"I started working as a teacher right after completing my master's degree in 1997. It has been 27 years now." Bao Nengsheng, Ph.D. in Engineering from Tsinghua University, currently serves as Associate Dean of the College of Engineering at Shantou University. During his tenure at Shantou University, Bao has witnessed the university's progress in tandem with China's reform and opening-up. Leveraging several major higher education reforms, the university has enhanced its domestic and international reputation. It has maintained its advantage of "refined education," expanded its enrollment scale in response to national policy adjustments, and sent more outstanding talents into society. With the establishment of the East Coast Campus and the expansion of the faculty, the university's capabilities for cultivating students' soft and hard skills have been significantly improved.
The Evolution of Educational Philosophy: Practice of "Advanced Undergraduate Education"
In 1997, after earning his master's degree, Bao Nengsheng worked as a full-time researcher at the Institute of Energy and Environment at Shantou University. It was not until 2003, when the institute was integrated into the College of Engineering and Bao moved to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, that he began teaching undergraduates. This role change deepened his understanding of talent cultivation reform at Shantou University.
Founded in 1981, Shantou University is a young university. Bao Nengsheng points out that in its early days, like many other universities in China, Shantou University faced challenges such as a small scale and unclear talent cultivation goals, "lacking a set of influential educational concepts and methods." The arrival of Executive President Gu Peihua in 2005 injected new vitality into the university's educational reform. Integrating the educational philosophy proposed by Li Ka-shing of "establishing oneself and pursuing selflessness" and drawing on Gu Peihua's experience in engineering education accumulated in Canada and the United States, Shantou University formulated an eight-year reform and development strategy in 2009, proposing a development path centered on deepening educational and teaching reform with "Advanced Undergraduate Education" as the core.
This was not only a response to the challenges of traditional education models but also a reflection and exploration of future talent cultivation. Under the banner of "Advanced Undergraduate Education," Shantou University took the lead in implementing CDIO engineering education reform in the field of engineering. It drew on the latest achievements in engineering education from North America and the world, gradually building an engineering education reform model that both possesses Chinese characteristics and aligns with international trends. This laid a solid foundation for cultivating high-quality talents who are "aspiring, knowledgeable, persistent, and accomplished."
Bao Nengsheng believes that "Advanced Undergraduate Education" comprises outcome-based education, refined education, and international vision—three crucial levers for Shantou University to improve its education and teaching quality. The university's resource allocation and the strong support of the Li Ka Shing Foundation provided undergraduates at that time with numerous opportunities to go abroad, participate in international competitions and exchanges, continuously expanding their international vision and cross-cultural communication skills.
As the reform deepened, Shantou University gradually extended the beneficial experience gained from practicing "Advanced Undergraduate Education" in engineering to other disciplines across the university. The implementation of talent cultivation under "Advanced Undergraduate Education" yielded significant results. From 2013 to 2016, indicators such as Shantou University's admission scores, graduate employment rates, and starting salaries all improved.
The Support of Outcome-Based Education: A Quality Assurance System
In Bao Nengsheng's view, within the landscape of higher education reform at Shantou University, outcome-based education is a crucial pillar of "Advanced Undergraduate Education." Outcome-based education emphasizes student learning outcomes, highlights the student's central role, and breaks down talent cultivation goals into every link of the training process. Bao believes that the proposal and implementation of this concept prompted the university to conduct extensive research and in-depth analysis, leading to the formation of norms and systems from goal setting to outcome evaluation, achieving a complete closed loop.
Bao was particularly impressed by the quality assurance system established during this process. To ensure the effective implementation of outcome-based education, Shantou University constructed a comprehensive quality assurance system. This system first emphasizes the reasonableness of talent cultivation goals, meaning that goal setting must be based on extensive social research and industry demand analysis to ensure that the talents cultivated meet the actual needs of society. To this end, the Academic Affairs Office of Shantou University took the lead, organizing each college to conduct in-depth interviews with faculty, students, and alumni, as well as detailed surveys and analyses of employer needs, based on each college's specific characteristics, to provide reference information for formulating talent cultivation plans.
After the goals are set, the quality assurance system further focuses on the implementation process. Shantou University reformed its teaching assessment system by developing multidimensional teaching process assessment methods, standardizing teaching procedures, and improving teaching quality. Additionally, the university implemented strict class observation methods and quality monitoring and supervision methods. The combination of internal management and external supervision promoted the improvement of teaching standards.
The evaluation and analysis of course goal attainment form the final link in the quality assurance system. Shantou University conducts comprehensive evaluations of teaching effectiveness through various means, such as organizing teaching status assessments for secondary teaching units and implementing undergraduate student evaluation of teaching management methods, aiming to obtain objective and reasonable assessments.
The quality assurance system provides crucial support for achieving outcome-based education. Bao Nengsheng mentioned that from the perspective of outcome-based education, an ideal method for evaluating whether education and teaching quality meet the standards would be internal random checks comparing graduates with the intended cultivation goals, and external two-year cycles to solicit horizontal comparative feedback from employers. However, he also pointed out, "We are cultivating talents for the whole of society; the employment standards of a single enterprise cannot be fully applied." There is no single, unified definition of an outstanding student.
Expanding International Vision: Shantou University is 'Very Close to the World'
"The first time I came to work in Shantou, it took me almost ten hours to get here by bus from Guangzhou," Bao Nengsheng recalled. "Although Shantou University is not geographically advantaged, it is quite well-connected internationally." Guided by internationalization, Shantou University has introduced overseas resources, recruited foreign teachers, and provided opportunities for出境 (leaving the country), truly achieving alignment with the world.
Bao Nengsheng primarily mentioned three measures for internationalization at Shantou University. First, in terms of faculty development, the university has brought in a large number of foreign teachers and those with international study or work experience, inviting leading figures in education from both home and abroad to give lectures at the university. Their rich teaching experience and diverse cultural perspectives have greatly broadened students' international horizons. Second, from the perspective of curriculum planning, the university has introduced advanced international educational concepts and resources, including curricula and teaching methods. It offers mandatory courses in integrative thinking, pioneered public service courses unique in China, and introduced modern teaching methods such as project-based learning and flipped classrooms to stimulate students' learning interest and initiative, cultivating their innovative thinking and practical abilities.
Notably, Shantou University's "Five Ones" Undergraduate Quality Education Project, which includes achieving a certain score on the IELTS exam and having one opportunity for overseas study or exchange, further highlights the distinctive educational philosophy of internationalization. Shantou University uses the IELTS score, a globally recognized English proficiency test, as a key indicator of students' English ability. It provides a natural language learning environment through faculty development and reduces students' financial burden through reward mechanisms, stimulating their enthusiasm for learning and motivating them to achieve excellent results. This authoritative proof of ability serves as a powerful springboard for students' further studies or employment—a golden key to opening the door to the international stage and a passport to the world.
Shantou University not only aligns with international standards in faculty and curriculum but also deepens the connotation of international education through a series of innovative measures. The Antarctic scientific expedition project of the Shantou University Snow Leopard Outdoor Association not only provides a platform for students to exercise and challenge themselves but also fosters their interest and passion for scientific research. Furthermore, Shantou University fully utilizes resource platforms such as the Li Ka Shing Foundation to promote the global sharing of educational resources. Currently, Shantou University has established close academic exchange and cooperation relationships with 119 universities in 29 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. At the same time, the university actively participates in international academic conferences and exhibitions to showcase its teaching achievements and research capabilities, enhancing its international visibility and influence.
Shantou University has actively engaged in higher education reform, innovatively exploring the "Advanced Undergraduate Education" talent cultivation system, significantly improving talent cultivation quality and faculty teaching capabilities. Its educational structure has expanded "eastward and westward" with a new campus on the East Coast and research institutes established in Foshan, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Shantou University's various reforms have repeatedly received attention and recognition from the Ministry of Education and various sectors of society. The OBE-CDIO engineering talent cultivation model has promoted national engineering education reform and significantly influenced the national "Excellent Engineer Education and Training Program," making Shantou University one of the first 61 universities in the country to join the "Excellent Program." In the national construction of "Emerging Engineering Education," Shantou University, together with Zhejiang University, Fudan University, and Shanghai University of Engineering Science, leads the planning of new developments in university engineering education.
Shantou University's exploration and practice in higher education teaching reform have highlighted its educational characteristics and enhanced its comprehensive strength. In 2018, with the support of the Provincial Department of Education and the Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Shantou University officially became the first pilot demonstration university for higher education system and mechanism reform in Guangdong Province, continuously contributing Shantou University's wisdom and strength to achieving the goal of becoming a strong education nation. "From then on, Shantou University will always be present on the path of domestic educational reform," said Professor Bao Nengsheng.
