高水平教育对外开放背景下应用型高校国际化人才培养模式

近十年，应用技术类大学作为区别于科研教学型大学的新型教育平台，逐渐发展出独立的教育培养模式、科研模式和产学研合作模式等。本文对该类大学中的国际化进程进行了探讨，从学生培养、教师发展、产学合作三个角度，对国际化进程的方法论进行了详细阐述。与此同时，本文着眼于人工智能时代对高校教育带来的冲击，提出了国际化过程中对师生思辨能力、科学伦理观、政治判断力等思政综合能力进行培养的必要性和方法论，从而形成了一套完整的国际化理论方法与应用体系。

积极响应国家“交通强国”和“军民融合”发展战略，切实服务重庆市国际航空枢纽建设和重庆经济社会发展，结合我校重庆航空学院新型二级学院的办学定位和通用航空专业特色，基于产教融合和军民融合背景，探索双层闭环协同人才培养模式、三化驱动人才培养标准、创新人才育人平台、三合支撑体系等通用航空应用型创新人才培养环节，明确新时代通用航空新工科教育和创新人才培养的发展方向，培养具备通用航空设计与研发、生产与制造、检测与维护、技术与管理等能力的国际化高素质应用型人才，助推重庆航空产业优质高效发展。

培养高水平国际化人才、助推“双一流”建设已成为发展我国高等教育的重要组成部分。近年来建筑学科国际化人才培养虽已取得长足发展，但审视建筑学科发展后，仍存在国际化专业知识结构单一、与国家和行业发展需求关联不足、国际化与本土化教育缺乏良性互动等问题。重庆大学建筑城规学院围绕国家一流专业建设，坚持立德树人，秉承“高水平、高标准、国际化”的人才培养目的，以创新能力、实践能力、国际化能力、科研能力等关键能力培养为主线，构建实施了以“VITAL”为核心理念的国际化建筑类人才培养体系，并与国外一流建筑院校建立长期稳定合作关系，拓展了学生国际化学科视野，为培养一批在建筑类学科领域兼有国际视野与本土情怀、创新意识与批判性思维的国际化人才提供了条件。

在全球高等教育国际化持续推进、产业结构加快调整的大背景下，传统人才培养模式逐渐显现出在应对全球竞争与产业需求方面适应性不足的问题。近年来，国际化办学与产教融合同时作为高等教育改革的重要方向，分别在课程建设、实践教学和校企合作等方面取得一定进展，但在实际运行中，两者仍存在目标衔接不足、机制分割及协同推进不畅等现象，限制了育人成效的整体提升。基于此，本文从国际化与产教融合的协同视角出发，在梳理相关理论与研究成果的基础上，分析高校人才培养在国际维度与产业导向方面面临的主要问题，并探讨二者协同育人的内在逻辑与作用机制，以及围绕课程体系、实践平台、多主体协同及评价保障等关键环节，提出人才培养模式的创新路径，以期为高校推进人才培养改革、提升人才培养质量提供参考。

国家产教融合发展战略提出背景下，为全面提升现代产业学院建设运行质量，笔者选择常熟理工学院医药生物技术学院“三位一体”融合发展为导向的产教融合机制探索与运行效果为例，聚焦学院“人才培养—科学研究—社会服务”的体制机制创新，探索高校为践行国家产教融合发展战略、主动推进建立体制机制创新、增强服务国家经济建设能力而形成的教育、科研、社会服务“三位一体”深度融合发展的实践模式。学院通过“3+1”融汇课程体系、产教“理事会+教指委”治理机制、构建“五合一”育人实践平台、转化科技成果链等“三位一体”融合发展综合体系构建成效，检验了提升人才培养、教师科研成果转化及院校社会服务能力效果，研究并提出了面向未来的教育、科学研究与社会服务生态化协同、“三位一体”服务平台、数字赋能等融合发展的体制机制改革思路。

为贯彻落实立德树人的育人目标，发挥好课程的育人作用，提高高校人才培养质量，本文以云南农业大学中新农林经济管理专业合作办学项目为例，研究如何应用课程思政主渠道，讲好中国故事，培养学生经世济民、德法兼修的职业素养，把马克思主义立场观点和方法的教育与学农、知农、爱农有机结合起来，在知识传授、能力培养之中塑造学生正确的世界观、人生观、价值观。

