"Quality is king, standard comes first." On January 30, the Ministry of Education held the second press conference of the 2018 Education New Year series and released the "National Standard for Undergraduate Major Teaching Quality in Ordinary Higher Education Institutions" (hereinafter referred to as the "National Standard"). This is the first national standard for higher education teaching quality released to the country and the world. It covers all 92 undergraduate majors and 587 majors in the undergraduate major catalog of ordinary universities, and involves more than 56,000 majors in universities across the country.
According to Wu Yan, Director of the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education, the first promulgated "National Standard" has three major characteristics: First, it has both "rules" and "space". It not only puts forward unified requirements for each major category and ensures basic quality, but also leaves enough room for expansion for the cultivation and development of talents in various schools and majors. In terms of image, it means "the bottom line is guaranteed but not the top"; second, it has both a "bottom line" and a "goal". It not only puts forward basic teaching requirements for each major category, guarantees the bottom line and ensures the qualifications, but also puts forward forward-looking requirements for improving quality, that is, pursues excellence; thirdly, it has both "qualitative" and "quantitative". It not only puts forward qualitative requirements for various professional standards, but also includes necessary quantitative indicators.
Wu Yan said that the National Standard grasps three principles: First, highlight the student center. Focus on stimulating students' interest and potential in learning, innovate forms, reform teaching methods, strengthen practice, and promote the transformation of undergraduate teaching from "teaching well" to "learning well"; second, highlight output orientation. Actively connect with the needs of economic and social development, scientifically and reasonably set talent training goals, improve talent training plan , optimize curriculum settings, update teaching content, and effectively improve the goal achievement, social adaptability, condition guarantee, quality assurance effectiveness and result satisfaction of talent training; third, highlight continuous improvement. It is emphasized that it is necessary to establish a school quality assurance system to do a good job in teaching, organically combine normal monitoring with regular evaluation, timely evaluation, timely feedback, and continuous improvement to promote the continuous improvement of education quality.
The "National Standard" released this time covers all 92 undergraduate major categories in the undergraduate major catalog of ordinary colleges and universities. Although the major categories are different, the content of the "National Standard" is basically the same, mainly including eight aspects: First, overview. Clarify the connotation, discipline foundation, talent training direction, etc. of the major. The second is to apply to the professional scope. Clarify the majors to which this standard applies. The third is the cultivation goal. Clarify the training goals of this major and put forward principle requirements for each university to formulate corresponding professional training goals. Fourth, the cultivation specifications. Clarify the academic system, degree awarding, reference total hours or credits of this major, and put forward basic requirements for talent training such as politics, ideology, morality, business knowledge and ability. The fifth is the faculty team. Requirements are put forward for the number and structure of the teaching staff in this major, the teachers' subject and professional background and level, and the conditions for teachers' teaching development. Sixth, teaching conditions. Clarify the basic school conditions, basic information resources, and teaching funding investment in this major, including quantitative requirements such as laboratories, experimental teaching instruments and equipment, practice bases, book information resources, textbooks and reference books, and teaching funding. Seventh, the quality assurance system. Clarify the requirements of all aspects such as the quality monitoring mechanism of the teaching process of this major, the graduate tracking and feedback mechanism, and the continuous improvement mechanism of the major. Eight is the appendix. List the professional knowledge system and core curriculum system suggestions, and define relevant quantitative standards.
"Standard is first, use is necessary". The Ministry of Education will promote the application of the National Standard so that standards can play a role in promoting reform, building and strengthening through standards. First, let the teaching guide committee use it. The Ministry of Education will establish the Teaching Steering Committee of Educational Higher Education Institutions from 2018 to 2022, give full play to the role of the new teaching guidance committee, and carry out the publicity, interpretation and promotion of the "National Standard". The second is to make colleges and universities move. After the release of the National Standard, all localities and relevant industry departments should study and formulate talent evaluation standards based on the National Standard; all universities should revise talent training plans based on the National Standard to cultivate diversified and high-quality talents. The third is closely integrated with the construction of "three first-class". The Ministry of Education will closely combine the implementation of the "National Standard" with the construction of "first-class undergraduate, first-class majors, and first-class talents", monitor and certified the quality and level of majors in various universities, and publish the "report card" in a timely manner.
