Papers by Santiago Parra Suarez
Tsinghua University, one of the top universities in China, has conducted a lot of collaborative R... more Tsinghua University, one of the top universities in China, has conducted a lot of collaborative R&D projects with multinational companies in the recent years. One of tough issues in the collaborative R&D is to deal with the intellectual property rights. The Chinese Patent Law and other relevant laws make Tsinghua University to look for more intellectual property rights. Several factors such as the input from the collaborative parties, the property of R&D, the relation between the collaborative project and the activities of R&D made before , or to be made after, the collaboration, and the life and potential market of the technologies play an important rule in the treatment of Intellectual property rights. The different collaborative models have different models of the distribution of intellectual property rights between the University and multinational companies.
Entrepreneurship education has experienced four stages of development in Chinese universities, sh... more Entrepreneurship education has experienced four stages of development in Chinese universities, shifting from entrepreneurship show to entrepreneurship education, from teacher training to student education, from classroom teaching to multimodal teaching, and from imparting knowledge to cultivating skills. Currently, the weak links in entrepreneurship education in Chinese universities are primarily reflected in four areas: unsound curriculum design, a lack of qualified teachers for entrepreneurship education, a monotonous model for entrepreneurship education, and imperfect supporting mechanisms for entrepreneurship education. Constructive ideas for the entrepreneurship education system in Chinese universities are: to build a scientific curriculum-based educational system, establish a perfected entrepreneurial practicum system, build up a system for an outstanding corps of qualified teachers, construct a perfected educational model system, and perfect the evaluation system for entrepreneurship education.
As a leading university in engineering education in China, Tsinghua University implemented indust... more As a leading university in engineering education in China, Tsinghua University implemented industrial ecology (IE) education in the 1990s. This article describes the evolution of IE education at Tsinghua. Tsinghua mainstreams IE education into green education and engineering education not only by establishing independent courses of IE for both undergraduate and graduate students, but also by incorporating IE principles and knowledge modules into an increasing number of courses. During 2002–2015, a total of 1,023 undergraduates from 33 schools and departments participated in an IE course. To cope with the diversity of participants , four knowledge modules were customized for an undergraduate course: concepts and history; methods and tools; topics and applications; and policy and perspectives. Meanwhile , an interdisciplinary teaching method was adopted by inviting experts from diverse disciplines and organizing group discussions. Though the course has received strong positive feedback, four challenges still remain in IE education: defining the knowledge boundary, presenting an integrated view, utilizing an interdisciplinary methodology, and cultivating a class culture.
As a leading university in engineering education in China, Tsinghua University implemented indust... more As a leading university in engineering education in China, Tsinghua University implemented industrial ecology (IE) education in the 1990s. This article describes the evolution of IE education at Tsinghua. Tsinghua mainstreams IE education into green education and engineering education not only by establishing independent courses of IE for both undergraduate and graduate students, but also by incorporating IE principles and knowledge modules into an increasing number of courses. During 2002–2015, a total of 1,023 undergraduates from 33 schools and departments participated in an IE course. To cope with the diversity of participants , four knowledge modules were customized for an undergraduate course: concepts and history; methods and tools; topics and applications; and policy and perspectives. Meanwhile , an interdisciplinary teaching method was adopted by inviting experts from diverse disciplines and organizing group discussions. Though the course has received strong positive feedback, four challenges still remain in IE education: defining the knowledge boundary, presenting an integrated view, utilizing an interdisciplinary methodology, and cultivating a class culture.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine green university initiatives in the context of ... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine green university initiatives in the context of China, using Tsinghua University, which is China's green university pioneer, as a case study. Design/methodology/approach – The research method used for this paper is a case study based on participant observation and document analysis. The approach to data collection includes the examination of archive records, yearbooks and statistical information regarding Tsinghua University. Findings – This paper finds that Tsinghua's green university initiative is a response to Tsinghua's strategy of establishing a word-class university, with a goal of bearing more responsibility in promoting a sustainable society. Tsinghua employs one principle (green university) and three dimensions (green education, green research and green campus) to frame its green university initiative. Tsinghua's green university initiative has earned many achievements, but it has also faced many challenges, such as ignoring social justice, fragmented coordination efforts and the lack of effective communication and assessment mechanisms. Practical implications – As a leading university and the pioneering green university in the country, Tsinghua University is very influential with regard to the development of green universities in China. Many other universities have designed their own programs based on Tsinghua's experiences in the green university initiative. As such, Tsinghua's experiences provide reference values to other universities in China. Originality/value – This paper comprehensively examines the evolution, framework, achievements and challenges of the green university initiative of Tsinghua University. It helps the audience to know how China's universities understand and practice education for sustainable development.
This investigation concerns the latest teaching and learning innovations in Chinese engineering h... more This investigation concerns the latest teaching and learning innovations in Chinese engineering higher education with special reference to Tsinghua University in Beijing, a leading university of China. Set in the context of rapid enrolment expansion in Chinese higher education since entering the 21st century, the study addresses how university engineering education innovated their contents and modes of teaching and learning to foster top-level talent, enhance relevance and responsiveness of education against rising number of students, scale of knowledge, and labour market demand, through content analysis of 163 award-winning programmes. The study also presents five case studies from Tsinghua University that have won recent regional and national awards under China's Higher Education Teaching and Learning Award scheme in 2012-2013 and in 2014 respectively. The data for the present investigation comes from a rich set of first-hand data of those wining institutions' award applications and collected from field visits by the present authors. The study further proposes a framework for designing and implementing engineering education programme. It is hoped that such a Chinese perspective could contribute to the global dialogue on teaching and learning in engineering education.
University science parks are the essential ingredient in the national innovation system of China.... more University science parks are the essential ingredient in the national innovation system of China. This paper examines the institutional evolution of Tsinghua University Science Park (TusPark). Established in 1994, TusPark has grown into the most notable university science park in China. Tsinghua University and TusPark have applied many effective strategies to develop their technology industry and promote innovational activities. This paper also assesses strengths and challenges of TusPark. Although TusPark experiences many constraints of internal and external institutions, it has brought its advantages into full play. The growth trajectory of TusPark is unique, but its experience can contribute to the understanding of science parks in advanced and other emerging economies in the context of globalization.
Higher education, an integral part of China's nation-building project, is a critical element in C... more Higher education, an integral part of China's nation-building project, is a critical element in China's strategic policy initiative of building national strength through science and education. One way to achieve this goal is to develop a higher education system of international stature. Perhaps more than any other country, through national programs such as 211 and 985, China has been explicit in selecting its best universities for intensive investment, with the expressed aim of making them world-class within coming decades, and contributing more to overall R&D and scientific development. Analysing how these top-tier universities in China are reaching for the gold standard, and using Tsinghua University as an example, this article examines the role of higher education in China's rise and how Chinese universities are responding to the drive for innovation, against a background of globalisation and internationalisation. It analyses the experience of Tsinghua, a Chinese flagship university, sometimes dubbed 'China's MIT', through an in-depth case study in an international context, seeking to answer the question of how far Tinsghua embodies the qualities of a world-class university.
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Papers by Santiago Parra Suarez