Not long ago, 36 colleges and universities in the first "Strong Foundation Plan" successively carried out transition assessment. In the official website of some colleges and universities, the transfer list and data of the first batch of students in the Strong Foundation Program were publicized.
In January, 2020, the Ministry of Education issued "Opinions on Piloting the Enrollment Reform of Basic Subjects in Some Colleges and Universities", and decided to launch the enrollment reform of basic subjects in 36 colleges and universities from 2020, which is called the Strong Foundation Plan. Now, three years have passed, and the candidates of the first strong foundation program who entered school in the fall of 2020 and received much attention have completed three years of strong foundation training. After entering school this fall, they ushered in a "strong foundation transition". Whether the transition can be successfully completed determines whether the "strong foundation students" who have entered the senior year can continue to stay in the strong foundation program and realize the road of scientific research from undergraduate to graduate.
The reporter of China Youth Daily and China Youth Network combed the data and training programs of some college students with strong foundation programs, and interviewed many experts in the field of education and the staff of the academic affairs office of colleges and universities, trying to present the assessment criteria and the situation of the first strong foundation program transition, and explore how to optimize the future training methods of "strong foundation students".
The assessment standard of "strengthening the foundation and transforming the section" is "strict entry and strict exit"
It is understood that the transition from a strong foundation is also a way for college graduates to study for graduate students without taking the test, but the assessment method is only applicable to students who plan to strengthen the foundation.
Many colleges and universities have clearly pointed out that the transfer of the strong foundation plan will occupy the number of graduate students. For example, the work plan for the transfer of undergraduate and graduate students in the 2020 "Strong Foundation Program Class" of the School of Mathematics of South China University of Technology points out that this transfer plan occupies the graduate enrollment plan of the college and the tutor in 2024. The notice of the transfer of graduate students from Huazhong University of Science and Technology’s 2020-level strong foundation program pointed out that the number of places for the transfer of strong foundation students to postgraduate training was specially issued by the Ministry of Education, which occupied the postgraduate enrollment plan of the training unit in 2024 and the acceptance plan for the students (direct students or master students).
The assessment requirements for "strong foundation transfer" are strict. For example, it is pointed out in the detailed rules for the implementation of the transfer assessment of the Department of History of Fudan University that strong basic students can apply for transfer enrollment after passing the transfer academic assessment required by the training program and obtaining the qualification for transfer application.
The assessment standard of "strong foundation transfer" is not only limited to the requirements of qualified course scores and comprehensive grade points, but also involves the overall academic performance in the first three years. For example, in the working rules for the transition of students in the 2020-level strong foundation program of Wuhan University College of Literature, the assessment conditions and methods put forward five requirements: in addition to meeting the basic course scores and comprehensive grade points, they also need to meet the self-evaluation report on the learning situation in the first three years; Provide one or two letters of recommendation written by any professional class teacher or academic tutor or class tutor; College comprehensive assessment (including academic year thesis report, professional written test and comprehensive interview) and other conditions.
"Strong foundation program students need to go through a series of assessment procedures if they want to transfer smoothly. In addition to the daily assessment of dynamic entry and exit, they also need to pass the selection and assessment of the admission department before transferring." Ma Dongyao, deputy director of the Education Department of the Academic Affairs Department (Graduate School) of Beijing Normal University, told the reporter of Zhongqingbao and Zhongqingwang.
Taking the School of Philosophy of Beijing Normal University as an example, the transition assessment contents of the School of Philosophy include basic professional knowledge ability, reaction ability, language expression, behavior accomplishment, psychological quality, foreign language listening and speaking, etc. In addition, the transition assessment of the School of Artificial Intelligence of the school includes computer test and interview. Among them, the computer test examines students’ programming ability, and the interview examines students’ professional knowledge base, academic research ability, scientific research development potential and professional foreign language use and other comprehensive qualities.
