On December 15, the Ministry of Education (MOE) held a meeting at Nanjing University to promote the ideological and political education through courses (IAPETC) among higher education institutions (HEIs) following the release of a MOE Guideline for IAPETC at HEI. CPC Leadership Group member and MOE Vice Minister ZHONG Denghua attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Tongji University President CHEN Jie introduced Tongji's measures to strengthen IAPETC and cultivate new people of the times during the meeting.

According to CHEN, Tongji is committed to educating people for the Party and cultivating talents for the country. It has implemented the Guideline for IAPETC at HEIs and the spirit of a MOE video conference on IAPETC for HEIs, promoted IAPETC reform and innovation in a systematic way, and renewed the interpretations of “education” and “quality”, which have achieved obvious results. Tongji has also noted the global variable of “orientation” and the core variable of “quality”, and therefore focused on constructing 5 pioneering schools/colleges for IAPETC, 6 IAPETC demonstration majors and 13 pioneering IAPETC reform teams. Besides, 134 IAPETC teaching reform projects funded by the University have resulted in 31 “course chains” of demonstration majors that include 93 excellent courses and 244 model courses, in addition to many typical teaching reform cases. “Tongji University will continue to promote reform and innovation in IAPETC, further improve teachers' ideological and political abilities, and implement the IAPETC requirements. We will try our best to develop an IAPETC paradigm by exploring IAPETC further for various courses", said CHEN.

Here is President CHEN Jie's speech at the meeting.

Strengthening IAPETC and cultivating new people of the times for the great cause of national revival

Tongji is committed to educating people for the Party and cultivating talents for the country. It has implemented thoroughly the Guideline for IAPETC at HEIs and the spirit of the video conference on IAPETC for HEIs, promoted IAPETC reform and innovation in a systematic way, and renewed the interpretations of “education” and “quality”, which have achieved obvious results.

Grasping the global variable of "orientation"

Firstly, Tongji’s administration have taken the lead in promoting IAPETC. Tongji leaders are leading the upgrading of China Road brand courses during this semester. They draw expertise from their respective disciplines to showcase their achievements in road transportation, artificial intelligence, urban and rural construction, medical health among others so that students have a proper understanding of the content of the China Road. The university administration has shown through examples how to promote the integrity and innovation of IAPETC reform.

Secondly, Tongji University advances and changes with the times. Tongji practices its IAPETC reform along with its academic course delivery by adhering to its policy of "integrating two tasks” and “completing both with quality". When General Secretary XI Jinping visited Shanghai, he expressed his expectations for “the city to be built by and for the people”. Tongji gives full play to its advantages of highly compatible disciplines to conduct theoretical research, and accelerate the transformation of research results to teaching content. It has offered a “by-and-for-people-city” introductory course to play an active part in the construction of a socialist international metropolis.

Thirdly, Tongji University is empowered by Internet+. Tongji promotes the construction of smart classrooms vigorously, encourages teachers to use new technologies and new media to attract students of the digital age. Academician WANG Pinxian and other professors have delivered such MOOCs as “Science, Culture and Ocean” and “Bridge Engineering Technology and Culture”, which were attended by more than 10,000 students and won unanimous praise from students inside and outside the university, which radiates IAPETC in a natural way.

Grasping the core variable of "quality"

Firstly, Tongji University promotes quality through teaching reform. Tongji invests special funds in IAPETC reform, highlights the student-centered teaching by exploring a subjectivity-oriented approach to motivating students to learn, a problem-led approach to assist research in teaching, and a comprehensive-quality oriented approach to teaching practice. Tongji has focused on constructing 5 pioneering schools/colleges for IAPETC, 6 IAPETC demonstration majors and 13 pioneering IAPETC reform teams. Besides, 134 IAPETC teaching reform projects funded by the University have resulted in 31 “course chains” of demonstration majors that include 93 excellent courses and 244 model courses, in addition to many typical teaching reform cases.

Secondly, Tongji University promotes quality through leading teachers. Under the coordinated mechanism of broad enrollment, broad teaching, and broad management, more than 200 leading teachers are invited to deliver broad introductory courses to freshmen who are enrolled on a broad basis without choosing their majors in the first year. The teachers not only impart the subject matter foundation and its frontier knowledge, but also share their sense of social responsibilities and feelings for families and the country. The teaching material compiled by our 95-year-old Professor DONG Jianhong has been used by more than 200 universities. The Community Mentor Workstations have covered all Tongji’s student dorm communities. Well-known professors bring their driving power and resources into student daily lives through joining them in their dorms. Group teaching preparation activities for teachers are organized on every Tuesday afternoon, and teacher salons held every month where   presentations by leading teachers are delivered to share the IAPETC experience, and to enhance teachers' IAPETC awareness.

Thirdly, Tongji University promotes quality through practice. Tongji creates brand practice activities and encourages students to get out of their books and come closer to society. Tongji also participates in such projects as Red Dream Building Journey for Youth, and Dream Classes, and Mission and Responsibility - Social Practice Innovation Competition. Over 10,000 students join those projects every year, through which they integrate their personal development into the great national revival process.

Highlighting the value-added variable of "scope"

Firstly, Tongji University achieves full coverage in all courses. Taking the syllabus revision as a starting point, Tongji requires its teachers to embed their course design with “virtues education” in line with the spirit of the central Party, the national strategy to promote the implementation of IAPETC and build IAPETC groups that cover all majors horizontally and IAPETC chains that run through the whole process of education vertically, thus forming a complete IAPETC system.

Secondly, Tongji University attaches great importance to penetrating the education stage. Through the sharing, integration, and extension of IAPETC resources, Tongji constructs a IAPETC system for undergraduates and postgraduate education. The College of Civil Engineering incorporates its philosophical discernment into the course of Engineering Ethics for undergraduates, and upgrades it to a course for engineering master’s students. Tongji also explores the new IAPETC mode through integration of universities, middle and primary schools, moves forward the educational resources of universities actively, and forms a general education system with Tongji characteristics of family-country, humanities, and science.

Thirdly, Tongji University establishes standards in development. Tongji extends IAPETC to subject matter and disciplinary education, thus expanding the IAPETC construction from points to lines and fields. The College of Transportation Engineering has completed a Guideline for Ideological and Political Education for Transportation Courses. The College, based upon the certified professional standards of engineering education, sets indicators for each course to “foster virtues through education”, and incorporates them into the academic requirements. Tongji also establishes the Ideological and Political Research Alliance for HEI Professional Transportation Courses in association with their counterparts from 36 universities to play the leading role for demonstration.

In the future, Tongji University will adhere to XI Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, insist on the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, continue to promote IAPETC reform and innovation, further improve teachers’ ideological and political abilities, implement various IAPETC requirements, renew the interpretations of IAPETC, learn from lessons of the measures taken, and form IAPETC paradigm to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party!

Source: https://news.tongji.edu.cn/info/1002/76115.htm