International University Education

Abstract

In 2004, The University of Nottingham was the first Sino-Foreign University to open a campus in mainland China. Today, the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China (unnc) campus holds approximately 6,600 students and 500 staff from 40 different countries. Science and Engineering subjects are relatively new on the campus, but are all based on the long standing pedigree at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. In 2012, a new msc course in Engineering Surveying and Geodesy started at unnc, which was the same as the course in the uk. All the courses at unnc are the same in learning outcomes as those on the uk campus, all the teaching is carried out in the medium of English and undergo the same stringent Quality Assurance. The University of Nottingham also has a campus in Malaysia, which makes the university truly global. Students attending any of these campuses have the opportunities of exchange at any of the other two, as well as many other international universities.

unnc aspires to grow to 8,000 students by 2020, consisting of 20% international students and 15-20% postgraduate students, approximately 40% of which will be within the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

This paper details the model used by the University of Nottingham in establishing and operating the msc course and research activities in Engineering Surveying and Geodesy at unnc, and gives a case study of this parallel course.

1 Introduction

Internationalisation within the higher education sector is not a new phenomenon. Indeed, such activities were ongoing in the time of Confucius. 1 Universities within China boast the largest higher education sector in the World. 2 In 1997, there were around 1 million higher education students, which expanded to over 5 million by 2009. The number of degree awarding institutions doubled during this period. China’s higher education system contributes 1.5% of the gdp. 3

Universities within China have had exchange and other agreements with international universities for a couple of decades. Zhou reported that Peking University has exchange ties with over 200 universities in 49 countries and regions, and since 1998, Tsinghua University has signed exchange agreements with 150 universities in 39 countries and regions. 4 By 2006, there were over 300 universities within China with mutually beneficial agreements and cooperations in place. 5 By 2009, it was estimated that over 1,000 international higher education institutions had some kind of collaborative agreement in China. 6 Further to this, there are a large and increasing number of Confucius institutes across the World, and Chinese language and culture is being taught at all levels at high-schools and universities. These are for general interest in careers involving China, or more so with some countries, involvement with Chinese business within the county of interest, for example Kenya. 7

There is a strong thirst for Chinese students to study abroad. Between 1978-2003, over 700,000 Chinese students studied or carried out research in 108 countries and regions. 8 Since this period, other data state that in 1978, 860 Chinese students studied abroad, and in 2010 this number increased to 284,700, an increase from 229,300 the previous year. 9 However, the number of returning students in 2010 was 134,800, 10 with a number of students deciding to stay at their county of choice to work. More recently, it was reported that of the Chinese students that gained a PhD in the usa in 2006, 85% still remain there. 11

The number of international students within China increased to 265,090 in 2010, with a planned increase to 500,000 by 2020. 12 China also plans to have a place on the international stage of excellent universities. 13 These international students were recorded to be studying or carrying out research at 620 educational establishments. China is being proactive in recruiting and attracting professionals and academics from abroad. Paradise states that China is making all the right moves in terms of attracting international overseas academics as well as creating world-class universities. 14 It is also reported that such schemes include incentives for attracting returning Chinese academics, such as one off bonuses of up to cny1million, housing schemes, assured salaries and promotion. 15 In addition to this, there is a “foreign expert thousand-talent scheme”, which also offers similar incentives for non-Chinese academic staff. 16 So far there are 200 such foreign experts in China.

