CWU Holds Feedback Session on Undergraduate Education Assessment

China Women's University (CWU) held a symposium to solicit experts' suggestions on the work of undergraduate education assessment on November 23.

Song Xiuyan, vice-president and first member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), and Tan Lin, vice-president and member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, participated in the event.

Attendees also included Project Manager Chen Zhi; Zhou Zhaoxiong, secretary of the expert group; He Xiuchao, director of the Education Steering Committee Office of the State Council and director of the Education Supervision Department of the Ministry of Education (MOE); Ma Jie, director general of the Comprehensive Office of the MOE's Education Supervision Department; Wei Huan, deputy director of the Evaluation and Monitoring Department of MOE's Education Supervision Department; and Sun Ying, a teacher from the MOE's Education and Evaluation Center for Higher Education.

Members of the expert group, including Shen Wenhuai, Ding Zhongming, Shao Fengjing, Zheng Jun, Si Xianzhu, Lu Shiyan, and Zhou Haitao, as well as some 160 CWU leaders, middle-level cadres, supervision group members, principals of different professions and deans of the university's educational research offices attended the meeting, which was presided by Shen, leader of the expert group.

On behalf of the expert group, Shen introduced the basic situation of the assessment work. Shen said that CWU teachers and students have always upheld the motto of Virtus, Caritas, Scientia and Cultura, and organically combined the university's talent cultivation objectives with such values of self-esteem, self-confidence, self-support and self-improvement.

Under the guidance of the "Four-self" spirits, the university has attached great importance to undergraduate education and took the evaluation work as a driving force to improve the university's connotation development, Shen said.

CWU teachers are committed and devoted, its students are confident, independent and elegant and, the university's learning style is rigorous and realistic; teachers and students are active and energetic, Shen added.

CWU adheres to the principle of "serving women, serving people", takes the political mission of the CPC and the country, takes the responsibility of promoting women's causes and, moreover, and strives to become a first-class women's university in China.

CWU's talent cultivation goals meet the needs of women's development and social progress. The university has been sticking to the basic national policy of gender equality, integrating its own development with women's causes and gradually reaching the ultimate goal of talent cultivation.

Both students and relevant employers are satisfied with the university's administration. According to statistics of the third-party agencies, CWU's employment rate and graduates' professional correlation are higher than other universities in China.

On the occasion of the undergraduate education assessment, the university has been carrying forward the spirits of perseverance and unrelenting creativity since 2005, and made prominent achievements in three aspects.

Firstly, CWU leaders have combined the "Four-self" spirits with the university's management characteristics. In order to infuse students with the values of the "Four-selves" and gender equality consciousness, the university has established a teaching system, which was supported by academic research and institutional mechanisms. The university has also taken classroom teaching, practical activities and campus culture as the main talent cultivation methods, and formed a multi-level educational pattern and good educational environment.

Secondly, CWU has actively explored ways to train modern female talents, developed a series of projects in promoting women's development and gender equality, integrated and optimized its theory teaching, as well as, launched various activities for students' all-around development.

CWU also built a new talent cultivation model combining classroom teaching and practical trainings, bred students' team spirit, developed students' capabilities of communication and expression, and fostered their ability to analyze and solve problems.

In addition, the university has vigorously supported women and children's causes, accelerated the establishment of the ACWF think tank and promoted women's international exchange. CWU has played a leading role in disseminating the national policies concerning women and children, and been devoted to providing high-level social services for government departments, women and children's organizations and public communities.

The expert group pointed out several constraints of CWU, including the limited space for development and inadequate personnel establishment management.

Afterwards, each member of the expert group put forward their opinions addressing different concerns, including the university's goal orientation, teaching staff construction, talent cultivation process, quality supervision, students' innovation and entrepreneurship, teachers' teaching ability development, discipline arrangement, the construction of characteristic subjects, application-oriented talent cultivation, campus culture building, ideological and political work, exchange of international women's education and English teaching.

The experts encouraged teachers and students to roll up their sleeves to work harder and together to build CWU as a world-class women's university. They also wished the university a better future.

President Liu addressed the conference after listening to experts' speeches. "While affirming CWU's achievements, the experts have found out the university's insufficiency and put forward constructive suggestions. Those opinions are of instructive significance in improving the undergraduate teaching level and the quality of talents. They also lay a solid foundation for the university to deepen educational reform and strengthen connotation construction," Liu said.

The end of the assessment is the beginning of the reformation. CWU will take the evaluation work as an opportunity to further develop scientific research, deepen comprehensive reform and promote scientific development, Liu added.

In her speech, Liu pointed out that the university should realize three transformations and stick to three invariable principles. 

The three transformations included turning CWU's political advantages into academic strengths, transforming its historical preference into real superiority and converting its management characteristics to absolute advantages.