医疗器械行业是当今全球科技发展与投资最活跃和最引人注目的领域之一。我国医疗器械行业发展迅猛，但同美国等发达国家相比还有很大差距，发展空间巨大，我国医疗器械行业的发展急需具有生物医学工程专业背景的高端人才。作为高校教育对外开放的重要策略之一，中外合作办学能够实现培养具有符合国际标准的高端复合型人才的目标。基于行业背景，沈阳药科大学与美国特莱恩大学合作举办生物医学工程本科教育项目， 为培养在医疗器械领域具有国际化视野的高端复合型人才提供强力支撑，为医药行业及“大健康”事业的发展注入新的活力。

高等教育国际化是世界各国高等教育发展的重要趋势，中外合作办学是教育对外开放的重要内容，更是培养国际化视野人才的重要形式。本文分析了中外合作办学提升大学生国际化视野的逻辑起点、阐述了中外合作办学提升大学生国际化视野面临的困难，总结西安理工大学国际工学院提升大学生国际化视野的生动实践，探索中外合作办学提升大学生国际化视野的路径。

中外合作办学院校教育教学模式的特殊性,导致学生受西方文化和价值理念的影响较深,因此加强学生的思想政治教育呈现出特殊性、复杂性与紧迫性。开展课程思政建设是实现思政育人的重要手段,是坚持社会主义办学方向的重要保证。但是,中外合作办学院校所具有的课程建设模式国际化、课堂教学内容国际化 and 教师队伍中外混合等特点,给课程思政建设带来较多现实困难。有效开展课程思政,可以解决中外合作办学院校课程建设中存在的“颜色”淡化、退化问题,给中外合作办学院校的课程打上“中国红”。本研究从思想引领、建设原则、建设重点、建设关键、建设难点等五个方面提出保证课程思政有效性的举措建议。

: With the acceleration of globalization, the internationalization of higher education has become an important criterion for measuring the comprehensive strength and international influence of universities. International exchange and cooperation are becoming increasingly important in higher education. Through academic exchanges, teacher visits, and other activities, knowledge sharing and cultural exchange are promoted, and the quality of education and teaching is improved. The core of international education is to cultivate high-quality talents with an international perspective, which is crucial for the country's socio-economic development and international competition. Provincial universities face both challenges and opportunities in the process of internationalization, and need to constantly update their educational philosophy, improve their talent training models, strengthen international exchanges and cooperation, in order to meet the needs of the globalization era. Meanwhile, the diversification of international curriculum systems and educational approaches is crucial for cultivating talents with global competitiveness. Provincial universities should seize opportunities, promote the internationalization of education and teaching, and lay a solid foundation for cultivating innovative talents.

The concept of internationalization holds growing significance in higher education, particularly for Chinese universities, as they enhance global engagement, cross-cultural exchange, and international collaboration. Simultaneously, international organizations play a pivotal role in addressing global challenges and advancing sustainable development. This study explores the intersection of China's university internationalization strategies and talent cultivation for international organizations.Chinese universities have embraced varied internationalization endeavors, equipping graduates with intercultural competencies, global perspectives, and effective cross-cultural skills. These efforts align with international organizations' multifaceted needs, requiring a workforce adept at navigating complex global landscapes and addressing intricate issues. The study examines core elements of internationalization strategies impacting talent development, including alignment with international organizations, integration of cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary and intercultural social practice, and fostering diversified global outlooks. By aligning with international organizations' agendas, promoting global perspectives, and integrating academic research, universities pave a path for students to excel in international roles. Encouraging interdisciplinary and intercultural social practices enhances teamwork, social governance, and service-oriented skills—crucial competencies for international organizations. This study recommends aligning internationalization strategies with United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, addressing global challenges, and fostering international collaborative cultivation. These pillars are crucial for universities aspiring to nurture talents poised for international organizational roles.

