A group of 20 delegates from Zhejiang University of Media and Communication (ZUMC) in China has completed a three-week Staff Development Program at Curtin University as part of an on-going partnership between the two institutions.
The training initiative allows Curtin’s Faculty of Humanities and ZUMC to build on their already well-established links in education at graduate level.
ZUMC is one of China’s major hubs that trains and educates talent for the broadcast and other creative industries in media and communications.
The ZUMC delegation included mostly Deans and Heads of Department. Training activities included lectures, forums, workshops and site visits.
“The program creates a ‘global classroom’ to enable ZUMC senior management to gain an understanding of quality management and management experiences in higher education in Australia,” said Henry Li, program co-ordinator and Research Fellow in Curtin’s Faculty of Humanities.
“The aim is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and improve the professional and management skills of the participants,” Mr Li said.
The training program encompassed two modules. The first dealt with higher education management in Australia and included aspects such teaching management, quality evaluation and supervision, research commercialization, and staff development.
The second module focussed on disciplinary knowledge in media and communication and the creative economy, and featured presentations on recent developments in education and research in culture, media and communication.
Associate Professor Anna Parkin, Dean, International in Curtin’s Faculty of Humanities, said Curtin had several strong and broad partnerships with Chinese universities, including program and research collaborations and student and staff mobility programs.
“Curtin recognises the importance and value that mutually beneficial two-way partnerships bring to the University and Western Australian communities and industry.
“Last semester students from both universities collaborated on a web documentary on sustainability, using advanced telepresence technology. This allowed students and staff to develop a better understanding of culture, customs and practices,” Ms Parkin said.
