JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION - naspaa

Teaching Public Administration As a Fulbright Scholar In China:
Analysis and Reflections
discussions, it was especially important to structure group activities into each
session. Several of my teaching assistant’s comments related to how I used group
work and in-class exercises as ways for students to “use the tools and methods
learned for the solution of actual problems.”
I selected the case of the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, at that
point less than a year away, as the basis for in-class activities throughout the
semester. Based on the Strategic Objectives for the Olympic Games (The
Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, 2003), I
created several group exercises for students to operationalize objectives and
design program evaluation strategies that could be used to examine whether
those objectives had been met. While not willing to raise their hands
individually to make a comment, students were comfortable with the process of
group discussion, where one member would report their ideas to the rest of the
class. The groups generally selected the student with the strongest Englishspeaking
skills. This process allowed all students to participate, without putting
each one on the spot in front of the class. Also, because students felt that
speaking up might be seen as criticizing the professor, there may have been
safety in numbers when speaking up on behalf of a group.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
“American professors earn high salaries and enjoy good welfare [quality of
life.]” This was lesson #8 from Dr. Li’s writings to his more senior colleagues, as
shown in Table 3. I think this lesson was designed to deflect any potential
interpretation of the other lessons as criticizing their teaching methods. While
he clearly implied that the way I taught my courses was good, using phrases like
“very rich,” and “very useful,” he did not want to suggest that it was appropriate
to expect the same teaching style from his Chinese colleagues.
I think he is right in saying that American professors have good “welfare.” We
have great opportunities to pursue our intellectual interests and to explore the
world through opportunities such as the Fulbright Scholars Program.
This is an exciting time to be living and teaching in China. Chinese students
are very enthusiastic and dedicated. In fact, they smile and nod even when they
don’t understand. While they are shy about speaking up in class, they do well in
small-group exercises and formal presentations.
There are great opportunities for increasing academic cooperation between
MPA programs in the U.S. and China. The bi-annual Sino-U.S. Conference on
Public Administration is a forum for developing and sharing research on public
administration theory and practice in the two countries. Further, the Chinese
government is providing increased support for faculty and doctoral scholars who
pursue research in the U.S. In order to be promoted to the rank of full
professor, many universities require faculty members to spend a year in another
country. China recognizes that it has much to learn from the rest of the world.
Journal of Public Affairs Education 345