced and comprehensive mindset when conceptualizing and investigating student learning,” says Prof. Hongbiao Yin from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, China, author of the editorial.

In collaboration with Dr. Lian Shi of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prof. Yin addressed the first trend, i.e., the digital shift in higher education which was magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. In their research paper published in this special edition, the duo explored the effects of online education on student learning among students from a research university in China. The study revealed that offline interaction between students and professors generated a more desirable academic outcome and perceptions of learning environments, and higher satisfaction. However, online educational interaction performed better in fostering student autonomy and ensuring the completion of an in-depth thesis.

“These observations can significantly contribute to the improvement of learning and teaching in higher education,” says Prof. Yin.

Another study interviewing students in a research university in Chile found that high performers were frequent users of digital library and tended to adopt a deep approach to learning. Students with middle-level achievement, on the other hand, opted more for physical library and a strategic approach, while those with low levels of achievement were lower users of both physical and digital library and stuck to a surface approach to learning.

Subsequent articles explore the other two trends in detail. Focusing on the issue of international students’ learning experiences, one study revealed increasing preference for Chinese universities among these students. However, the study also showed that, despite acquiring good academic skills and abilities, such as research skills, global abilities, and Chinese proficiency, they were largely unsatisfied with their learning experiences at these universities.

Jumping from Asia to Europe, another study dealt with the perspective of lecturers at a Finnish University on the interaction between international, local, and exchange students and found a hierarchical description of the encounters between these students.

Finally, there is little doubt that student assessments are an integral part of student learning. But in comparison with the breadth and depth of research on student learning, these assessments receive far from enough attention from researchers. Exploring this, a study in this edition revealed the lack of consistency in these research methods. Yet another study explored the risk of “fake-learning,” arising from rewarding academic non-achievements, conformity to ideology, and methodolatry, and how universities contribute to it. 

Due to be released on March, 2022, this special edition of the ECNU Review of Education breaks geographical barriers and holistically covers the internationalisation of higher education and its impacts on student learning, providing critical analysis, clues, and pointers for guiding future development. The diverse range of issues and methods covered could help researchers work towards empowering student learning in higher education. 

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Reference

Author: Hongbiao Yin

Title of original paper: Empowering Student Learning in Higher Education: Pathways to Possibility

Journal: ECNU Review of Education

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311211073971

Affiliations: The Chinese University of Hong Kong

About ECNU Review of Education

The ECNU Review of Education (ROE) is an international, peer-reviewed journal that publishes research at the forefront of educational issues in China and abroad. Established by the East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai, this open-access journal encourages articles that use interdisciplinary perspectives and embrace contextual sensitivity. The ROE facilitates dialogue within the pedagogical community and builds an international network of scholars, all with the goal of advancing knowledge, sparking big ideas, and fostering meaningful change.

About Professor Hongbiao Yin

Hongbiao Yin is the Chairperson and Professor of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Associate Director of the Centre for University and School Partnership at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He also holds the position of Chair or Adjunct Professor in some prestigious universities in Chinese mainland such as Southwest University and East China Normal University. He received his MPhil degree from Southwest University in 2003, and PhD in curriculum studies from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2006. His research interests include curriculum change and implementation, teacher learning, teacher emotion, student motivation and engagement, and learning and teaching in higher education. He has over 200 publications. He is also the Executive Editor of Teaching and Teacher Education and Associate Editor of Education Journal.