Dr. Damitha Bandara, left, Dr. David Witt and Dr. Jennifer Goodrich were part of a UTC faculty team that traveled to China to teach business classes at Shanghai Normal University’s Tianhua College. Photo courtesy of David Witt.
This summer, a new wave of future global business leaders was guided by the expertise of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga faculty members who brought their teachings across the Pacific.
Dr. David Witt, Dr. Damitha Bandara, Dr. Navid Aghakhani and Dr. John McKinney, all with the Gary W. Rollins College of Business; Dr. Jennifer Goodrich, an engineering management lecturer in the College of Engineering and Computer Science; and former UTC Marketing Lecturer Kennedy Horton traveled in teams of three—over two-week stretches—to teach business classes at Shanghai Normal University’s Tianhua College.
Dr. Takeo Suzuki, executive director of UTC’s Center for Global Education, coordinated the exchange.
“Teaching in China was a remarkable experience. The staff at Shanghai Normal University’s Tianhua College, along with the people of China, were exceptionally kind, friendly and supportive,” said McKinney, an adjunct professor who teaches human resources-related courses and international management. “The students were intelligent and eager to learn, though I did face some language barriers. I quickly adapted my teaching methods and personal behaviors to address these challenges and support the students’ learning.”
The course taught by Witt, an associate lecturer of marketing and entrepreneurship, had a “change the world” theme with creativity and innovation. Chinese student teams chose project foci that were similar to those of American students, including using artificial intelligence to drive a robotic guide dog and several related to waste recycling.
Fewer than 5% of Witt’s 50 students had excellent English skills, he said, but the bulk relied on AI translations, although one aim was to improve all of their English skills. They now have the option of traveling to Chattanooga to attend UTC classes.
A Chinese-American who splits his time between Anaheim, California, and Shanghai facilitated travel arrangements. The UTC crew—which included Bandara, an associate professor of practice management, and Aghakhani, a UC Foundation associate professor of management—was told to adhere to common-sense ethical conduct and not criticize the Chinese government; otherwise, there was no government interference.
The Chinese students were similar to those at UTC, Witt said, but they face greater pressure to succeed—and are taught that failure is not an option despite the fact that creativity often requires the freedom to fail.
“They’re in a very, very competitive environment and are trying to figure out how are they going to get a good job when they get out of that college career. They’re petrified,” Witt said. “There are 10,000 people just like them that are applying for the same few jobs. There’s a high unemployment rate among the college grads, too.
“International business gives them an opportunity with the right credentialing, like the UTC program, to maybe work for a bank that’s got offices in Europe or the U.S. That might open up a door with their language skills and their training … and maybe they’ll get a path out.”
Students in Dr. David Witt’s business class at Shanghai Normal University’s Tianhua College (photo courtesy of David Witt).
McKinney has been teaching at UTC for a little more than two years. He also heads human resources for Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions.
”My professional work experience has allowed me to spend some time working in the United States, Canada, Chile, Antarctica—and now, China. This year alone, I have visited five continents, with the possibility of visiting all seven,” he said.
He previously held roles in human resources with the city of Chattanooga and Walden Security and briefly ran his own consulting company focused on HR and staffing services for the outdoor adventure tourism industry. Additionally, he has experience as a wilderness adventure guide and worked with UTC Outdoors as a graduate assistant while pursuing his master’s degree.
“Overall, my time in China exceeded my expectations,” McKinney said. “The food, people and culture were amazing, and I would definitely return given the chance. Connecting with fellow UTC colleagues and faculty from Northern Arizona University and Illinois State University was another highlight. In addition to teaching, we had the opportunity to explore various parts of Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou.”
He documented some of these adventures in a series of YouTube videos and created a video highlighting the overall teaching experience at Tianhua College.
Witt, principal at ALCON System since 1985, is the recipient of four degrees—a bachelor’s in organizational management from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, in 2004; a master’s in applied computer science from Kennesaw State University in Georgia in 2006; an MBA from UTC in 2007; and a doctoral degree in business administration from Kennesaw State in 2019.
Witt also taught Chinese students two years ago via a Zoom class. He uses technology to overcome language barriers.
“We have some amazing technology now,” Witt explained. “We can run audio live translators on our phones. The students will crank up as I do an English lecture in class, a little program that actually listens to me in English; it scrolls my English words so they can see it like closed caption on half of their display. The other half is doing the literal translation in Chinese.
“We, of course, provide our materials mostly in English, and then they can run the translator tools to change the readings to their language. But the students are expected to develop their English skills better.”
Witt said this is a required class for the students.
“If you want a degree in international business, you will pass this class,” he said.
One of the more challenging obstacles, he said, was that these students were risk-averse; failure is not an option.
“Teaching in China, we get these ideas of cultural exchange and benefiting both the students there and their programs. But we as instructors have gotten a huge benefit back,” Witt said. “I take my creativity class there because I think it’s the most challenging class to introduce in China. It’s culturally resistant.”
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Dr. David Witt stands outside of Fletcher Hall. Witt is an associate lecturer of marketing and entrepreneurship in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business. Photo by Angela Foster.
