How can the new model of recruiting students based on major categories regardless of specific majors become a "trap"?

[For a long time, Chinese colleges and universities have enrolled students according to their majors. The division of majors has exposed many outstanding problems. They have focused too much on the teaching of vocational knowledge and skills and neglected the cultivation of humanity and scientific spirit.

Now that my country's higher education has entered a new stage of popularization, the building of an innovative country also requires colleges and universities to cultivate compound talents with lifelong learning capabilities and adapt to social changes.

It can be said that large-scale enrollment and large-scale training are the needs of the development of higher education.

]

  Produced by Deep Eye Studio

  Written by: our reporter Zhang Galun

  Planning: Liu Li

  "The general admission examination is good, and the college entrance examination will be won at the end of each year!

  The enrollment of the major category is good, and run when you see the major category!

"

  This is an anonymous ridicule about college admissions on a question-and-answer website.

  If you inquire about the college entrance examination volunteer application guide, you will also see some "reminders" from people who come over-be careful, there are "frauds" in college admissions.

  Big category enrollment, as the name suggests, is that colleges and universities do not distinguish specific majors when enrolling undergraduates, and follow a certain method to "merge similar items" and enroll students in the form of broad categories.

After entering colleges and universities for a period of time, students are divided into majors based on interests and two-way selection principles.

  Enrollment in large categories is considered a trend in the development of higher education, which is conducive to the cultivation of innovative and comprehensive talents.

  Obviously it is a good thing, why did it cause complaints?

  "The angle of understanding between colleges and students is actually different for large-scale enrollment." Zhang Duanhong, deputy director of the Institute of Higher Education of Tongji University, said with emotion. "

  Enrollment in broad categories is the general trend and forced by the situation

  "Is Sun Yat-Sen University a little confused on the general admissions?" At the end of July, a Weibo veteran complained on his personal account.

  In 2021, Sun Yat-sen University announced the implementation of large-scale enrollment.

Its computer (Zhuhai) branch majors include artificial intelligence, software engineering, microelectronics science and engineering, remote sensing science and technology, and civil, water conservancy and ocean engineering.

This also means that students who sign up for computer majors may end up in civil engineering and water conservancy majors that seem to have little connection with computers.

  In the eyes of some people, this is a combination of popular majors and unpopular majors for "bundled enrollment" and "digging holes" for students.

  Is the enrollment of large-scale students just to pack the majors?

  In fact, from a global perspective, a broad-calibre, thick-foundation undergraduate talent training model is the consensus of prestigious universities.

Most prestigious universities such as Yale University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have established liberal arts colleges in charge of general education and talent training for undergraduates.

They encourage students to treat majors with an open mind, allow students to split majors multiple times, and even allow students to design their own personalized majors.

  "Broad-category enrollment training can be seen in the transitional stage of cost subjects shifting from professional education to general education." Zhang Duanhong said that the educational goal of undergraduate education now is not just focusing on professional skills, but focusing more on cultivating students' qualities and abilities. Firm the students' multi-disciplinary and comprehensive knowledge base.

  For a long time, Chinese colleges and universities have enrolled students according to their majors. The division of majors has been too detailed and narrow, exposing many outstanding problems, focusing too much on the teaching of vocational knowledge and skills, and neglecting the cultivation of humanity and scientific spirit.

Now that my country's higher education has entered a new stage of popularization, the building of an innovative country also requires colleges and universities to cultivate compound talents with lifelong learning capabilities and adapt to social changes.

It can be said that large-scale enrollment and large-scale training are the needs of the development of higher education.

  In China, it is Peking University that started exploring "large-scale enrollment" earlier.

In the late 1980s, Peking University put forward the teaching reform policy of "strengthening the foundation, diluting the major, teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, and splitting training".

In 2001, Peking University launched the "Yuan Pei Project", first doing general education, and then doing professional studies.

  In recent years, more and more colleges and universities have joined the camp of large-scale enrollment.

According to statistics from Nanchang University graduate student Li Yan in her master's thesis in 2019, 90% of first-class university construction universities and nearly 70% of first-class discipline construction universities have implemented large-scale enrollment.

  Ma Jinxi, director of the Admissions Office of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, introduced the reasons for the implementation of large-scale enrollment and pointed out that large-scale enrollment and training can expand students' independent choice, and it is more in line with the current trend of higher education reform of interdisciplinary and weakening of professional boundaries, and is in line with first-class universities The development direction of undergraduate talent training.

  However, another force that pushes colleges and universities to implement large-scale enrollment can be said to be "forced by reality."

  In 2014, the State Council issued the "Implementation Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Examination Enrollment System" to initiate the reform of the new college entrance examination.

  "After the reform of the college entrance examination, the original college admission rules have undergone major changes." Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of China Education Online and member of the expert group of the National Education Examination Steering Committee, analyzed to reporters from Science and Technology Daily that there are generally two forms of voluntary filing for the new college entrance examination.

