WeChat, TED Talks and Financial Education

Recent research in higher education suggests that along with flipped classrooms, blended learning is another promising pedagogy to stimulate students’ active learning experience (Oxford University Report, 2015). Compared with the courses which are taught wholly online, blended learning combines face-to-face communication and online learning, which allows students to interact with each other and with the instructor (Matukhin and Zhitkova, 2015). Although blended learning has been applied by a rapidly growing number of educators in higher education (Tomlinson, 2013; Bersin, 2004), most of the online video clips produced by the instructor or from YouTube are simply an audio version of textbooks. We use selected videos from TED Talks as one tutorial activity in addition to traditional tutorial exercises/activities because TED talks usually reflect the latest research outcomes in relevant fields (Raffo, 2014) and TED talks delivered by ‘thought leaders’ can also generate positive impact on students’ critical thinking and help students to become an independent learner (Giffiths and Smith, 1989; Hughes, 1999; Leathwood, 2006). In addition, we use WeChat-an app, which is used by more than 760 million people worldwide (Bloomberg, 2016) to facilitate various tutorial activities by creating a VLE to amplify the interactions in classroom learning. Although there is a consensus in research that group work has the potential to improve student engagement, performance, marks and retention (Lejk & Wyvill, 1997; Houldsworth & Matthews, 2000), not many blended learning courses offer the opportunity of cooperative learning. In our course design, we also explore the application of WeChat to fully engage with learners at individual and group level

Proposing a cross-cultural peer support programme to enhance Chinese direct entry students’ academic performance and learning experience

International students’ learning experience is essential for student satisfaction and retention which can be improved by personalised learning. Peer-to-peer cross culture PAL could be an effective way in achieving personalised learning of international students

Engaging students affectively to stimulate social presence in online learning

There is challenge in designing online teaching that motivates students and encourages them to engage fully with learning activities. This conference reflection considers how affective engagement may be supported and why addressing it should be a priority when designing and delivering effective online teaching

Chinese Listed Firms B Share Investment Guide

The main focus of this book is the fundamentals of B-share listed companies, the purpose is to provide value for investment investors to provide a new and practical reference. In the appendix to this book, the basic knowledge of B-share investment and the general situation of B-share market are introduced, and some relevant statistics and regulations, rules and rules for investors' transactions are included

An Investigation of Trust in Chinese Mutual Funds Investment

The paper investigates the role of trust in fund managers’ investment process. Three types of trust - personal trust, organizational trust and system trust have been identified in Chinese fund managers’ investment practice. The impacts of different types of trust on mutual funds’ performance are then examined empirically. Through an in-depth investigation of 96 actively managed Chinese mutual funds, this paper reveals how trust is formed between fund managers and listed companies. Fund managers’ portfolio performance is measured using both risk-adjusted measurement and simple absolute returns. The performance of fund managers’ market timing is also provided. Using cross-sectional regression analysis, a positive relationship is found between Chinese fund managers’ portfolio performance and personal trust, while a negative association emerges between fund mangers’ performance and system trust. No evidence is found between portfolio performance and institutional trust. Overall, fund managers’ trust building strategies exert significant impact on funds’ performances. One major implication of this paper is that European fund managers should be aware of the local cultural environment should they intend to find Chinese partners in the mutual fund business

Engaging students in online learning: technology-integrated distance learning for Chinese students at partner institutions in China

To mitigate the problems of lack of preparedness and lack of a sense of learning community associated with online learning, this case study illustrates how a range of technologies including online platforms and educational tools may be integrated to assist purposeful engagement with learners for active learning to ensue. This case is based on an undergraduate module delivered virtually to three TNE partner institutions in China. Zoom, Mentimeter and WeChat were adopted to help with cognitive and affective engagement by the students. While this design is focused on online delivery, there is also an important implication for classroom-based teaching in achieving purposeful engagement with students

TED talks, WeChat and financial education

TED Talks videos were selected and incorporated in tutorial activities in addition to traditional tutorial activities. TED talks usually reflect the latest research outcomes in relevant fields and TED talks delivered by ‘thought leaders’ can also generate positive impact on students’ critical thinking and help students to become an independent learner. In addition, we use WeChat-an app, which is used by more than 760 million people worldwide to facilitate various tutorial activities by creating a VLE to amplify the interactions in classroom learning