International presence and collaboration has existed within China for many years. For example, the China Europe International Business School (ceibs) was set up in 1994 to help develop the increasing need for managers in a vastly growing economy. 17 There are now many examples of Sino-foreign university campuses both internationally and in China. In 2011, there were a least 183 international branch campuses worldwide, 18 and in 2014 the number had grown to 216, with 27 of these in China. 19 China emplaced legislation in 2003, encouraging the higher education institutions to cooperate and form partnerships with high quality foreign institutions, and also to establish branch campuses through joint initiatives with Chinese and international higher education institutions. 20 The University of Nottingham Ningbo China opened its doors to students in September 2004. It was the first Sino-foreign university campus on mainland China. 21 This was followed by Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University two years later. 22 Today, there are a number of other Sino-foreign campuses in China, including Keane University, 23 New York University, Duke University, the Sino-Danish Centre of Education and Research, University College Dublin, Hong Kong Baptist University, Bangor University to name a few either in operation or about to start operating. 24

The Times Good University Guide states that the University of Nottingham “. . . is the nearest Britain has to a truly global university . . .”. 25 In the academic year 2013/2014, the University of Nottingham had 33,369 students on the uk campuses, 28% of which are from outside of the uk. 26 In addition to this, the University not only has campuses in the uk and China, but also a campus in Semenyih, just outside Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Here the first students were welcomed in September 2000. The student population at the University campuses in Malaysia and China in 2013/2014 were 4,548 and 5,848 respectively. 27 This totals 43,765 students on all the University of Nottingham campuses in the 2013/2014 academic year.

The University of Nottingham started off as a civic college, opening its doors in 1881. In 1928, the college outgrew its premises, and moved to the current University Park Campus, which was land bequeathed to the college by Jesse Boot. Many famous people were involved with the university from the start. In 1877, Prime Minister W.E. Gladstone set the corner stone of the original college building. The Trent Building on the University Park Campus was officially opened by King George v, and the likes of Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and H.G. Wells gave lectures at the college. In 1948, the college was awarded a Royal Charter and became the University of Nottingham. There are now 4 campuses in the uk, as well as the campuses in China and Malaysia. 28

The University of Nottingham is very comprehensive in its subject areas, including engineering, sciences, agriculture and veterinary sciences, arts, medicine. The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (unmc) has students, mainly in areas of engineering, computer science, bio-sciences, and business. The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (unnc) has departments covering English, International Communications, Education, International Studies, Economics, Business, Computer Science, Environmental Sciences as well as 8 Engineering degree subjects within 5 departments. These subject areas offer both undergraduate and postgraduate degree options. In addition to this, unnc has an English Language facility (Centre for English Language Education; cele) with approximately 85 English language teachers. One of the new additions to the courses offered at unnc includes the msc in Engineering Surveying and Geodesy.

2 unnc

The uk and Australia account for 17% of the international branch campuses globally. There are relatively favourable circumstances and incentives in various countries such as Dubai, Qatar, Singapore, Malaysia and now China for doing so. 29 Branch campuses offer many benefits to the students and their parents, as well as the academic institutions involved. Chinese students have an increasing demand for international education, and many Chinese people believe that education is a big and worthwhile investment. Since there has been an increasing amount of wealth within China, there has been an increase in Chinese students going abroad for their education. In addition, there have been a growing number of foreign ventures on the education stage within China. The benefits of having a presence within China include a bigger exposure, which can also increase the number of Chinese students wanting to go to the home campus. In addition, it allows parents to have less worry about the safety of their children, whilst still obtaining a similar style and level of education by staying in China. It also reduces the long distance related issues that parents have, including high extra costs and less control. 30 The fees at unnc are much less than those at the uk campus; typically cny90,000 31 for the yearlong msc course compared to approximately cny175,000 32 in the uk for international students. The living costs in China are also a fraction of those of the uk. The unnc campus also provides an opportunity for non-Chinese students to gain a uk-style of western education, whilst also being able to experience the World’s fastest growing economy, and learn more about the culture, language and people of China. The unnc campus is 140 acres in size, and comprises of academic buildings, halls of residences, various shops and restaurants and sports facilities. The first students were admitted to unnc in September 2004, and the purpose built campus was opened in February 2006. All the students at unnc are housed in dormitories, and currently there is a further one being constructed to accommodate the forthcoming expansion in students’ numbers. These dormitories vary in nature and size depending on the students’ requirements. These range from 4 students sharing a dormitory room, a flat where 4 or 5 single bedrooms are connected to a shared living area, kitchen and bathroom, to a single study bedroom with en-suite facilities. The campus itself is very open in feel, having a number of rivers and lakes as well as open parkland. This is in-keeping with the look and feel of all the University of Nottingham campuses. In addition to this, the campus houses a variety of shops and amenities for both staff and students, including grocery shops, fresh fruit and vegetable shops, post office, bank, hair dressers, book shops, general amenities shops, printing shops, restaurants, bicycle shop to name a few. All in all, there are more shops on the campus than any of the other University of Nottingham campuses.