According to the announcements issued by many colleges and universities, those who have not participated in the transfer examination or failed to pass the transfer examination are deemed to have withdrawn from the strong foundation program and no longer have the qualification to apply for postgraduate studies without examination. For example, the convection scheme of the strong foundation classes in the School of Mathematics and Statistics of Lanzhou University in the 2023-2024 academic year clearly pointed out that each strong foundation plan should withdraw from the vacant places for students, and students who are willing to join the strong foundation plan and have excellent comprehensive quality should be selected from the ordinary classes of the corresponding majors. Those who pass the examination can be added to the strong foundation plan major.
According to Ma Liping, a permanent associate professor of Peking University Institute of Education, there are some differences in the transfer assessment of students with strong foundation in different schools, which is largely related to the discipline structure, teacher strength, student quality and organizational model of each school, and also reflects the full autonomy of universities in implementing the strong foundation plan.
"We hope to cultivate top-notch innovative talents with diversified characteristics. Therefore, whether it is the evaluation and evaluation of students or the training methods, we should also encourage local conditions, not ‘ One size fits all ’ 。” In Ma Liping’s view, considering that the implementation of the Strong Foundation Program is not long, it will take some time for colleges and universities to explore the most suitable assessment method for their own schools.
Some netizens are also concerned about the "involution" problem brought to "strong students" by the dynamic access mechanism. Wang Xinfeng, an associate professor at China Institute of Education Policy, Beijing Normal University, believes that competition and involution should not be overemphasized, innovation is long-term, and a relaxed atmosphere should be provided for the growth of top students, so that they can do something steadily and persistently in their fields of interest.
After the transition, we should pay more attention to the reform of talent training methods.
A number of colleges and universities have published the transfer data of students in the Strong Foundation Program. For example, Nanjing University has a total of 115 students successfully transferred to other universities this year, including 30 direct students and 85 master students. According to the announcement of the list of transfer students of Shanghai Jiaotong University’s 2024 Strong Foundation Program, a total of 130 students successfully transferred to the direct or master’s degree stage.
In the transition stage, some students choose direct blog, going abroad or quitting. Take the information released by Southeast University as an example. In 2020, the school enrolled 81 students in the first batch of strong foundation programs. This year, a total of 75 strong foundation students successfully entered the master’s or direct doctoral stage. Among them, there are 12 philosophy majors, two of whom quit because of going abroad, and all the rest of the students have successfully changed their careers; Thirty-eight of the 40 people in the mathematics class successfully switched to a new stage, including 22 in the School of Mathematics, 10 in the School of Computer Science and Engineering, and 6 in the School of Cyberspace Security. Of the 20 students in the School of Physics, 18 were successful, including 15 in the School of Physics, 1 in the School of Integrated Circuits, 1 in the School of Information Science and Engineering and 1 in the School of Electronic Science and Engineering. 9 chemistry majors, all successfully transferred.
"From the perspective of ordinary people, the stage from undergraduate to master’s or doctor’s degree of strong foundation plan is called ‘ Turn section ’ . However, the key point of the strong foundation plan is the strategy of opening up the master’s degree and realizing the integrated training of top-notch talents in basic disciplines. " According to Chen Zhiwen, a member of the Academic Committee of China Education Development Strategy Society, the strong foundation program is different from the phased training mode of ordinary undergraduate students, and its purpose is to train top-notch innovative talents in basic disciplines. From undergraduate students, it is necessary to systematically consider the design of the traditional training mode to get through all academic periods and enter scientific research in advance.
Chen Zhiwen believes that Qiangji plan is about to enter the fourth year of training, so it is necessary to pay more attention to the reform of training methods. "How to optimize the training mode and give talented children more opportunities to stand out from the crowd is the most important issue at the moment."
Since the introduction of the Strong Foundation Program, Ma Liping has led the team to investigate thousands of students and conducted interviews with more than 100 people. Ma Liping suggested that more attention should be paid to helping students know and understand their interests, follow their hearts and make university and major choices in the basic education stage; In addition, universities should further expand diversified talent selection methods and improve the selection methods that are still mainly based on the total score of college entrance examination and competition results.
In her view, transition refers to a specific statement that strong foundation students transition from undergraduate to postgraduate. The transition rate means what percentage of strong foundation students can successfully enter the postgraduate study, and no transition means quitting from the strong foundation plan. The transition ratio is influenced by many complicated factors, which may reflect the staged performance of universities in talent selection or training, and may also reflect the recognition, interest and even study hard of students with strong foundation in basic disciplines.