Abstract This study aims to explore the new directions towards internationalization of higher education in China during post-COVID 19. The systematic literature review is applied as an evidence-based policy analysis approach. The findings indicate that the challenges and difficulties of internationalization of higher education in the post-COVID 19 were considered as a high-frequency discussion topic. In order to address the crises of internationalization of higher education during the post-COVID 19, the idea of internationalization at home (IaH) is regarded as a beneficial approach to deal with the process of internationalization of higher education, systematically. This study also highlighted that the internationalization at home within Chinese higher education institutions not only brings opportunities for the development of China’s higher education system, but also poses challenges to the reform of the current higher education system. In addition, the conclusion and implication were provided to analyze the rationales of promoting internationalization of higher education system in contemporary China.

Abstract During the post COVID 19, internationalization at home (IaH) is gradually becoming a hot topic worldwide, which is an increasing learning field of pedagogical practice. Aiming at obtaining an in-depth understanding of the epistemology of internationalization at home, this study applies the scoping review analysis led by the research questions: what is acknowledged from the current literature review about the theories and practices of internationalization at home (IaH) contextually? What are the problems, characteristics, and implications of internationalization at home (IaH)? This study explores 22 studies with two third published in the last ten years. This result indicates that the core epistemological idea of internationalization at home (IaH) is identified and analyzed from multiple perspectives. It involves different stakeholders in the field of internationalization of higher education, such as students, faculty members, administrators, and policy makers. Creating international curriculum/courses serve as the goal for advocating internationalization at home (IaH). In addition, advocating internationalization at home still encounters a plenty of problems, such as the limited educational resources and financial support and proficiency of foreign language. Moreover, the conclusion and remarks have been offered in the last.

The higher education (HE) system in Indonesia is complex and fragmented, with 4.5 thousand universities offering over 25 thousand majors. The system includes public and private universities, institutes, schools of higher learning, academies, community colleges, and polytechnics. Despite growth in institutions and enrolments, the country’s higher education institutions rank low across global rating indicators. The major weaknesses within the higher education sector include the absence of consistent academic quality standards, inconsistent certification, accreditation, supervision, and monitoring processes, an absence of postgraduate-trained staff, and limited research output in recognized international journals. Programs are not linked to workforce skill requirements and graduate unemployment and underemployment rates are high. The word “Internationalization” for Indonesian higher education practically means to “go international” in every aspect of higher education including its education quality and standards, staffing, research, and graduates. The Indonesian government has given priority to the internationalization of universities that includes the goal that universities improve their competitiveness and quality so that they effectively compete globally for staff, students, and research funding. To internationalize, Indonesian universities will have to improve quality across staffing, programs, teaching, and research.

ABSTRACT The incorporation of intercultural competence (IC) in higher education (HE), through the internationalization of the curriculum (IoC) faces challenges associated with policy and programing, levels of support, staff and faculty preparedness, and skill development opportunities for students. The premise is that IC can be better integrated in IoC initiatives by focusing on outcomes instead of outputs, assisting staff and faculty engagement, encouraging multi-perspective contributions, and incorporating a critical approach to IC through self-assessment and enhanced content. Therefore, we first establish a theoretical framework to address difficulties related to IoC, followed by examples of practices and recommendations to enhance IC programing.

… Since the onset of the reform and opening-up policies, Chinese higher education … to cultivate collaborative talent involving government, business, and educational institutions (Mok & …

… Higher education has entered a new era of quality improvement. Therefore China’s higher education talent training model … , with the boom of reform and opening up, the art and design …

Internationalization at Home (IaH) has become a hot research topic although it is not a new concept appeared recently especially in China. The concept of IaH has experienced several changes since it was created in 1990s while the widely used one refers to the purposeful integration of international and intercultural dimensions into the formal and informal curriculum for all students within domestic learning environments. The recent development of the concept pays more attention on the establishment of international communities for each individual included. China changed its strict pandemic prevention and control policy in the end of 2022 and moved forward into the post-pandemic era. The practice of IaH has already appeared in China since the reform and opening-up policy carried out in 1978. However, the focus of Chinese policy and practice changed from international mobility to Internationalization at Home with a long-term development. The pandemic fastens this changing process. Due to the theoretical and practical background, IaH is recognized as the sustainable mode for Chinese higher education in the post-pandemic era which represents the future development path.