The campus also houses a sports centre, comprising various training rooms and sports halls for badminton, basketball, squash, a gymnasium, as well as outdoor football pitch and athletics track and facilities, and a number of outdoor basketball courts.

The academic infrastructure consists of a number of buildings housing seminar rooms, academic offices, lecture rooms of various sizes, as well as a 500 seat sized auditorium.

The campus provides an excellent test bed and environment for both surveying teaching and research. A number of survey control markers have been established, with calculated coordinates and heights. This allows students to carry out field work and learn how to operate surveying equipment using a known truth. Some of these survey markers are located between the 10 storey student dormitory buildings, providing a “real life” scenario, and one where gps (Global Positioning System) receivers are restricted in usage. This then allows research to be conducted in such difficult environments using multi-gnss (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) receivers, including the Chinese BeiDou system, as well as integrating gps/gnss receivers with other external positioning sensors such as ins (Inertial Navigation System), to be tested on-site.

3 Current Situation

As of 2013/2014, the students’ population of 5,848 comprises of 92% from mainland China and the remainder from countries all around the World. 33 Approximately 12.5% of the student population are postgraduate students. 34 unnc was awarded the right to host PhD students in 2009, and in 2013/2014 there were 185 registered on the campus, 35 all having supervisors on both the uk campus and at unnc. A number of research institutes, some funded by the Chinese authorities, have also been established, for example the Sino-uk low carbon manufacturing consortium. 36

All the courses and instruction are given in English, and the teaching manner is the same as the uk. The students become critical in analysis, reflective in their learning, experience a lot of team working and presentation skills, the students are partly taught through the use of small tutorial classes as well as small group practical classes, and generally are taught to interact and ask questions. unnc offers a preliminary year, focused on the Chinese undergraduate students in order to bring their English language up to the right level, as well as to teach them the English science and mathematical phrases for the Chinese they already know. This preliminary year is also a transition year from the way of teaching they are accustomed to, to the western style of student centered learning. This is why the bachelor courses are 4 years long, rather than the uk 3 years, although there is the opportunity for English speakers with the correct high school education to enroll onto our year 2 directly.

unnc offers bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and PhD research degrees. unnc recruits students from 29 of the 31 Chinese provinces, and the entry requirements are a division 1 in the Chinese National University Entrance Examination. The average value for this qualification is increasing year on year. One of unnc’s unique points is that it has 100% employment rate or students going on to carry on with masters’ courses.

Many of the undergraduate courses operate in both a 2+2 manner (2 years at unnc and 2 years at the uk campus) and 4+0 (all 4 years at unnc). The 4+0 students also have the opportunity of applying for a semester of year exchange at the uk or Malaysia campuses, or a number of other partner universities. These include the Universitas 21 universities, which comprise a group of 26 universities 37 from around the world. There is a strong thirst from the Chinese students for the exchange schemes, and an ever increasing need from outside of China to come in and gain a uk/western education but experiencing China, Chinese language and Chinese culture all at the same time.

There are many advantages in attending a semester, a year or the whole degree course at unnc. All non-Mandarin speakers are offered complimentary Mandarin courses. The experience of Chinese culture is also an advantage. The cost of living is also less than the uk and many other countries, as well as the course fees.