In the future, CWU will further study how to improve higher education for women in the framework of the ACWF and how to make the most its characteristics and advantages as the only higher institution affiliated to the ACWF, as well as strive to transform its unique political advantages into an educational, management and talent cultivating advantage, Liu said.

CWU is a university with an honorable tradition and rich history. It will keep in mind the responsibility and mission of the new era and work harder to train high-quality female talents for our country. The university hopes to improve women's ability with higher education, promote the implementation of the basic national policy of gender equality and play women's part in building our motherland into a modern powerful socialist country, Liu added.

Moreover, Liu urged relevant teachers to carefully study the successful experiences of famous women's universities worldwide and make great efforts to construct CWU as a top women's university with Chinese characteristics and a spiritual home for both teachers and students.

Liu emphasized that we must consistently cultivate outstanding female talents, persevere in implementing the party's education policy, give priority to moral education and adhere to the principle of "serving the people, especially women".

In addition, it is necessary to uphold the educational standards of developing connotation and improving teaching quality. The university will continue to deepen reform, innovate management systems and mechanisms, establish a high-quality team of teachers, adjust curriculum structures and continuously improve the overall quality of students, said Liu.

Secretary Li Mingshun expressed thanks to the expert group and said that the evaluation work is a ruler to measure the deficiencies and advantages of school management and talent cultivation and is also a beacon to illuminate the right path for the university's development.

The experts' professional dedication, responsibility and pragmatic working style impressed all the participants. They have pinpointed the university's weaknesses and put forward constructive solutions, Li said.

Li sincerely thanked the MOE's for providing such an opportunity of assessment and appreciated its long-term support and instruction. Li also expressed his gratitude to the ACWF for the leaders' attention and creating conditions for the university's reform and development.

During the whole process of the evaluation work, CWU teachers and students have fully cooperated with relevant departments. Their devotion, faithfulness and perseverance for the dream of the university deeply moved all the attendees, Li said.

Li pointed out that the authoritative guidance of the experts made the university's development direction clear and they will study those suggestions thoroughly, make the assessment and adjustment as a top priority of the university's reform, further improve teaching levels and build CWU as a female higher institute people are satisfied with.

He Xiuchao, director of the Education Supervision Department, emphasized that the evaluation work is of special significance on the occasion of the 19th CPC National Congress. CWU has made tremendous progress and rapid development in the past 15 years. The expert group carried out a comprehensive review of the university's undergraduate education within a tight schedule and made particular recommendations for CWU's future work. 

He urged the university to implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and take this assessment as a new starting point to promote its connotation development. He also asked relevant departments to fully recognize the importance of the evaluation work, conscientiously sum up the opinions and suggestions made by experts, and establish reform mechanisms for higher education.

He hoped CWU could create a new situation for development, develop new ideas for its talent cultivation work and strive for the dream of becoming a world-class women's university.

Song Xiuyan delivered a keynote speech at the end of the meeting. She pointed out that the evaluation work examined the overall work of the university and laid a solid foundation for its sound development.

On behalf of the ACWF, Song expressed her heartfelt thanks to the expert group and the MOE leaders. Since the MOE approved CWU's transformation to a regular institution of higher learning offering bachelor degrees in 2002, the university has made enormous progress with the support of the ACWF and the unremitting efforts of the whole faculty.

As the ACWF does not have specialized departments and professionals for higher education, CWU may have more problems in management and teaching than other mature higher institutions, Song said.

In the future, the ACWF will spare no efforts to create conditions for the development of CWU. Song hoped the university could carefully study how to do a good job of rectification and reform and to catch up with higher goals in accordance with assessment requirements.

Song also presented her ideas towards the expansion of the school space, insufficient educational funding, the development of scientific research and promotion of autonomous operating.

The ACWF will further study the law of education, the rule of higher education and women's education. The ACWF Party Group will invite CWU leaders to participate in a special meeting, review the questions and suggestions put forward by the expert group and work together to promote the university's new round of development, Song added.

Based on the previous review of the self-assessment report and the data analysis of teaching conditions, the experts took a field inspection of undergraduate education from November 20-23.

The experts visited 18 functional departments, 14 subordinate schools and scientific research institutes, and hosted 24 seminars.

They also interviewed 103 school leaders, department heads and teachers, attended 25 lectures and 16 open classes, examined 937 test papers of 23 different subjects and 942 graduation theses of all 21 disciplines, as well as visited 3 internship bases and employing units. In addition, the expert group inspected part of the university's teaching and research equipment and laboratories, and visited the student canteens, dormitories and other living facilities.

After the feedback meeting, the expert group will integrate the opinions of all the experts with CWU's situation and develop a review report on the university's undergraduate education. They will submit the report back to CWU after being confirmed by the Higher Education Evaluation Center of the MOE. The university will form a rectification plan according to the report and earnestly implement the reform program.

(Source: China Women's University/Translated and Edited by Gender Study Network)