As the degree of opening to the outside world continues to deepen, Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools as a way of achieving international cooperation and exchanges in education is also booming. Compared with ordinary undergraduate colleges and universities, Sino-foreign cooperative education can introduce foreign high-quality educational resources for learning and exchanges, making the internationalization of undergraduate colleges and universities more prominent and having greater advantages in cultivating international talents. However, in actual investigations, it was found that many Chinese-foreign cooperatively-run undergraduate colleges and universities have problems of varying degrees, such as the integration of online learning platforms, the inability to guarantee the quality of teaching, and the imperfect teaching feedback mechanism. Therefore, this article takes the Sino-Finnish cooperation project of Nanjing Institute of Technology as an example, and compares other Sino-foreign cooperatively-run undergraduate colleges. At the same time, this article also analyzes the current status of running a school and its difficulties, and then provides scientific and reasonable development measures for Sino-foreign cooperatively-run undergraduate colleges and universities in order to bring positive meaning.

With the continuous deepening of the country's reform and opening up, the country's science and technology and national economic level have been greatly developed. In terms of education, the government have put forward higher requirements. In addition, the government currently recommend that major universities in my country build a "school‐enterprise cooperation" talent training mechanism to improve the country's modernization and comprehensively improve our national cultural quality. Therefore, in this context, the article analyzes in detail the construction of the university‐enterprise cooperation training system for the improvement of college students' innovation and Practice ability. First, the article briefly outlines the significance of school‐enterprise cooperation in cultivating college students' innovative and Practice ability, secondly summarizes the current problems of China's school‐enterprise cooperation in cultivating college students' innovative and Practice ability, and finally puts forward several targeted strategies for the current problems. Improve the level of "school‐ enterprise cooperation" talent training mechanism in Chinese universities.

… N17 To delve deeper into the integration and innovation of high-quality foreign curriculum resources with our local educational offerings and to propel the internationalization process in …

Abstract The parallel session on “Industry-Education Integration for High-Quality Development in Vocational Education,” part of the 2024 World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference, was held at the National Convention & Exhibition Center (Tianjin). The session focused on the intrinsic logic and practical pathways of empowering vocational education through industry-education integration. It explored the inherent logic of how industry-education integration drives high-quality development in vocational education, international experience and exemplary practices of industry-education integration, and the latest developments in international cooperation in vocational education. The session showcased new practices and trends in the integration of industry and education in global vocational education, providing valuable references for advancing deep industry-education integration and high-quality development in vocational education.

Identifying the constraints hindering industry-education integration (IEI) in vocational education is a critical prerequisite for promoting its high-quality development. However, existing research has yet to establish a systematic solution to this core issue. Therefore, this study takes Shenzhen, China, as a case study and adopts an empirical research approach to construct an analytical framework of “factor identification-mechanism analysis-strategy formulation,” aiming to thoroughly investigate the key constraints on IEI development in vocational education. First, based on a literature review and questionnaire survey, the study identifies 12 critical constraining factors of IEI. Subsequently, through expert interviews and Interpretative Structural Modelling (ISM), it reveals the underlying mechanisms of these constraints, classifying the 12 factors into five hierarchical levels. These factors form 16 constraint pathways, with inadequate policies, weak foundations for school-enterprise collaboration, insufficient institutional commitment, and ineffective communication mechanisms identified as critical bottom-level factors. These indirectly influence intermediate factors such as hardware/software conditions, alignment of talent cultivation philosophies, education-market demand matching, collaboration channel efficiency, and stakeholder interest fulfillment. Consequently, they diminish corporate engagement enthusiasm, blur responsibility-rights boundaries between stakeholders, and dampen faculty participation motivation, ultimately impeding IEI progress. Finally, the study proposes targeted countermeasures, emphasizing tripartite collaboration among the government, vocational institutions, and enterprises. Key strategies include strengthening legal safeguards, consolidating industry-education collaboration foundations, and proactively fulfilling educational responsibilities. The findings resolve the dilemmas constraining IEI development, providing policymakers with evidence-based references and offering practical guidance for deeper collaboration between vocational institutions and enterprises. This study holds significant theoretical and practical value for advancing high-quality vocational education.