All in all, however, the students gain a western education in a country that they are very likely to have some dealings with in the future. One such relevant example is that the author was recently contacted by a colleague, looking for a graduate with a good western surveying education, who also had knowledge of Chinese language and culture, and who could speak English. The project that was recruiting such a student was based in Kuwait, constructing a large building. The engineering company is uk based, but two of the sub-contracting engineering companies are Chinese, with Chinese staff.

There is also a lot of interest and support for unnc from the Chinese governments, at local and national levels. unnc is always supported by the Ningbo Bureau of Science and Technology as well as the Bureau of Education. In addition to this, many senior figures have been to unnc, including Premiere Wen JiaBao, the Chinese Minister for International Affairs, the Chinese Minister for Science and Technology to name a few.

The aim over the next few years is to increase the overall student number at unnc to 8,000, of which 20% are to be non-Chinese and 15 to 20% are to be postgraduate. This will result in a diverse population that will enhance the learning experiences at the campus. The expansion will mainly focus on the Faculty of Science and Engineering, increasing the student numbers to approximately 40% of the total student population. Currently, there is a phase of expansion on the campus, in terms of building new infrastructure. This includes a new 24 storey accommodation block, a 1,000 seater auditorium, an International Conference Centre, a teaching and learning building as well as a new building for the International Academy of Marine Economy.

The surveying activities at unnc are also planned to expand. Already there have been a number of visiting international professors who have given lectures. We have a growing relationship with the Surveying, Mapping and Geo-Information bureau, we are applying for various research grants, and aspire to hold a key laboratory status for surveying within the next year. There are 10 PhD students researching in surveying related topics, as well as the activities at undergraduate and msc level. We also plan to expand our MSc provisions.

4 The Faculty of Science and Engineering

4.1 Science and Engineering Courses at unnc

Currently, the faculty of science and engineering comprises of the following degree courses:

• BEng Civil Engineering (2+2 & 4+0)

• BEng Mechanical Engineering (2+2 & 4+0)

• BEng Chemical Engineering (2+2 & 4+0)

• BEng Environmental Engineering (2+2 & 4+0)

• BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering (2+2 & 4+0)

• BEng Architecture (4+0)

• BEng Architectural Environment Engineering (2+2 & 4+0)

• BEng Product Design and Manufacture (2+2 & 4+0)

• BEng Mechatronic Engineering (2+2 & 4+0)

• BSc Environmental Sciences (2+2 & 4+0)

• BSc Computer Science (2+2 & 4+0)

• BSc Computer Science with Management (2+2 & 4+0)

• BSc Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence (2+2)

• BSc Software Systems (2+2)

• BSc Mathematics with Engineering (2+2 & 4+0)

• MSc Engineering Surveying and Geodesy (full time and part time)

• PhD Programmes

There are plans to introduce other MSc courses. All of these courses are delivered in the same manner as their counterparts in the uk and Malaysia, comprise of the same modules, and especially the same learning outcomes. The uk and Malaysia courses are already recognized and accredited by the various professional institutions, and unnc’s courses will also seek accreditation once they are all fully up and running. The MSc course in Engineering Surveying and Geodesy is already fully recognized and accredited by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (rics) and the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ices).

4.2 Infrastructure

On 1 September 2011, the Faculty of Science and Engineering moved into a new purpose built, 14,000m² building. The Science and Engineering Building (seb) comprises of academic offices, seminar and meeting rooms, lecture rooms, design studios as well as many laboratories. The laboratories comprise of wet and also dry laboratories, as well as two large high bay laboratories for the various engineering subjects.

4.3 Research Highlights at the Faculty of Science and Engineering

Some of the research highlights to date at the Faculty of Science and Engineering include:

• Various locally and nationally funded research projects through funding agencies such as the Natural Science Foundation of China at Municipal, Provincial and National levels, Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ningbo Bureau of Science and Technology, and the Ningbo Bureau of Education.

