Individualized and Innovation-Centered General Education in a Chinese STEM University

Li，Xu1; Li，Yuan2

2023-08-01

10.3390/educsci13080846

Education Sciences   Impact Factor & Quartile

2227-7102

The concept and practice of general education have been widely discussed and debated in the Euro-American world, but its adaptation in China needs further discussion and understanding. Over the past decade, its impact on Chinese higher education is increasingly salient, with a large number of Chinese first-tier universities claiming to initiate general education reforms to their previously narrowly focused undergraduate programs. This paper explores the development, implementation, and support of general education in a new type of research university in China from an organizational perspective. Through a case study of the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper examines SUSTech’s individualized and innovation-based general education system, highlighting its institution-wide approach and innovation-centered perspective. The findings underscore the importance of integrating general education principles throughout the university to foster self-directed thinkers and cultivate students’ self-awareness, interests, and passions. This study also reveals how general education is used as an organizational solution to address a variety of historical and complicated issues that challenge Chinese universities. This research serves as a catalyst for reform and innovation in Chinese higher education, inspiring transformative practices that meet the evolving needs of students and society.

general education STEM university whole-institution approach

ESCI

English

First ; Corresponding

International Joint Research Project of Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University[ICER201908] ; SUSTech Research Project of Southern University of Science and Technology[SUSTECH2020C005]

Education & Educational Research

Education & Educational Research

WOS:001057173600001

MDPI

2-s2.0-85169128617

Scopus

1.School of Design,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
2.Center for Language Education,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China

Li，Xu,Li，Yuan. Individualized and Innovation-Centered General Education in a Chinese STEM University[J]. Education Sciences,2023,13(8).

Li，Xu,&Li，Yuan.(2023).Individualized and Innovation-Centered General Education in a Chinese STEM University.Education Sciences,13(8).

Li，Xu,et al."Individualized and Innovation-Centered General Education in a Chinese STEM University".Education Sciences 13.8(2023).