Abstract
This study explores inclusive co-learning strategies in transnational design education, focusing on Chinese students enrolled in a joint program jointly delivered by Beijing Jiaotong University and Lancaster University within China. These students complete their entire undergraduate studies domestically, without the opportunity to immerse themselves in an English-speaking or multicultural environment. As a result, they often rely on translation tools to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers when engaging with British pedagogy. Drawing on classroom observations, student interviews, and reflective teaching practices, the study proposes an Inclusive Co-Learning Framework that integrates linguistic scaffolding and cultural mediation to foster language development, cultural understanding, and creative producing. By analyzing the “localized international classroom” model, the study expands the discourse on transnational education (TNE) and demonstrates how inclusive pedagogical approaches can bridge global curricula and local learning realities, cultivating intercultural awareness and design thinking skills among Chinese students.
Keywords
inclusive design, transnational education, co-learning, design education, British curriculum, Chinese students
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2148
Citation
Zhang, L., Hao, J., Wang, Y., and Xiao, L. (2026) Inclusive Co-Learning in Transnational Design Classrooms: Bridging Linguistic and Cultural Gaps between Chinese Students and British Curricula, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2148
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Inclusive Co-Learning in Transnational Design Classrooms: Bridging Linguistic and Cultural Gaps between Chinese Students and British Curricula
This study explores inclusive co-learning strategies in transnational design education, focusing on Chinese students enrolled in a joint program jointly delivered by Beijing Jiaotong University and Lancaster University within China. These students complete their entire undergraduate studies domestically, without the opportunity to immerse themselves in an English-speaking or multicultural environment. As a result, they often rely on translation tools to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers when engaging with British pedagogy. Drawing on classroom observations, student interviews, and reflective teaching practices, the study proposes an Inclusive Co-Learning Framework that integrates linguistic scaffolding and cultural mediation to foster language development, cultural understanding, and creative producing. By analyzing the “localized international classroom” model, the study expands the discourse on transnational education (TNE) and demonstrates how inclusive pedagogical approaches can bridge global curricula and local learning realities, cultivating intercultural awareness and design thinking skills among Chinese students.