Professors Reflect on Summer at Sanda

Dr. Linguo Gong (LG) and Dr. Cynthia Newman (CN) were the first Rider faculty to teach Sanda University students. The two taught at Sanda during the summer and have interacted with the students who arrived in January from China.

         

Why did you decide to teach at Sanda?

LG: a.) I believe in the current global environment, the success of the Rider-Sanda relationship is very important. China is one of the fastest developing countries; there are a lot of opportunities for business, as well as universities. I would like to make a contribution to the success of this relationship.

b.) I was born in Shang-Hai, China; Sanda is located in my hometown. While I got my PhD. in the U.S., I grew up and was mostly educated in China. Given my unique background, I believe that I am the right person to help. I have the advantage of knowing Chinese academics, Chinese culture, especially local culture, and on the personal side, I can visit home.

CN: I love to travel, and I briefly studied abroad when I was in college and loved it. I thought how many times are you asked to go to China. It wasn’t an opportunity I thought I could pass up.

Which moment stands out as the most memorable from your experience?

LG: When you see them three months later, they are glad to see you and express their gratitude for teaching them.

CN: When I met the students for the first time, I walked in and all 67 were there on a Sunday afternoon and they all clapped.

What was the most rewarding experience you had?

LG: a) The teaching experience: Students are very much motivated and eager to learn.

b) Additionally, the challenge of teaching a student group from a different background: students in the U.S. where I have been living for the past 20 years and teaching in U.S. universities for 10 years, verse the Chinese since there are a lot of changes now for the younger generations.

CN: In general, after I came home, all of the emails I got from the students saying how they enjoyed my classes, hoped to see me again and missed me. There were 2 students, in particular, who got jobs in sales and marketing departments of companies because they took my class. It is always nice when you hear you’ve had an impact on them.

What impact do you believe Rider students will experience from this partnership?

LG: a) Association with a different culture. This group of students will have a different thinking process. They are quantitatively better trained.

b) They are full-time students. I expect that they can, in general, spend more time on schoolwork. I expect course standards may be pushed upward as a result.

CN: This question has a two-part answer. One, just in general, any faculty member who goes will be affected and will bring back lessons that consequently effect the broader Rider students; they will benefit from faculty bringing their experience back to the class.

Second, there are 23 Rider students who will be mentors so they will be more directly affected by developing relationships with the students.

Did you have to adapt your teaching styles to teach at Sanda? How will that affect classrooms in Spring 2005 that will have both Sanda and Rider students in attendance?

LG: a) I would say, when I first started teaching, I had to adjust my teaching style for the U.S., so that they can be more suitable to this group of students.

b) I believe, from the courses taught by us this past summer, students got a sense of our teaching styles and adapted very well.

CN: I was told not to adapt partially to prepare the students for what to expect. They’re not used to discussions, to group work, to asking questions. The big difference is their comfort level and I had to encourage them more. I had to realize that silence didn’t mean disinterest but typically quite the opposite. I will be speaking with faculty this spring to make them aware of the cultural differences.

What did you find to be the biggest difference between Sanda students and Rider students?

LG: a) In general, Chinese students’ thinking process tends to be more rigorous but with weaker knowledge of real-world experience.

b) They are, in general, more motivated, and can be challenged without backfire.

CN: The Sanda students singular purpose is their schoolwork. They’re not working, they’re not living off campus during the semester; their sole focus is school.

What was the biggest cultural difference between China and the U.S. that you saw?

LG: The students’ way of thinking.

CN: Among the students, a cultural difference I saw was how close they were emotionally. They are more like brother and sisters, they’re competitive with themselves but not with each other. In terms of being a tourist: the sheer number of people. I was told I was going to visit a "small" town and I asked how many that was and they told me there were 6 million people. You can’t help but notice there are a lot more people.

What do you envision as the future for this partnership?

LG: So far, we have a very good start. I think the future will be bright, however, long-term success needs concerted efforts from the both sides.

CN:I think it will be very successful. I anticipate we will have just as large a group of students coming here each year. I think the great challenge will be getting a variety of faculty to go there but as more of us go, the easier it will become.