Key point
Current University of Chinese universities and world-class gap, mainly in the quality of construction. In the past 20-30 years, Chinese universities pay more attention to the expansion of the number of students, now to pay attention to quality time.
- Stanford University President John – Hannes
Interdisciplinary breadth of knowledge, critical thinking ability is the most lacking in students.
- Yale University President Richard – Levin
Chinese students are very easy and students in other countries to win the competition. However, they lack a little challenge to the capacity of Professor of view, the need to improve.
- Oxford University Andrew – Hamilton
2 to 4 May, the fourth Chinese-Foreign University Presidents Forum held in Nanjing. Yale, Oxford, Stanford, Peking University, Tsinghua University, People’s Congress … … from nine countries and mainland China and Hong Kong and Macao are more than 150 famous Nanjing University recently brought together to discuss the way the University of personnel training.
Although China has the world’s largest higher education, but how to improve the quality of personnel training, solve the problems of university development difficulties remain formidable.
Short board: Students do not want to challenge authority
Strategy: make more active researchers
Andrew Hamilton of Oxford University said that the Chinese are very good students, involved in a number of world-class research. The results from the education, the East-West differences are not large. However, the Western university students pay more attention to the academic self-confidence, encourage students to challenge the professor. Chinese students are often reluctant to challenge academic authority, express different views, not willing to carry out independent creative thinking. “We encourage Chinese students to do more active researchers and challenger, rather than passive recipients and the listener.” He said.
Hamilton talked about, now a total of 750 Chinese students studying in Oxford. “Chinese students are very powerful. In my research of the chemical field, China is very easy for students and other students in the competition to win. However, I feel a little challenge to teach them Qianque view the capabilities, needs improvement.”
For 4 times to participate in Chinese-Foreign University Presidents Forum, Yale University President Richard Levin is well aware of the Chinese University. He said the U.S. education model emphasizes the interactive discussion, take the initiative to argument, challenge each other to challenge professors, to challenge authority, rather than passive acceptance. They do not require students to memorize, but to solve the problem. “We should not head to the students filled the furniture, but to teach them ways to help them take a framework for their own to design creative solutions.”
In Lawrence J. Lau Chinese University of Hong Kong seems, China, Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries, is a long tradition of respect for teachers, students respect for authority, not the class object to the teaching point of view, 100 percent believe the teacher. In this academic atmosphere, where is innovation? “Einstein, Newton’s point of view, if not doubt, to challenge authority, there will not be innovation.” Said Lawrence J. Lau, subject to the impact of cultural differences, the Chinese University of cultivating creative talent is more difficult than in the West. “If a student from kindergarten to primary to secondary school teachers are afraid to question, how can you expect him to go to university teachers to question and challenge authority?”
Short board: professional time early elections
Strategy: to foster interdisciplinary capacity
Stanford University 约翰汉尼斯 said that if the Chinese University to give the current “prick” then, in addition to fewer Chinese students to discuss, question less, fewer questions, the other is the time for students to choose a professional too early. Students 18 years old, do not know the university curriculum, much less interested at this time let their choice of profession, and to instill the concept of employment, limit their horizons. “In my view, undergraduate education is not to allow students to get first job, but the second and third job, let him in the next 20 years to 30 years, the foundation of the entire life. Of course, there are no few vocational skills to students of vocational schools for the purpose, which is another matter. ”
Richard Levin, said: “The breadth of knowledge across disciplines, critical thinking ability is the most lacking in students.” In his view, special knowledge of education generally refers to the age of 18 selected professional, not to learn from other courses, while general education is different. American undergraduate general education is that the first two years students can try a variety of subjects, after two years and then selecting professional learning. “Whether a politician or a business leader, need to economics, law, philosophy, psychology and other aspects of knowledge, rather than the single subject of knowledge.”
Lawrence J. Lau believes that the age of 18 should allow students to decide what to read, professional, what kind of future work, really hard. Many students, parents, professional vague, such as some of the medical students listen to the proposed election results see the blood going to faint. Universities should establish flexible mechanisms, so that students can change the profession, students should choose a favorite thing to do, If you do something like that would be a pleasure, but parents should fully respect the child.
Different from the past, the forum also invited four well-known enterprises. Microsoft chief research and strategy officer 科瑞格蒙迪 that both liberal arts students or science students, will eventually need to go and around the world, dealing with people in different scientific fields. In this process, cross-disciplinary capabilities and ability to cooperate is very important.
Short board: heavy weight quality not quantity
Strategy: do something but
Building a world-class university higher education sector in China has been the focus of attention. China is in the end there is no world-class universities? Compared with world-class university, where is the gap between Chinese universities? In this regard, 约翰汉尼斯 said the current world-class Chinese universities and between universities, mainly in the quality of construction. In the past 20-30 years, Chinese universities pay more attention to the expansion of the number of students, now to pay attention to quality time. Only a few universities in the world can become a top university in China to build world-class universities, about 20 years is fast, slow is 50 years.
According to him, in the 20th century, when the 50′s, not the world-renowned Stanford University, and after 20 years it has been among the list of world-class universities, mainly for three reasons, first, make full use of government resources and support; Second, focus on the development engineering, computer, software and medicine and other disciplines; third is to build Silicon Valley, and the special ties between enterprises. Hannis emphasized that the process towards world-class university, the Stanford University to the one important principle, that is, “Dos and Don’ts.” Over the past school nurses do, architecture and so on, but can not achieve first-class level, simply close down and focus on subjects to do their own advantages. “In this connection, it might be worthwhile for reference to the Chinese University.”
Comments are closed.