• The International Doctoral Innovation Centre, which is funded by the Ningbo Bureau of Science and Technology as well as the Bureau of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology. This will fund 100 PhD students to carry out research in areas of Energy as well as areas of Digital Economy over the next 7 years. This is based on a scheme called a Doctoral Training Centre in the uk, where students have training in year 1, and then carry out 3 years of research. This is the first such entity in China, and it is thought that more will follow once this is seen to be a success. The students enrolled on the idic will spend their first year at the uk campus, and the remaining 3 years at unnc. Internships with industry for the PhD students are also going to be possible.

• Innovation team, which funds 25 PhD students in areas of manufacturing. This is supported by the Ningbo Bureau of Education and is expected to involve industry. This also builds on the municipal key laboratory status that unnc has achieved in sustainable manufacturing.

• The International Centre for Professional Development is supported by the Ningbo Bureau of Education. This team will provide professional development for engineering graduates in order to work towards their professional recognition, notably to become a chartered engineer or surveyor.

• The Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (cset) is a municipally recognized key laboratory.

5 Surveying Teaching at unnc

5.1 Surveying and Geodesy Laboratories and Facilities at unnc

The seb houses a gnss laboratory, a photogrammetry and bim (Building Information Modelling) laboratory, and a surveying equipment store room. In addition to this, there are some surveying facilities on the roof of the seb.

The gnss laboratory, Figure 1, comprises of a Spirent gss8000 state of the art gps, Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya Sistema (glonass), Galileo and BeiDou hardware simulator, a suite of gnss receivers as well as computing facilities and software to process and analyze the gnss data. The gnss receivers are multi-gnss in their performance, and all within a couple of years old. Being located in China gives the researchers and students at unnc the advantage of being able to track the Chinese version of gnss, called BeiDou. Currently, there are a number of gnss, including the usa’s gps, the Russian glonass, the European Galileo, the Chinese BeiDou, as well as regional Space Based Augmentation Systems (sbas) such as the Indian gagan, Japan’s qzss and msas. All these satellites are visible at unnc, allowing 30 plus satellites to be tracked at any given time. In addition, there is the usa’s Wide Area Augmentation System (waas) and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (egnos). Of all the gnss, only gps and glonass currently have full operational capabilities. BeiDou currently has 14 satellites, comprising of 5 Geostationary (geo) satellites, 5 Inclined Geo Stationary Orbit (igso) satellites, and 4 Mid Earth Orbiting (meo) satellites. Galileo currently comprises of 4 operational meo satellites. Both BeiDou and Galileo are planned to be fully operational by 2020, having full global coverage. In fact, China is already participating in international projects that include Galileo. 38 unnc is part of a China-uk consortium of universities involved with research into gnss, called the Sino-uk Geospatial Engineering Centre. Further to this, the Spirent simulator allows the ability to simulate such future constellations, allowing the research and development to be conducted in preparation for the full constellations. In 2020, it is expected that there will be approximately 130 or more gnss satellites in operation, compared to the originally planned 24 gps.

figure 1

The gnss laboratory. The Spirent Simulator (left), Processing computers (centre and right) and the cabinet housing the gnss receivers connected to the antennas located on the seb roof.

Various gnss receivers are located within the laboratory, Figure 2. These are connected to the gnss antennas positioned on purpose built pillars located on the roof of the seb, Figure 3. This allows real data to be gathered at various gnss receivers. The gnss data are gathered and stored on a central server in order to allow an accumulation of data, used for various research and teaching projects. In addition, a test rig is located on the roof of the seb, Figure 3, which consists of a 40m long pipe, used to assess the use of pipe locating devices as part of an ongoing piece of research, focussing on the positioning of buried pipes and cables. 39

figure 2

An array of gnss receivers connected to the gnss antennas on the roof of the seb. These consist of Leica, ComNav, Javad, Unicor and Septentrio gnss receivers.

figure 3

The two gnss pillars located on the seb roof, as well as the black “test pipe” spanning the length of the wall used for pipe mapping research (left).

figure 4

The uav being set up (left) and an example of one of the many photographs taken (right).