With the rapid development of globalization and the digital economy, cross-border e-commerce, as a new form of global trade, is increasingly becoming an important driving force for economic growth in various countries. However, issues such as the shortage of cross-border e-commerce talent and the lagging education system continue to restrict the sustainable development of the industry. In particular, in China, cross-border e-commerce education is still in the exploratory stage, and traditional educational models have failed to effectively adapt to the rapid development of the industry and the ever-changing technological innovations. Based on this, this study explores the construction and optimization paths of the cross-border e-commerce practical teaching system from the perspective of industry-education integration. The aim is to enhance the practical skills and international vision of cross-border e-commerce professionals through school-enterprise cooperation and innovative educational models. The paper first analyzes the current status of cross-border e-commerce education, revealing the main problems and challenges it faces. Then, based on the concept of industry-education integration, it proposes a framework for the construction of the cross-border e-commerce practical teaching system, including innovations in course design, skill development, and the construction of practical platforms. Finally, it suggests optimization measures such as deepening school-enterprise cooperation, optimizing teaching evaluation systems, and improving teacher qualifications to address the shortcomings in educational implementation. The study shows that the industry-education integration model can effectively bridge the gap between education and industry, providing a more precise path for cross-border e-commerce talent development.

… the internationalization of education systems. We recommend innovating mechanisms for industry-education … mapping; the integration of internationalized resources dimension includes …

Background China's cross-border graduate programs in Biomedical Engineering (BME) are expanding rapidly, yet they face persistent challenges. Key issues include a lack of faculty with cross-border teaching capacity, rigid curriculum design, insufficient intercultural support, and weak quality assurance mechanisms. These gaps hinder the alignment between talent development and industry needs. To address this, the study constructs a "four-in-one" Industry-Education-Research (IER) teaching system tailored for cross-border medical education. Methods This study developed and validated the "four-in-one" IER system through a mixed-methods approach, which included: A PRISMA 2020-compliant literature review. Two rounds of Delphi expert consultation. A two-year pilot with 62 international BME students. A multi-dimensional evaluation using five custom assessment tools. Results The resulting "four-in-one" IER-integrated system encapsulates three core elements of cross-border medical education: cross-border collaborative curriculum design, multi-level cross-cultural adaptation, and whole-process quality assurance. It is structured with four interactive core modules, three core competency dimensions, and a formative-summative integrated assessment framework. Pilot results demonstrated that the pilot group outperformed the control group significantly across all key indicators (all P < 0.01): the mean score of professional core courses was 86.7 ± 5.3 versus 75.2 ± 6.1; the professional skill certification pass rate reached 93.8% versus 65.2%; cross-cultural adaptation scores stood at 82.3 ± 4.5 versus 70.5 ± 5.2; the cross-border employment rate was 65.6% versus 33.2%; and satisfaction with cross-border teaching quality was 87.5% versus 62.3%. Conclusions The system effectively addresses core challenges in cross-border BME education, including curriculum, intercultural adaptation, and quality assurance. It offers both a practical solution for reforming transnational medical education and a scalable model for other disciplines.

In the process of in situ internationalization of higher vocational colleges and universities, teachers' intercultural competence has an important impact on the level of in situ internationalization of schools. This paper analyzes the development situation of in situ internationalization in higher vocational education, takes teachers' intercultural competence as an important index to measure the internationalization level of education, and uses the entropy value method to construct the evaluation model of teachers' intercultural competence. The overall level of teachers' intercultural communication ability is investigated, and the evaluation system of teachers' intercultural ability is established at different levels. The combination of hierarchical analysis and entropy value method is used to determine the combination weights of teachers' intercultural competence, combined with the overall survey level of teachers' intercultural competence, and compared with the evaluation results of experts, to verify the reasonableness of the evaluation system of teachers' intercultural competence under the development of internationalization of higher vocational colleges and universities in the field established in this paper. The overall level of teachers' intercultural competence development under the development of internationalization in the field of higher vocational education is obtained by combining the experts' scores, which is 83.25 points, at a good level, utilizing the development of internationalization in the field of education in higher vocational colleges and universities.

