The government of the People’s Republic of China has decided that in order to ensure its ability to best develop their students to meet the challenges of a more modern economy and compete globally, they have to reform their universities. And to do so, they are looking to Canada. More specifically, they are looking to York University and Professor Peter Constantinou from the School of Public Policy and Administration.
China has chosen 600 universities that will be part of a reform exercise that will see them focused on more applied and job market relevant education. Through a global competition, they have selected Constantinou to assist with this effort. Zhejiang Shuren University in Hangzhou is piloting this reorientation project with Constantinou.
Constantinou, who has long experience with using experiential education and other innovative teaching pedagogy, led three days of workshops to help lay out a plan for the move toward more applied education. His workshops included senior administrators and faculty and provided them with many cases and new tools they can use to help make this transition.
Constantinou demonstrated that that York University has been a leader in this area and that continuous improvements and greater connections with its communities, labour markets and alumni, along with innovative pedagogy are keys to success.
“It was an honour to be selected to participate in providing advice based on my research and experiences, and it validates the good work that York University is doing in preparing our students for a challenging and changing world,” said Constantinou, noting that due to the success of the workshops, other universities are now interested in engaging with York University for additional advice and training.