"Young people around the age of 18 are in the stage of constantly exploring the world and recognizing themselves. In this process, they are constantly changing themselves, presenting endless development possibilities. So, ‘ Exit ’ Behind it may be students’ passive acceptance or students’ active choice. " She suggested that we should not treat or compare the transition rate indiscriminately, but should evaluate the policy effectiveness from the perspective of human development in a longer period of time.
How to cultivate top-notch innovative talents who are qualified for future social development and needs
It is understood that the training mode of strong foundation plan in many colleges and universities carries out "undergraduate and doctoral training" around basic disciplines. Basic disciplines are broad in caliber and cross-disciplinary, and students’ choices are very rich when they graduate from graduate school and then subdivide disciplines or conduct cross-disciplinary research.
In the pilot colleges and universities of the Strong Foundation Program, most colleges and universities still give students as many options as possible, although the major categories of transfer are limited. For example, the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Huazhong University of Science and Technology pointed out that students can apply for a master’s degree or a direct doctoral degree according to their actual situation and wishes. Strong-base students who have obtained the qualification for transfer can apply for graduate students majoring in science, as well as high-end chips and software, intelligent technology, new materials, advanced manufacturing and national security.
Some colleges and universities also allow cross-disciplinary applications. For example, it is clearly pointed out in the transfer plan of history department of Fudan University that applicants majoring in history department can apply for the first-level disciplines of our school (three first-level disciplines of China history, world history and archaeology) and the professional direction of two disciplines; According to their own interests in academic development, they can apply for related majors in the Department of Cultural Relics and Museums, the China Historical Geography Research Center and the Institute of Literature and History, and they can also apply for related majors in high-end chips, national security and humanities and social sciences with shortage of talents across disciplines.
In Wang Xinfeng’s view, at present, there are 39 double-class universities in China that implement the strong foundation plan, and the annual enrollment scale is about 6,000. Compared with the proportion of China’s higher education and top-notch talents, the enrollment number is small. Different from the previous top-notch plan, the strong foundation plan focuses more on the disciplines that serve the country’s major strategic needs, such as high-end chips and software, intelligent technology, new materials, advanced manufacturing and national security, as well as humanities and social sciences where national talents are scarce. In these disciplines, special emphasis is placed on the cross-integration of disciplines.
"As long as students can meet the requirements of professional assessment in another discipline, it means that students can complete professional study and research in related fields. The cross-integration of disciplines is the key to scientific research and innovation, and it is also worth encouraging. " Wang Xinfeng said.
Having been engaged in education in colleges and universities for many years, Ma Dongyao suggested: "We should combine the new needs of students’ development, be brave in innovation, introduce the concepts and technologies of the new era such as educational big data and artificial intelligence into the strong foundation plan, and cultivate top-notch innovative talents who can really meet the needs of future social development."
Ma Dongyao suggested that in the future, we should constantly innovate the training mode of "Strong Foundation Plan", such as continuing to promote effective training modes such as tutorial system, small class size, individualization and internationalization, perfecting formative assessment mechanism, and evaluating students’ comprehensive quality from multiple subjects, dimensions and perspectives. In addition, she suggested that in the future, we should explore the one-person-one-plan scheme, increase the guidance of tutors, establish a more targeted and effective mode of connecting undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programs, and improve the refinement of the student training work of the "Strong Foundation Program".
From a macro point of view, Ma Liping believes that the government and society’s inclination to the resources of basic disciplines and the importance attached to talents in basic disciplines will guide and influence the future choices of students and parents.
"The core of evaluating the strong foundation plan is whether it has achieved the original intention of the policy, that is, whether it has trained top-notch innovative talents in the field of basic disciplines for the country. In this sense, it is necessary to conduct follow-up evaluation from a longer period of time. " Ma Liping said.
Zhongqingbao Zhongqingwang Trainee Reporter Yang Jie Reporter Fan Weichen Intern Zhou Wenhao
