Title: Enhancing higher education through student-staff collaboration: case studies from a Sino-foreign institution

Authors: Boon Giin Lee; Amarpreet Gill; Matthew Pike; Linjing Sun; Joseph Thenara; Dave Towey

Addresses: University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China ' University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China ' University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China ' University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China ' University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China ' University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China

Abstract: University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) was the first Sino-foreign higher education institution (SfHEI). It has a history of innovation, including through collaborations with students in research and application projects. This paper reports on three student-staff collaborations to design and create technology-enhanced teaching or training interventions. Case studies are presented for each of the three collaborations. The first case study examines the development of a mobile application to support human-centred design (HCD) education. The second case study focuses on an augmented reality (AR) educational game for teaching Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA). The third case study investigates the use of mixed reality (MR) for firefighting equipment training. The findings highlight the effectiveness of these digital pedagogies in fostering strong student-staff partnerships, and for enhancing collaborative learning experiences. The paper concludes with pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research in technology-enhanced education.

Keywords: immersive mixed reality; iMR; students as partners; SaP; students as change agents; SACA; engineering education; digital pedagogy; educational technology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMLO.2025.147207

International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 2025 Vol.19 No.3, pp.341 - 363

Received: 13 Jan 2024
Accepted: 31 May 2024
Published online: 11 Jul 2025 *

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