The second laboratory is the photogrammetry and bim laboratory. This laboratory consists of a number of computers, a few of which have 3-Dimensional viewing capablilities. The photogrammetry, bim and laser scanning data are all analysed within this room. In addition, targets are located throughout the room, on the various walls and ceiling, allowing the room to also be used as a test bed for callibrating the equipment. Various collaborative pieces of work are being conducted with the local Surveying and Mapping Bureau, including the use of Unmanned Aerial vehicles (uav) to capture aerial images of the unnc campus using 35mm dslr (Digital Single Lense Reflex) camera suspended underneath, from an altitude of approximately 180m, Figure 4. The result is a dataset of hundreds of such photographs, with pixel’s of 5cm resolution. This also illustrates a benefit of unnc operating within China, in being able to collaborate in such a way, and being able to access such data and facilities that may not be able to fly in other countries.

Finally, the survey group has a store room to house the various pieces of equipment. The creating of such an overall surveying facility makes teaching, research and industrial collaboration attractive. The surveying staff at unnc comprise of 5 academics, one research fellow, two technicians and 10 PhD students.

5.2 Undergraduate Teaching in Engineering Surveying

unnc has a suite of equipment and facilities used for both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research activities. Engineering Surveying is already being taught to the Civil Engineering undergraduate students. This covers basic surveying in year 2, and a little more advanced in year 3 and year 4. The modules covered include Engineering Surveying 1, Engineering Surveying 2, Mapping for Engineering Surveying and gis (Geographical Information Systems), Mapping for Engineering Surveying and gis Project, and a Final Year research project.

figure 5

Students being taught how to operate a total station during a 3 hour practical class. The students work in small groups during these classes.

The Engineering Surveying 1 module is taught to year 2 of the Civil Engineering course, and covers basic surveying principles of using angle measurements and distances to calculate coordinates, measuring angles and distances using a total station, measuring the difference in heights between points using a level, and using a technique called traversing to calculate the coordinates of survey markers. In addition to this, the applications of setting out, and detail surveying are also taught. The students will attend two practical classes, each being 3 hours in length to get experience of using both a total station and a level, Figure 5. They work in groups of two or three students, carrying out pre-defined tasks, with staff at hand to demonstrate how to set up and operate the equipment, and support them whilst they are carrying out the tasks.

This is all brought together by running a surveying field course, whereby the students are allocated into groups of 5 or 6 students, and each group is asked to carry out two basic surveying tasks. The first task is where the students are asked to create a 1:500 scale map of a given area on campus, using the techniques they have learnt, and the second task involves setting out a pre-defined plan of a building, road and trench. Each of the two exercises takes two days to complete. They allow the students to put the theory into practice, and through the use of small groups, the students can access and learn directly how to use the equipment as well as practice the calculations, and use the relevant software. The students also have deadlines that they have to deliver their results through a group submission within a week of the end of the field course, as well as specifications and precisions they have to achieve. The tasks that they are given have many ways that the students can tackle them. This also allows the students in their small groups to gain experience of making decisions, and tackling problems. The module itself is worth 10 of the 120 credits that the students will sit during the academic year. This 10 credit module is then split into 80% of the mark based on the Field Course material, and 20% on a 1 hour examination. The 1 hour examination comprises of 2 questions. One focusing on levelling, and one focusing on angle measuring and traversing. Both will have a calculation and discursive element, allowing the students’ full understanding to be tested. The 80% assessment of the field course is a combination of an individual mark as well as a group mark, split as follows:

Some of these elements are marked during the field course, such as the precision of the setting out, and some are paper or electronic submissions after the field course.

Basic surveying is also taught to Architecture students as well as Environmental Sciences students.

