Learning and teaching participation in higher education in China

Participatory approaches in development were introduced in China at the end of 1980s along with its open to the outside policy, but it has only been in recent years that participation has been recognised as an important means to improve the quality of development projects. This paper reflects on the lessons learnt by, and the opportunities and challenges facing institutions of higher education in China as they attempt to institutionalise participatory frameworks, approaches and methodologies.|The paper discusses an initiative of the Centre for Integrated Agricultural Development based at China Agricultural University. It begins with a brief history of participatory approaches in China and then goes on to describe the development of the programme. The paper also outlines the progress so far, lessons learned and the challenges faced in this field from the rapid changes in urban, and especially rural development in China