Global Perspectives on Fostering Problem-Based Learning in Chinese Universities

Future generations are being faced with the potential challenge of having to solve professional problems in a hybrid world in which there is no clear boundary between autonomous, non-human nature, and human-generated processes. This requires young students to effectively prepare themselves for managing issues of complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity in their professional practice.

Global Perspectives on Fostering Problem-Based Learning in Chinese Universities is a comprehensive reference source that provides insight into the growing need for problem-based learning within higher education environments. Featuring a wide range of topics such as curriculum design, STEM education, and cross-cultural communication, this reference source is ideal for educators, instructional designers, academicians, administrators, and researchers.

Zhiliang Zhu , Ph.D., doctoral supervisor, Professor, Director of Academic Affairs Department at Northeastern University (NEU), China, Expert of wining the Special Government Allowance of the State Council, China. Prof. Zhu is a fellow of China Institute of Communications (CIC), and an academic leader on a provincial level in institutions of higher education in Liaoning. He has been selected into the Provincial Hundreds and Thousands of Talents Project (level of Hundreds), and one of the Leading Academics of Shenyang City. He is a member of the Teaching Steering Committee of Software Engineering (Ministry of Education) and a member of Subcommittee on SOA Standards (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology). He is executive council member of Branch of Teaching Research of China Association of Higher Education (CAHE), executive council member of Chinese Association of Suzhi Education, and Vice President of Liaoning Branch of the National Institute of Laboratory Work in Colleges and Universities (CULABS). As a project leader, Prof. Zhu has wined twice the National Teaching Achievement Award (the Second Prize). Two of his courses have been evaluated as National Top-quality Courses. As the head of National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center in Software College of Northeastern University, Prof. Zhu is leading a National Teaching Team. So far Prof. Zhu has published more than 200 papers, including more than 40 papers indexed by SCI (as the first or corresponding author), 4 most-cited papers by ESI, and 5 books. Additionally, 5 of his research outcomes have wined awards respectively by Scientific and Technological Progress Award of Liaoning Education Commission (the first, second prize), and Scientific and Technological Progress Award of Liaoning Government (the second and third prize).

Chunfang Zhou, Ph.D. , Associate Professor in Department of Planning, Aalborg University (AAU), Denmark. Chunfang has an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural educational background; she finished bachelor degree (Industry Automation and Information Engineering) and master degree (Philosophy of Science and Technology) in China; since 2008, Chunfang has worked in Denmark started by a Ph.D. project on Engineering Creativity in Problem and Project-Based Learning (PBL) at UNESCO Center of PBL at AAU. Chunfang locates her research in area of Science, Technology and Society (STS), with a particular focus on creativity and its relations to innovation process, with interests in diverse domains including digitalization, human-centered design, sustainability, group collaboration, knowledge management, Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and STEM education. Recently, she has done cross-cultural contributions to creativity research , especially by her Individual Independent Research Project Fostering Creativity in Higher Education: A Comparative Study on Pedagogical Strategies of Learning by Projects between Denmark and China , funded by Danish Research Council (2013-2016). Currently she is coordinating Designing, Participation and Facilitation of Problem and Project-Based Learning (PBL) between Northeastern University (NEU), China and AAU, Denmark; she is leading Creativity in Technology Design: Developing a Sino-Danish Research Network for Future Digital Societies , funded by Danish Research Council (2019-2020). Chunfang has authored or co-authored over 80 peer-review publications. Chunfang is member of research group Techno-Anthropology and Participation, member of Danish Center for Health Informatics, member of Chinese Creativity Research Network, and board member of Danish Development Research Network (DDRN).