General Education Reform and Its Implications for Student Learning : The Case of Yuanpei Program of Peking University in China

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  • 北京大学における元培プログラムの意義 : 大学生の学習を促進するための一般教育改革

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Abstract

Although it is widely acknowledged that undergraduate students should receive general education, it is not clear how to implement the appropriate model designed for each particular group of students in different cultural, historical, economical and educational contexts. This article introduces one example of general education reform in China: the Yuanpei Program of Peking University. By providing general education courses to all undergraduates, and by setting up a Yuanpei College for a small-scale experiment, the Yuanpei Program has been implementing such reform strategies as free choices of specialty and courses, a flexible learning calendar with credit requirements, a tutor system, a mixed lodging arrangement, as well as placing the management of student study and life under the direct governance of the university. The outcomes of the reform are on the whole positive, although many problems remain due to lack of a consensus about general education as well as some structural constraints and physical confinements. In order to deal with these problems, some suggestions have been put forward not only for a consideration of logistics in universal terms but also with a view to tracing back to the Chinese historical heritage in search of more cultural resources in developing China’s own model of general education for the current demands.

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