Institutional Problems and Solutions of General Education in Chinese Universities

Abstract

Embedding general education in the Chinese university education system is a considerably complex systemic project, and a lack of institutional arrangements beneficial to general education has always been a key barrier in implementation. Currently, the main institutional restricting factors for university general education include substantial major-based education systems, scattered credit management systems, lack of a distributive elective system with interdisciplinary integration, and a vertically segmented course management system. In the process from popularizing to deepening general education, Chinese universities must move from imitating and transplanting toward local construction; establish the new ideal of undergraduate general education; focus on building featured, university-based fundamental general education curricula; and seek out a path that suits the institutional environment of Chinese universities.

Keywords:

• general education
• institutional problems
• local construction
• university

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Weiqing Meng

Weiqing Meng is a PhD student in the Institute of Education at Sun Yat-sen University and an associate professor in the School of Education at Guangzhou University.

Wei Huang

Wei Huang is assistant dean and professor at the Guangdong Academy of Education.