Students' Experience at World-Class Universities in China

This comparative project examined the effects of student involvement and college environment on students’ learning and living experience delivered by two aspiring world-class universities in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Few studies have shown how the levels of student involvement and college environment can benefit college student experience at Chinese research universities. Adapting a quantitative research approach, this comparative case-study utilized the “Student Involvement Survey” from Ohio State University(OSU) and the “Student Satisfaction Study” from Birmingham City University(BCU) to examine students’ learning and living experience at aspiring world-class institutions in China. The study was conducted at two major research institutions from the Universitas 21 network: The University of Hong Kong and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The finding indicated that: a) student involvement (academic and social) affect students’ learning and living experience, b) college environment (academic, campus, and interpersonal) affect students’ learning and living experience, and c) students’ learning and living experience impact the making of world-class universities in China.