Dear Colleague,

I would like to bring to your attention the forthcoming 4th

International Conference on Responding to the Needs of the East Asian

Learner organised by the University of Portsmouth in collaboration with

Shandong University in the Peoples Republic of China.

Two previous conferences have been held at Portsmouth and one at

Shandong University.

Papers relating to the first Portsmouth conference were published in

Language, Culture and Curriculum (Multilingual Matters) and the papers

relating to the second conference will be published by Palgrave.

Shandong University is publishing the papers from its conference.

The theme of the 4th conference is "Promoting Partnership" in

international HE and it will focus on government policy, institutional

experience, the student experience, and practical approaches to

implementing partnerships.

The reason for this focus is the growing number and type of

inter-institutional collaborative arrangements and government

initiatives. The conference will provide a forum for discussion of the

purposes, practices, and quality assurance of these important

international links in HE.

Please find attached the conference call for papers and look at our

website -http://www.port.ac.uk/chineselearners

We would be very grateful if you could disseminate information on the

conference. Your participation would also be greatly appreciated and we

would welcome papers or poster presentations etc. from your institution

or organisation.

Please contact me if you need further details.

Dr. Paul Rastall

Faculty International Coordinator

Humanities and Social Sciences

University of Portsmouth

UK

DRAFT

Fourth International Conference

Promoting Partnership: Responding to the Needs of the East Asian Learner in Higher Education

University of Portsmouth, 12-13 July 2008

Following the two successful conferences in Portsmouth in 2004 and 2006, and the third international conference in the series at Shandong University, Jinan, in November 2007, we are pleased to announce the fourth conference in the series.

The market for international education has opened up worldwide, becoming a two-way process. There is a growing body of academics and others at UK HEIs and other universities who are gaining experience in partnerships with Chinese and East Asian universities. This shared experience has influenced government policies on international students as well as the internationalisation of universities. At this conference we aim to provide a forum for the discussion of policy and practice at of different levels

and to provide a showcase for colleagues in the field to present their examples of good practice and lessons learnt.

The conference will have four strands:

government policy institutional experience

student experience practical approaches

The Government Policy strand will include

o the policy of Chinese and other East Asian governments regarding student exchanges and inter-university partnerships,

o EU policies

o the promotion of Chinese and Japanese language in the UK and elsewhere by the Chinese and other East Asian governments

o English-medium instruction in East Asia.

The Institutional Experience strand will consider the experience of UK HEIs and partners involved in the setting up, collaborative development, and delivery of courses for international students in China and East Asian countries.

The Student experience strand will consider student responses to the intercultural experience as a sojourner in another country and adaptation to different learning styles, as well as their responses to innovative teaching and learning approaches.

The Practical Approaches strand will include a discussion of ways in which the teaching and learning experience can be made more fulfilling and effective for both teacher and learner.

Examples of good practice in all these areas and different viewpoints or papers from a variety of disciplines will be welcomed.

Keynote speakers/ plenary speakers?

Submission of abstracts

We invite abstracts of up to 300 words for individual or joint papers from those researching in the field or with pedagogically-based experience which may contribute to our understanding of the needs of the Chinese learner. Contributions may be in the form of :

Parallel sessions for papers of 40 minutes (30 minutes with 10 minutes for questions)

Workshops

Poster presentations

As with the 2006 conference, pre-conference ideas and abstracts will be published by the University of Portsmouth. It is hoped that selected papers in these proceedings will be published.

Deadline for abstracts; 29th FEBRUARY 2008

Abstracts should be sent to:

Richard.Hitchcock@port.ac.uk

or

Tricia.Coverdale-Jones@port.ac.uk

Or submitted online at

http://www.port.ac.uk/chineselearners

Or to Richard Hitchcock

School of Languages and Area Studies,

University of Portsmouth

Park Building

King Henry I Street

Portsmouth PO5 2DZ

UK

Booking

For information about booking a place please contact: Michelle.Matthews@port.ac.uk

A booking form is also available online at:

http://www.port.ac.uk/chineselearners

Conference fees

Full fee for one person including two nights accommodation, wine reception, meals and dinner ?70.00

Daily rate including lunch, coffee and tea (outside delegates) SATURDAY ?0.00

Daily rate including lunch, coffee and tea (outside delegates) SUNDAY ?0.00

Dinner at Portland Building (For those paying the daily rate for Saturday or Sunday) ?5.00

Saturday arrival, plus dinner, one nights accommodation and Sunday programme ?10.00

There will also be a limited number of bursaries for selected Ph.D. students.

Accommodation The East Asian learners conference will be using the Universitys Rees Hall for delegates accommodation. Opened in 1996 and overlooking Southsea Common and the sea, Rees Hall accommodates 269 residents in en-suite rooms arranged in corridor style. A limited number of double rooms are available; please book early for these.