My Teaching Trip in Shanghai

I spent 8 days in Shanghai, China in September to teach a group of 94 undergraduate students at Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade. This wasn't my first time to Shanghai because, as part of my teaching plan at RMIT University, I also was there in 2010.

The trip was truly a story of transnational education and I need to share 3 points with you from the perspectives of an academic who experiences the up and down of offshore teaching.

1) Preparation for academic staff who is scheduled to teach offshore is very important. I understand from my previous experiences that we need to understand various aspects of the host country. Simple issues such as how to go to the classroom, how to operate computer in the local language, where to buy coffee or how to approach your students etc. are extremely important. Most academic staff did not get enough preparation from their institutions and may find this aspect of work is difficult to manage.

2) Relationship management with your students and academic/professional staff at the host country. Student-teacher varies across culture. You may be comfortable with the way you are contacted by your students at home and make sure that you don't expect the similar kind of treatment in the new cultural setting. I think it is wise to talk to your colleagues or partners from the host country about this issue before you embark on the new journey.

3) Classroom management in the transnational education is interesting. Classroom can be more than a place of teaching and learning. In some culture, classroom is a place for social interaction and that how people learn very well. I, again, suggest you to talk to your friend from the local institution in terms of student's expectation, practices in the classroom and how to engage students in that cultural context.

nattavud pimpa is a senior lecturer in international business at RMIT University, Australia