One is professional (category) + college, that is, a major (category) of a college is a volunteer, and parallel voluntary filing is implemented; the second is college + professional group, where one college is divided into professional groups of several colleges and universities. A professional group of a college is a volunteer, and it is also a parallel volunteer file. Its essence is to group together the majors with the same requirements for the college entrance examination.

"The essence of applying for the old college entrance examination is to choose a school, and the essence of applying for a volunteer after the new college entrance examination is to apply for a major." Chen Zhiwen said.

  The "professional first" approach to files has actually weakened the protective effect of the elite schools' aura on disadvantaged majors.

Sometimes, the strong professional scores of ordinary colleges and universities can even surpass that of the established "211" and "985" colleges and universities.

Under this circumstance, cooperation between colleges and departments to "keep together" has not only increased the admission opportunities of candidates, but has also become an important measure for colleges and universities to improve the quality of students and stabilize admission scores.

  At present, domestic colleges and universities generally have three types of enrollment models, and some colleges and universities will adopt these types of models.

The first is to recruit students according to disciplines, and according to the similarity of majors, the school's majors will be reintegrated into several major categories such as economics, management, mechanics, and electronics, such as Tsinghua University and Beijing Institute of Technology; the second is in the form of experimental classes. Enrollment is for some students, such as Zhejiang University Engineering Experiment Class, Wuhan University Engineering Experiment Class; third, freshmen enter a college uniformly, receive general education in the lower grades regardless of majors, and then determine majors, such as Yuanpei from Peking University College.

  Unreasonable course setting, big difference between hot and cold majors

  A certain "double first-class" construction university in Beijing has also established academies in recent years to fully implement large-scale enrollment.

Liu Jiang (a pseudonym), a teacher at a certain academy of the school, told the Science and Technology Daily reporter that the reform of the school is indeed moving forward in exploration.

  Enrollment in a large category requires large-scale training.

But after breaking through the faculty and department barriers, how to teach first-year students, and what classes to teach, have become a new problem.

In the beginning, teachers who were accustomed to professional education were also confused. As for the curriculum, the colleges involved in major majors could only negotiate by themselves.

"In the end, how to take classes has become a game among the colleges."

  Chen Zhiwen also bluntly said that some schools seem to have enrolled students in broad categories, but they simply used broad categories of enrollment as a measure to respond to the new college entrance examination, and failed to seize the opportunity for reforms and make great efforts to promote broad category training.

There is only the name of large-class cultivation, and there is no such thing as large-class cultivation.

The true training of large-scale classes requires restructuring of the curriculum system, rather than simply engaging in large-scale assortments and hodgepodges.

"I call this kind of'counterability' cultivation."

  If the curriculum is not reasonably set up, the problem will be that generalists cannot be cultivated, and professionals will be swayed by half a bucket of water.

Some teachers have opinions on the general admissions, thinking that the general admissions weakens professional education and shortens the time for students to study professionally.

"What we have learned is that a considerable proportion of children are still in a state of lack of professional knowledge after the professional triage, and they have to make up lessons." Zhang Duanhong said.

  Generally, colleges and universities will diversify students by major after one year of training. Volunteering is given priority. Students' academic performance and other performance are comprehensively considered. Some schools will also use college entrance examination results as a reference factor.

  "It is said that the large-scale enrollment expands students' autonomy in major selection and gives them more time to understand their majors and recognize themselves. But this may be just a good wish." Liu Jiang admitted frankly from the situation of major diversion in the past few years. It can be seen that even after a year of major basic courses, students still feel confused when choosing a major.

He sighed that what many children lack is career planning education. The thing that students have always been bad at is making choices.

  Because of confusion, when choosing a major, it is better to consider the more realistic "hot and cold" factors.

"Teachers have also been guiding, but they can't stand the voice of the society. When students see that certain majors are always complaining about employment, they must be "hot" and avoid "cold"." Liu Jiang said.

  If there are too many students hitting popular majors, some of them will not be able to meet their professional aspirations-they will be adjusted.

  Professional diversion is a second choice and a second competition.

  The biggest feeling a student learns is tired.

The most common complaint Liu Jiang hears is, "I have to learn a little bit of everything, just like I'm in senior high school."

In the popular term, it is called "juan".

Freshman grades are good enough to be able to enter the popular majors in the major category as they wish.

But the competition in college is a competition between a group of equally good people, and it is even more difficult than the competition in high school.

Therefore, some students say that learning is harder than the third year of high school.

  Zhang Duanhong analyzed that the original intention of the school to carry out large-scale training is to hope that students read more, accumulate more, and pay more attention to "community."

But under the strong goal orientation, some students are not doing exploratory and interesting learning, but returning to the test-oriented learning in the middle school stage.

"This is not a good thing for the reform of talent training." Zhang Duanhong said.

  The unpopular professional teachers in the general category also criticize the situation of their own majors.

  After the annual diversion, a considerable part of the students accepted by unpopular majors are students who do not want to come to this major but do not have good grades. They are the "laggards" in the competition of professional diversion.

