Abstract/Summary

The chapter presents a case study of staff development at NUIST-Reading Academy, a joint education institute in China, in order to explore how it contributes to capacity building and innovative practice in this TNE context. Multiple sources of data were collected, including focus groups with academic developers/teacher trainers from the UK institution, focus groups with staff who have undertaken staff development activities locally in China and at the UK partnership institution, and document analysis (e.g. end course evaluations and reports). The concept of Knowledge Management was used at individual and organisational levels to frame the discussion of the process of knowledge sharing and creation. Results indicate the positive role of the staff development efforts by the UK institution and demonstrate efforts made by teachers to engage in knowledge creation through innovative pedagogical practices as a result of the development programme. Design and organisational challenges that impede the process are also identified and the chapter concludes with recommendations for future developments.