The Engineering Surveying 2 module is taught in year 3 of the Civil Engineering degree course. The module introduces the students to more advanced equipment and techniques. These include the introduction of gps and gnss, laser scanners and photogrammetry. The subject areas include setting out, underground surveys, surface models, control surveys and least squares, remote measurements, and digital mapping and gis. All these in the context of civil engineering. There is again a series of practical classes where the students work in small groups, this time using the gnss, laser scanners and total stations to measure volumes. This module has an 80% examination and 20% coursework split for the final assessment.

In the final year, there are a number of optional modules that the students can choose from. These include Building Information Modelling, Mapping for Engineering Surveying and gis, as well as a practical module related to gis. The bim module is run jointly with colleagues from the Built Environment department, and includes background and basic theory of bim, which is a rapidly developing subject area. It also covers the use of surveying, laser scanning and photogrammetry in particular, to develop as-built surveys for such bims.

Further final year optional modules are currently being developed focusing on civil engineering deformation monitoring, based on a lot of the deformation monitoring research being carried out by the academic staff. 40

5.3 MSc in Engineering Surveying and Geodesy

The field of Engineering Surveying and Geodesy is rapidly changing. This is partly due to the equipment and software continuously being developed. The inclusion and development of gps and other forms of gnss, the development of high resolution dslr cameras used in photogrammetry, the development of laser scanners and total stations are some of the examples of rapid developing technologies. The first telescope theodolite was built in 1785, and used in 1787 to tie the French-English triangulation systems. In 1926 the velocity of light was determined by measuring the time of flight of light, and in 1929 it was suggested that this could be used to measure distances. Between 1948-1953, the aga Geodimetre was developed, which was the first Electromagnetic Distance Measuring (edm) device used by surveyors. In the 1960s and 1970s Transit Doppler and then gps started to be developed, and since the first gps satellite was launched in 1978, this area has been rapidly expanding. Today, gnss consists of the usa’s gps, the Russian glonass, as well as the developing European Galileo, and Chinese BeiDou. Further to this, there are many regional augmentation systems such as the Japanese qzss and msas, the European egnos, India’s gagan, the usa waas and the Russian sdcm, in addition to commercial systems such as John Dere’s StarFire navigation system, and Fugro’s OmniSTAR. On top of this, today’s surveyors have an armory of equipment including laser scanners, that can gather thousands of points per second, high resolution dslr cameras that are used for photogrammetry, and state of the art total stations that can measure angles to fractions of seconds of arc, and distances down to 1mm. Modern day total stations are also capable of automatically tracking the targets they measure to, as well as transfer data through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile phone communications. These are only some of the advances, and why such an msc course, in combination with the large selection of modern equipment and facilities, as well as the academic expertise, will produce graduates that are capable of jumping straight into the industry.

The MSc course in Engineering Surveying and Geodesy has existed and evolved at the University of Nottingham for approximately 20 years. The course comprises of 8 taught modules, and a dissertation research project. The modules are all taught in one week intensive blocks, allowing part time students to attend, as well as people attending the modules as stand-alone short courses. There are usually 2 weeks of non teaching time between each module, where full time and part time students can use this time to carry out project work, as well as to read around the subjects. A full time student would typically carry out the whole msc over a full year, of 3 semesters. The third semester is where the full time students would carry out their 60 credit research project resulting in a substantial dissertation, which takes place during the 3 month summer vacation. This module allows the students to conduct a substantial piece of research and analysis to produce their conclusions. Part time students would carry out these taught and research activities over a 3 year period.

The taught modules are as follows:

• Fundamentals of Satellite Positioning

• Analytical Methods

• Geodetic Reference Systems

• Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

• Engineering Surveying

• Advanced Satellite Positioning

• Physical Geodesy

• Practical Field Course

Each of the taught modules is worth 15 credits, and in total the student will sit 120 credits of taught modules.

