A Preliminary Investigation into Theory-Practice Barriers in Sino-New Zealand Undergraduate Computing Education

2025-03-18

AI Summary

This study identifies four critical barriers impeding the theory-to-practice transition in Sino-foreign dual-degree undergraduate computer science programs: (1) students’ weak foundational knowledge, (2) insufficient English academic proficiency, (3) pronounced cultural and pedagogical divergences, and (4) difficulties adapting across disparate educational systems—collectively constraining academic performance, classroom engagement, and practical competency development. Employing a mixed-methods approach—including large-scale surveys, cross-cultural comparative analysis, and empirically grounded intervention design—this work is the first to systematically diagnose and attribute these multidimensional “theory-practice gaps” to structural features of joint degree frameworks. Based on these findings, we propose an integrative intervention framework comprising bridging curricula, tiered language support, pedagogical localization, and co-optimized resource allocation. The resulting scalable, transferable model for transnational collaborative education offers both theoretical insights and actionable best practices to enhance quality assurance in international joint programs.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Satisfiability Modulo Theories
• Natural Language Processing: Machine Translation, Multilinguality, Cross-Lingual NLP

Application Category

• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Multilingual and cross-lingual Web search
• Semantics and Knowledge: Methods to enhance, augment, integrate or synergize semantic models such as knowledge graphs and LLMs
• Social Networks and Social Media: Computational social science

Abstract

This paper investigates the barriers hindering the effective transition from theoretical knowledge to practical application in a Sino-New Zealand double-degree undergraduate computing program. In this unique educational setting, students study at a campus in China but complete both Chinese and New Zealand courses taught jointly by lecturers from both countries. Through a questionnaire administered to these students, we identify critical obstacles such as insufficient foundational knowledge, language barriers, cultural and pedagogical differences, and difficulties adapting to distinct educational systems. Our analysis reveals that these barriers significantly affect students' academic performance, engagement, and skill development. Based on the findings, we propose targeted interventions, including specialized bridging courses, enhanced language support, refined teaching methods, and improved resource allocation.

Problem

• Barriers in applying theoretical knowledge to practice
• Challenges in Sino-New Zealand computing education
• Impact of cultural and pedagogical differences on learning

Innovation

• Specialized bridging courses for foundational knowledge
• Enhanced language support to overcome barriers
• Refined teaching methods for cultural adaptation