Mass entrepreneurship and innovation and the construction of “the Belt and Road Initiative” are closely linked to each other, and vigorously building an educational ecosystem of “mass entrepreneurship and innovation + internationalization” has become the focus of government policy. In response to the needs of mass entrepreneurship and innovation and “high-speed railway going global” strategy in the new era, the ecosystem construction of the rail transit higher vocational colleges needs to reflect the theoretical guidance, cultural connotation and craftsmanship spirit of China's railway characteristics in the new era. To tackle the unsatisfying material conditions, operating mechanism and impetus system, this paper puts forward the three-dimension integrated strategy for the “mass entrepreneurship and innovation + internationalization” educational ecosystem. The three dimensions are theoretical system (theoretical guidance, top-level design, cultural output, industry-education integration), implementation strategy (teaching reform, teachers construction, platform construction and mechanism innovation) and service support (organization and leadership, condition guarantee, three-dimensional guidance and brand promotion), so as to build the educational ecosystem in which mass entrepreneurship and innovation and internationalization integrate with and promote each other.

Abstract:In the context of globalization and rapid development of the knowledge economy, vocational colleges urgently need to establish a talent training model which is both in line with international standards and has local characteristics. Faced with the strategic demand for internationalization and the requirement for new quality productivity of innovative talents, this article starts from the perspective of new quality productivity and adopts qualitative research methods to explore the practical ways of reforming the international talent training mode in vocational colleges. Through literature review and case analysis, this article identifies the key elements of the international talent cultivation model, namely the construction of an international curriculum system, the internationalization of the teaching staff, the cultivation of cross-cultural competence, and international exchange and cooperation. Based on this, detailed reform strategies are formulated. On this basis, this article proposes a series of innovative measures, including establishing a curriculum system centered on ability output, implementing international teacher training programs, strengthening exchanges and cooperation with international universities, and promoting student exchange programs. These measures provide novel ideas and feasible operational plans for the international talent cultivation of vocational colleges, which have significant theoretical contributions and practical guidance significance, and help improve the quality and international competitiveness of vocational education.

Abstract：Vocational education plays a significant role in promoting economic transformation and enhancing the adaptability of the labor market. However, its policy design and implementation effects vary significantly across different countries. This study conducts a comparative analysis of Germany's "dual system," the market-driven vocational education model in the United Kingdom, and Australia's international development experience. It explores the commonalities and differences in key areas such as the integration of industry and education, quality assurance, and international development, and analyzes the implications for optimizing vocational education in China. The research finds that common trends in vocational education across these countries include: the deep integration of vocational education with economic transformation, further strengthening of industry-education collaboration, and continuous improvement of policy support. Germany's "dual system" has achieved an organic combination of theory and practice through legally guaranteed school-enterprise cooperation; the UK’s market-driven model demonstrates high flexibility but lacks depth in corporate involvement; while Australia has enhanced the global competitiveness of its vocational education through international cooperation and a quality certification system. Furthermore, the study reveals challenges faced by vocational education's internationalization in areas such as local adaptation, resource allocation, and rapid expansion. This study suggests that China should deepen school-enterprise cooperation through legal guarantees, establish a unified quality certification system, and leverage the "Belt and Road" initiative to promote international development. Additionally, strengthening multi-country collaboration and policy learning is essential to explore a vocational education model that is both universal and flexible. The study provides theoretical support for international comparisons of vocational education and offers practical recommendations for the reform and globalization of vocational education in China.

