University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A Review of Knowledge Management Education in China

Li, Ying; Zhang, Yao; Ming, Yue; Cui, Jiaying

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125023

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Title
A Review of Knowledge Management Education in China
Author(s)
  • Li, Ying
  • Zhang, Yao
  • Ming, Yue
  • Cui, Jiaying
Issue Date
2023-11
Keyword(s)
KM education, China, curriculum design, disciplinary positioning
Geographic Coverage
China
Abstract
The upsurge in knowledge production highlights the importance of knowledge management (KM), which leads to the increasing demands on KM professionals by organizations, governments, and society. To fulfill the urgent need for skills and expertise, universities in China have added KM-related courses to their curricula. Given the complexity of knowledge and the interdisciplinary nature of KM as well as the diversity of the university structure, KM education in China has been developed as a crucial field. This paper reviews the development of KM education in Chinese universities and investigates the current KM curriculum designs of these universities. It takes KM-oriented research programs and courses from “Shuangyiliu” universities in China as a starting point, aiming to introduce the curriculum development landscape and demonstrate the interdisciplinary origins of the KM curriculum. The results suggest that there is a trend that KM education needs to redefine target groups in order to fulfill various needs from society. There is also a need to encourage a broader collaboration among disciplines and further discussion of the disciplinary positioning of KM education in China.
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press
Series/Report Name or Number
Volume 72, Issue 2, November 2023
Type of Resource
text
Language
eng
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2024 University of Illinois Board of Trustees

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Library Trends 72 (2) November 2023: International Perspectives on Knowledge Management Education [Restricted Access] PRIMARY
This special issue includes eleven articles from around the world, representing nine regions or countries, across six continents in which authors have shared their experiences with knowledge management (KM) education in their geographic area. There are several common themes throughout the world regarding KM education. First, universities throughout the world have attempted or are attempting to develop KM as a unique discipline with explicit titles and content. KM education in some countries (e.g., the United States and Canada) appears to be in decline as represented by the decline in courses or programs. While this is anecdotal, it is likely to be more the result of name/title changes rather than substantial differences in content. As technology has changed over the past twenty-five years or so, the label of KM has been under some debate as to whether it should be replaced with something more reflective of this change. For example, data analytics is joined with KM in the introductory article by Hawamdeh and Madali. In other countries (e.g., Brazil), however, KM education is on the rise. Regardless of the name, the number of jobs in KM and the projected market for KM suggest that work in this field is growing and in increasing demand.