For example, Liu Jiang said that in the first year, when he was in a major category, when he was diverted to a certain unpopular major, only one-fifth to one-sixth took it as his first choice.

  "The teacher also has opinions in his heart, thinking that he can only pick up the remaining students." Liu Jiang said, the teacher privately worried that if things go on like this, the Matthew effect will be formed. The strong professional will always be strong, and the weak will always be weak.

  It is difficult to reform curriculum settings and teaching plans, it is difficult to split majors into consideration of students' willingness and professional development, and it is difficult to bridge the differences between hot and cold majors. These are all dilemmas that colleges and universities may fall into when they implement large-scale enrollment reforms.

  Large-scale enrollment reform requires the establishment of a supporting system

  Large-scale enrollment is not only a reform of enrollment, but also a reform of educational concepts and talent training models.

  Yu Qicai, who was the vice president of Guangzhou University at the time, pointed out that the enrollment and training of large-scale students is a systematic project, which has high requirements for the school's resource conditions and teaching management level.

All colleges and universities must recognize their actual situation, operate cautiously, implement step by step, and advance steadily.

  He analyzed that when designing large-scale training courses, it is necessary to transform the knowledge, abilities, qualities and other requirements that graduates should possess into specific teaching content on the basis of research and demonstration, and then refine and sublimate, transform the specific teaching content into support The various teaching modules and teaching requirements of the training objectives are finally classified and integrated to build a curriculum system so that each core knowledge, professional ability and quality requirements can be specifically implemented into the teaching.

  The unevenness of hot and cold in major categories during diversion is a common situation.

It is a crisis for unpopular majors, but it may also be a turning point.

  Chen Zhiwen frankly said that some "cold" needs to be protected, and some are not worth it.

For example, he said that many colleges and universities prefer to build chemistry majors because they are "big papers", they are easy to produce grades, have numbers, and look lively.

However, this does not necessarily mean that the profession itself is competitive and has social recognition.

"The social demand for some majors is not strong. It is necessary to think about whether the major is worthy of existence, and should it be necessary to recruit so many people?" Chen Zhiwen bluntly said that under the background of talent training of "large enrollment and professional separation", colleges and universities should According to one's own position in running a school, boldly give up some tasteless majors that are not suitable for oneself.

  The competition in diversion is actually not only a competition between students, but also a competition between professions.

Zhang Duanhong said that students "voting with their feet" are also forcing colleges and universities to promote reforms of disciplines and majors and strengthen professional construction.

For professional teachers, to keep their profession is to keep their own foundation.

They must improve their professional status and professional reputation through their own efforts.

  "The more difficult it is to attract students, the more it shows that the direction of professional development needs further condensing." Zhang Duanhong said that the process is indeed painful, but both universities and teachers must face it.

If teachers invest more in talent training and come up with more ways to increase professional attractiveness, the situation will also change.

  Facing and solving problems is the only way for all reforms.

  "There has always been controversy about enrollment in large categories." Zhang Duanhong said, this is largely because it takes time to change concepts.

Colleges and universities believe that the core concept of undergraduate education is to provide students with greater possibilities for the future, but under the pressure of employment, students consider more utilitarian and realistic.

"They don’t want'possibility', or they think that popular majors are better possibilities. Compared to the school’s beautiful-sounding talent training philosophy, they are more concerned about the fact that when they leave the campus four years later, What professional identity enters the talent market."

  Everyone is pursuing short-term benefits and achieving results that can be grasped. This also requires universities to strengthen their guidance to students.

Yin Zhaohua, director of the Admissions and Employment Office of the University of Science and Technology Beijing, pointed out that in the process of professional triage, we must insist on comprehensive consideration, not just look at the student's academic performance, but also look at his potential and interests, and try to stick to the student-oriented approach.

Colleges and universities should also consciously do more work for students, help students understand themselves, guide them to recognize and choose majors from the perspective of career development, and provide more targeted consulting and guidance services.

  Enrollment in large categories cannot be accomplished overnight.

It tests the wisdom of universities and requires them to establish a complete support system for this reform.

Otherwise, it is easy to be questioned.

  Liu Jiang saw that the school has been improving and optimizing the curriculum for large-scale training since the beginning of the large-scale enrollment.

"We have to admit that the benefits of large-scale enrollment and training are not immediate." But changes have already taken place.

Liu Jiang observed that students have more contact with people and have a wider understanding of things. Some students will also consciously do some interdisciplinary scientific research projects in the upper grades.

  Zhang Duanhong also told the Science and Technology Daily reporter that they had interviewed students who had graduated.

When students look back, they will also find that it is necessary to receive basic and general education in the first grade.

They will be grateful for that period of time after they have truly entered the society.

  "It can be said that in a short period of time, the controversy over large-scale enrollment will continue. It takes time to change the concept; to build an ecological environment for talent cultivation also takes time." Zhang Duanhong emphasized, "However, the reform will continue. "