ABSTRACT The scope of work-integrated learning (WIL) has expanded and evolved globally and is a recognised pedagogy that enhances graduate employability, strengthens students’ personal attributes, and affords a personalised learning experience. Despite abundant research and discourse on WIL, misconceptions about what WIL is and how WIL educative experiences are enacted continue to prevail, partially due to the absence of a universal definition of WIL. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into WIL curriculum design and educational practices that reflect a recently published inclusive definition of WIL. The importance of pre- and post-WIL for optimising outcomes during WIL is emphasised. A framework for conceptualising the enactment of the WIL curriculum is presented that preserves the flexibility of WIL while establishing a consistent interpretation of what WIL curriculum entails. Consensus on the defining elements of WIL and its enactment will facilitate stronger global collaboration, shared teaching ethos, augmented research impact, and agreement on what constitutes quality WIL.

Internationally, work-focused learning models continue to expand across the higher education curriculum in response to increasing pressure on higher education institutions to link curricula closely to employability outcomes. These work-focused learning models are diverse in nature, often due to contextual differences and institutional priorities relating to aspects of quality; however, they also share common defining elements of practice that allow these models to be clustered together under the umbrella term of ‘work-integrated learning’ (WIL). These defining elements of practice include external stakeholder involvement which is embedded in the curriculum, authentic and relevant work-focused tasks, and students actively engaging with tasks that have meaningful purpose for a workplace or community. This chapter will explore the defining elements of the practice of WIL, definitions of it developed for local and institutional purposes, and, after exploring the supporting literature, present a definition of the practice of WIL along with clarification of each of the defining elements.

Context: International comparative research on Vocational Education and Training (VET) is gaining importance, as global cooperation and mutual learning in VET grows.  However, it is characterized by a high degree of complexity, due on one hand, to the heterogeneity of the VET sector, and on the other hand to the unique challenges of international comparisons.  In addition, comparative research projects are increasingly conducted in the form of cross-border collaborations, which have their own particular organizational and methodological considerations, opportunities, and challenges. This paper presents an example of a cooperative research process, aimed at investigating the complex phenomenon of the competence-based approach in Russian and Chinese VET. In providing an example of developing an instrument for curriculum analysis and comparison, we discuss and reflect on the methodological and organizational peculiarities and challenges of the research process conducted collaboratively by an international team.  Method: The instrument for analysis and comparison of curricular documents, was developed in an iterative multi-stage process, combining deductive and inductive steps. The embeddedness of the elements of a competence-based approach in curricular documents is investigated, using qualitative content analysis. To develop a coding frame, we started with a comprehensive partially systematic literature review of international, Russian and Chinese discourses on competence-based curricula. The frame was built on the selected model of competence-based education, and on accumulated results of the literature analysis of national discourses. Furthermore, during the first coding process, an iterative adaptation of the developed instrument took place. Results: The result of this process was the development of an analysis instrument which, on the one hand, is well-adapted to each national context and, on the other hand, allows a comparison of results along the same dimensions of analysis, in our case, elements of the competence-based approach in curriculum.  Conclusion: Developing an analysis framework for a cross-cultural comparative investigation of such a diffuse and heterogeneous construct as the competence-based approach, can pose a methodological challenge for an international team of researchers. However, an effective application of own team resources such as proficiency in different languages, insider and outsider perspectives, along with continuous intensive communication and a flexible, iterative research process, allows development of a well-adapted analysis instrument for international comparison.

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It is increasingly vital, in the current era of ever-expanding remote work and learning, to develop blended methods for engineering education. This research aims to develop a blended, project-based information and communication technology (ICT) education model, conceptualizing a digital ecosystem based on stakeholders’ experiences and expectations. The article describes the first phase of the first cycle of the design-based research, analysis and exploration. Semi-structured interviews and online surveys were used to gather stakeholders’ – i.e. students’ (N = 27), instructors’ (N = 15) and industry representatives’ (N = 3) – thoughts and expectations about the current holistic integrated and project-based curriculum, on which little academic literature exists. The article gathers design principles for a broader intervention through which ICT education is transferred into blended learning. Study participants included third-year ICT engineering education students and instructors at the Lapland University of Applied Sciences, along with local industry representatives. The vast majority of the students described the integrated curriculum and project-based learning approach as a motivating pedagogical model. The participation of industry representatives was perceived as motivational to students. Working-life cooperation with companies should thus be encouraged and further developed in higher education curricula. The students’ positive attitudes towards integrated project-based learning may inspire higher education institutions to apply this framework.