Institutional Problems and Solutions of General Education in Chinese Universities

Overview & Synopsis

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. [This article was translated by Jeff Keller.]