Northeast Normal University’s (China) Joint MEd Program at UBC

A Northeast Normal University (NENU) and University of British Columbia (UBC) partnership has been developed between with the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP) at UBC and the School of Education Science at NENU, in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of Teacher Education, UBC.

NENU MEd group

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The partnership is designed to provide students with the opportunity to graduate with a UBC Masters of Education (MEd) degree.

By integrating research and practice, the partnership between UBC and NENU aims to:

  • further the preparation of educators for specialized areas in curriculum and pedagogy,
  • facilitate the professional development of educators involved in the conceptualization, design and implementation of curriculum appropriate to cultural contexts,
  • bring a diversity of cultural backgrounds and perspectives to bear on issues of curriculum studies, and
  • provide opportunities for international interaction between students from both institutions.

The UBC component of the NENU/UBC MEd in Curriculum Studies program is carefully designed to provide for the needs of international students.  For example, we have divided the first term into two six-week blocks with one course being taught in each block.

This allows NENU students to concentrate on a single course when they first arrive in North America. These courses are designated as cohort-only to allow the NENU students to become familiar with North American graduate school expectations in an environment that is supportive of their needs and orientate them to these expectations. This approach allows the students to have a more gradual and supported entry into an English-only language setting.

In addition to these modifications, the first term includes the introductory phase of a course that familiarizes NENU students with the elementary and secondary school systems in North America. This is done through a series of school visits. These visits are important as the students quickly find themselves in conversations in their coursework that assumes a working knowledge of these systems.  These modifications are developed to ensure a rich and supported graduate school experience for our NENU students.

Following the success of a pilot cohort of 4 NENU students who graduated in November, 2013, a second cohort of 14 students have successfully completed the program and will graduate in November, 2013.  We are looking forward to a third cohort beginning in September, 2014.

Dr. Anthony Clarke
Professor, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy