The greatness of a university lies in its masters. New changes have taken place quietly at Tongji University with a group of famous teachers and professors standing at the forefront of Ideological and Political Theory Teaching in All Courses Reform, bringing an invisible "magnetism" to the classroom. In the College of Civil Engineering, famous professors from the Distinguished Young Scholars and Chang Jiang Scholars, deans and academicians appear together often in the same Freshman Seminar. The first meeting with teachers left a "mark" in the students' heart. In this course, almost every professor who meets the students face to face is associated with t’national major projects.
Listening to these professors, who have experienced personally the design and construction of major projects, such as the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower,Nanpu Bridge, Yangpu Bridge, Qinghai-Tibet Railwayand Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, students can feel clearly the speed of China's progress from a "major construction country" to a "construction power," arousing their sense of pride spontaneously. The specialized courses are also appealing. In the Schools of Marxism and Economics & Management, course enrollment exceeded 10,000 quickly after a number of courses taught by famous teachers were launched.
Why are these courses so catchyamong students? Vice President of Tongji University LEI Xinhui explained the mystery: Not only do these courses teach the frontiers of knowledge, but they also convey positive energy. During the lectures, teachers pay great attention to cultivating the patriotism and social responsibility of young students. Tongji University allows the advanced disciplines to lead the Reform. When the salt of Ideological and Political education is dissolved into the courses in various colleges, the teaching becomes lively and interesting, cultivating students naturally.
Innovate curriculum design and explore moral education elements from "hardcore" specialized curriculum
In the College of Transportation EngineeringProfessor YANG Xiaoguang’s class was always punctuated by applause. He delivered a basic specialized course called "Traffic Engineering," which involves a lot of core knowledge and is not easy to teach, but the students have always listened attentively.
This year, the Spring semester classes were moved onlinedue to the pandemic. Although teachers and students had to meet "screen to screen," the classroom climate remained unchanged. In this special year, YANG Xiaoguang assigned students some special questions: What changes have taken place in China's transportation since the COVID-19 outbreak? What do you think can be improved? Can you design a plan? And others.
Why did he put forward these questions? According to YANG Xiaoguang, teaching basic specialized courses should not be limited to sorting out the context of knowledge. He said: "Transportation represents the tool to rejuvenate the country and the foundation to strengthen the country. Only if the students learn this course can they have the consciousness of patriotism and serving the country, and to integrate their career into the country's development into the future."
Also teaching in the College of Transportation Engineering, TENG Jing's 6-member teaching team brought the new course Operations Research to students. This year's fight against the pandemic also became fresh teaching material for this course. How to make full use of the multiple modes of transport to efficiently transport masks, protective suits, and other urgently needed medical supplies to Wuhan, Huanggang, and other pandemic prevention and control frontlines? How to arrange the staging post for emergency supplies? How to deploy medical supplies as the number of confirmed cases changed dynamically? It was self-evident that Operations Research had a high requirement for students' mathematical ability and the class was very "brain-draining," but with these questions functioning as the traction, teachers were surprised to find that students learned more conscientiously and enthusiastically.
In this class, some students tried to use the knowledge of linear programming to design the medical staff shift schedules.Others tried to plan the best distribution plan of daily necessities for residents living in the isolated area, and to solve the problem of waiting for treatment of patients with different degrees of disease through modeling. In the messages left after the course finished, many students reflected their learning would be useful in the future during the process of solving real problems.
TENG Jing said: "The Reform is absolutely not intended to conduct Ideological and Political education outside the specialized courses, but to explore the moral connotation of specialized courses through an innovative curriculum design." While these courses enhance students’ interest in professional learning, they alsoenhanced unknowingly their sense of responsibility and mission to serve the country.
The leading colleges walk in front to set standards and benchmarks
After becoming the pilot university for the Reformin Shanghai colleges and universities in 2017, Tongji University has realized the "point-line-surface-body" expansion that extends from specialized courses to specialized curriculum chains, model majors, and model colleges. With the launch of the Reform 2.0 of Shanghai colleges and universities, the focus of teaching reform has fallen steadily in the secondary colleges.
the reform deepened, more difficulties began to emerge. Questions about who would take the lead became a crucial concern. The five leading colleges at Tongji (Transportation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture & Urban Planning, Chemical Science & Engineering, and Arts & Media), continued to experiment as role models.
At present, the College of Transportation Engineering has edited and officially published the country's first Ideological and Political Theory Teaching Guide for Transportation Courses. In order to improve the teaching level further, the College has launched its new approach: Establish a research center for Ideological and Political education in transportation disciplines, and further promote and apply the results of the Reform research further through teacher training.
In the College of Civil Engineering, the reform of the "evaluation baton" has been refined further. The College is currently developing a management system to evaluate the effect of the Reformthat is based on cultivating goals, curriculum goals, and other elements.
The leading teachers hold hands to achieve full coverage of Ideological and Political Theories Teaching in All Courses
The key element to promoting thisreform lies in teachers.At the beginning of this reform, many frontline teachers have said some teachers had a sense of cultivating students, but their ability was limited and they often did not know where to start.
YANG Xiaoguang, who has been teaching for many years, said frankly that he also "feels difficulty" sometimes. Whenever he had too many problems to tackle with teaching, he would apply to participate in the Reform face-to-face salon for famous teachers organized by the College. "Two heads are always better than one. I was inspired by the experiences and lessons from other teachers,”YANG said.
Tongji's teacher salon is held at least once a month, inviting famous teachers good at the Reform in and outside the University to demonstrate and lead the way. At the same time, the University also actively mobilizes academicians, famous teachers, Chang Jiang Scholars, and etc. to create a number of high-quality online courses on ideological and political education, and to share them on the national course platform. For example, Reform and Opening Up and the New Era," taught by Professor LI Zhancaiin the School of Marxism, and Interpreting the Code of China's Economic Development,taught by Professor SHI Jianxunin the School of Economics and Management, have been selected more than 10,000 times shortly after its launch, with students from dozens of universities across the country.
Famous teachers have taken the lead to build a diversified teaching team and to achieve the precise formula needed. According to LEI Xinghui from the Freshman College, more than 200 senior teachers from 29 colleges in the University, including more than 60 high-level leading talents from the National Ten Thousand Talents Program and Chief Scientists from the "973" Project, participate in the lectures tohelp the Freshmen build up correct values.
Source: http://dzb.whb.cn/2020-09-19/1/detail-699160.html