At unnc, the above model is used, which will also allow some staff from the uk to travel to unnc for a short period of time to assist with the teaching, and in particular specialized areas.

During the MSc, the students develop the following skills:

• The ability to apply their skills directly within the surveying industry

• The ability to react quickly to new technologies and innovations

• The ability to communicate ideas effectively in written reports, verbally and by means of presentations to groups

• The ability to exercise original thought

• The ability to plan and undertake an individual project

• Interpersonal, communication and professional skills

The MSc course develops the students’ knowledge and skills. Each module has a practical element where the students are expected to gather their own data using the relevant surveying equipment, and process and analyze their results. This means that the students’ skill sets are improved, as well as their knowledge and understanding of the subject. It is evident that the performances of the students improve throughout the course. As a whole, the average marks of the 4 modules taken in the second semester are higher than those taken in the first. Figure 6 illustrates the exam results for the anonymized individual students in both the autumn semester and the spring semester. It can be seen that the students’ marks improve in semester 2. This is likely due to their learning experience improving, as well as their general interest in the subject, and also understanding the mode of teaching. The lectures in both semesters are given by the same academic staff, and all the modules are thoroughly scrutinized by academic staff at unnc, staff at Nottingham uk, as well as the external examiner who serves on both campuses. This means that all modules should all be at a similar level.

Figure 7 illustrates the marks for the 8 individual modules for each student. Again here it can be seen that there is an improvement in the spring semester (modules 5-8) over the autumn semester (modules 1-4).

The full accreditation that the MSc course in Engineering Surveying and Goedesy posesses means that once the students graduate, they can pursue membership of these organisations as well as chartered status. They are also encouraged to become student members whilst at unnc. Such status is becoming more and more internationally recognised as an indication of competence. These organisations are also becoming very focussed on their international footprint. The ices has offices and regional groups in Hong Kong and Beijing, whilst the rics has a similar presence in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou. unnc is helping to support such development of professionalism and professional institutions through many routes. Academic staff at unnc are also members and fellows of these institutions, and participate in meetings and encouraging the students to participate, and view membership as being an important step in their careers. Following graduation, the students can become graduate members of the institutions, and work towards becoming full members and chartered members. This partly requires attending Initial Professional Development (ipd) courses, and once they obtain full membership they have to maintain their knowledge and keep it up to date through attending Continuing Professional Development (cpd) courses. unnc is helping to organise and run such courses, as well as working closely with these professional bodies. This is helping to provide support for unnc’s students, even after they graduate.

figure 6

Average marks for the autumn and spring semester marks for the individual students on the msc course in Engineering Surveying and Geodesy (2012/2013 and 2013/2014 cohorts) at unnc.

figure 7

Individual student marks for the 8 modules.

Conclusions

The surveying and Geodesy activities are now fully operational at unnc. The model used is to duplicate the activities conducted on the uk campus, in terms of equipment, facilities and modules taught both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. PhD research is also conducted. All activities have the same quality control as in the uk. The taught courses have the same external examiners and examination meetings as the uk, and the PhD students all have at least one supervisor on the uk campus, as well as supervisors at unnc.

The MSc course allows the students to learn about a rapidly changing field, and also to gain practical skills and experience using the extensive facilities available. This is all done in a western style of education, as well as in English. This makes the students very employable, in particular in an international market.

unnc is continuing to support the students, even after graduation, through continued involvement with the rics and ices.

The MSc’s adaptability for full time, part time and short course students makes delivery and attendance flexible. The access of such equipment and facilities, as well as being located in China, and hence being able to access a truly multi-gnss satellite constellation makes the practical aspects of the course possible and thorough. The surveying activities are still in their infancy, but we aspire to grow the MSc student population, both in terms of full time and part time students. One of the challenges is the relatively high English language requirements for attending the course, but we stick to this in fairness to the students as well as to maintain our reputation.