Beijing, 17th May, 2017 (BISTU)--- BISTU Conference on 2017 Undergraduate Teaching successfully completes in Auditorium of Xiaoying Campus. The Conference focuses on “taking the opportunity of undergraduate teaching evaluation, emphasizing on quality construction, holding onto features, and enhancing overall education quality”. Keynote speeches are respectively delivered by Chairman Wang Chuanliang and President Wang Yongsheng. The Conference is attended the whole senior administration of BISTU, directors and deans of divisions and schools, head of labs, representatives of faculties and student, and relating representatives and is hosted by Vice President Xu Baojie.    

In his address, Wang Chuanliang points out that President Xi Jinping, in his speech on national conference on ideological construction in higher educational institutions, has produced guidance and values for universities in running the school, education, and enhancement of teaching quality. With focus on education and teaching as well as spirit of national conference on ideological construction in higher educational institutions, Wang Chuanliang systematically explains issues regarding “teaching for whom, what to teach, how to teach, who teach and whom to teach” considering the reality at BISTU that undergraduate teaching evaluation is on the way, party building studies become the new normal, and “construction of five environments” becomes strategic choice of BISTU. He says that education at BISTU shall focus on leadership of the Party and shall be oriented to “four services”.   

With regard to what to teach, Wang Chuanliang says that BISTU shall better, effectively connect academic disciplines with demand of the nation, society and industry and that BISTU shall make commitment to serving Beijing’s “construction of four centers” and integration of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei. BISTU shall have the courage of open itself to the outside world and show its competence and contributions. Based on historical precipitation, academic disciplines of BISTU shall carry its own unique features and better combine scientific spirit, humanistic spirit and art qualities. BISTU is a university who not only teaches students knowledge, scientific methods, and scientific spirit but also enlightens them and educate them to be men of wisdom and virtue.  

With regard to how to teach, Wang Chuanliang analyzes this issue from the perspective of ideas, system, and mechanism. He points out that the University shall pay attention to construction of “integration of knowledge teaching, quality cultivating and character building” with efforts from the whole university. A mechanism of integrated educational environment shall be constructed with focus on seven educational channels, i.e., education in teaching, education in research, education in field practice, education in management, education in service, education in culture, and education in organization. Such system would bring strengths of all faculties, students, and staff members into full play so that speedy and leap-bound development of BISTU would be achieved and every one at BISTU would be able to enjoy fruits of the development.  

With regard to the issue who to teach, Wang Chuanliang particularly mentions staff development and stimulation of vitality of faculties and staff. He says that the University shall construct a teaching and research team which are in “harmony without uniformity” and where all could work together without sacrificing their own strengths. An academic climate shall be constructed with encouragement of innovation, orderly competition, and mutual appreciation. An emotional environment at the University shall be construction to give enough room to individuals, share advantage, be happy for others’ achievement, and help each other. He hopes that each faculty shall bear the divine responsibility of being “engineers of human’s souls” and become disseminator of knowledge, sower of the truth, shapers of souls and builder of thoughts.   

Wang Chuanliang emphasizes on the issue whom to teach that education shall consider features and demand of its objects. Students of various ages and levels demand education of different levels and content. Education shall not only focus on knowledge teaching but also aims at enlightening students and making them spiritually stronger. Students shall be guided to correctly understand their responsibilities of the times and historical mission. Attention shall be paid to university atmosphere in imperceptibly influencing students and meeting their demand in the process of growing up.    

In his report Taking the Opportunity of Undergraduate Teaching Evaluation, Emphasizing on Quality Construction, Holding Onto Features, And Enhancing Overall Education Quality, Wang Yongsheng firstly explains spirit of relating national policies and documentation and then emphasizes on mission of education in higher educational institutions. He analyzes new tendency of reform and development of universities and points out that there are two tendencies in development of higher education: one is to deepen reform on universities to free them from administrative supervision and vitalize them in education; the other is to strengthen internal self-discipline and external supervision to build up a quality assurance system at the universities. Undergraduate teaching at universities, Wang Yongsheng says, is to take national tendency into consideration and then make scientific, reasonable strategic planning.  

Wang Yongsheng systematically analyzes achievements and experiences in undergraduate teaching in recent years, which include: continuing to strengthen top-down design, which enables BISTU to have much more distinctive features and objectives in education; actively connecting to national key, strategic demand, which helps BISTU successfully in getting new majors approved, such as robot engineering, data science and big data technology, etc.; continuously innovating teaching philosophy and actively advancing teaching reform to build up new mode of cultivation for talents of applied learning; emphasizing on cultivation of innovative, practical competence of students to achieve substantial profess in innovation and entrepreneurship education; steadily advancing appraisal and accreditation of majors to establish new stage of discipline construction led by standard accreditation; and gradually perfecting teaching management and service system to build up a quality supervision system in compliance with actual situation of BISTU.  

Wang Yongsheng requests that the university take the opportunity of undergraduate teaching evaluation, emphasize on quality construction, hold onto features, and enhance overall education quality. In the first place, the University shall hold onto the principle of education of talents with virtues to educate quality students of applied learning with comprehensive qualities. It is essential to make it clear that virtue plays a fundamental role in education and the 13^th Five-year Plan shall be implemented. Secondly, feature and content of BISTU education deserves more attention and overall strength and quality of BISTU shall be enhanced. The University shall be oriented by national key, strategic demand and rooted in its fine traditions and strengths. It is important for the University to stand firm on “six leading disciplines” to enhance content construction so as to improve quality of education. Thirdly, reform shall be promoted and deepened on human resources system to improve quality of faculties as well as quality of management. The strategy of “talent-driven enhancement of university” shall be thoroughly implemented to build up a team of leading talents. All shall be responsible in focusing on undergraduate teaching and education of talents. And fourthly, it is necessary to take the opportunity of undergraduate teaching evaluation to construct a teaching quality assurance system with sustainable improvement. Enough attention shall be paid and well preparation shall be made to view evaluation as a driving force for reform and development of the University.  

According to faculties participating in the Conference, they are better helped in understanding of new situation, new mission, and new requirements of higher education in this new era. The Conference makes it clear for strengthening educational quality and advancing reform on teaching and education. It lays focus and requirements for all faculties and staff in undergraduate teaching as well as in education in general.  

This Conference is a key part of 2017 undergraduate teaching. In the following days BISTU will invite more experts to deliver reports on undergraduate teaching evaluation, publish more documentation, and specify missions on the evaluation.