Sias University invited experts in the field of higher education to present special reports during the 2019 Summer Work Conference on July 17 and 18. The experts provided theoretical and practical guidance for the development of Sias, focusing on the assessment of qualifications, undergraduate education, personnel training, and academic development.
Ji Ping, who is the former Deputy Director of the Department of Development & Regulation at the Ministry of Education, former Director of the Higher Education Evaluation Center at the Ministry of Education, the Vice President of the Chinese Society of Higher Education, and Vice President of the China Private Education Association, presented a special report on the preparations and accurate grasping of the concepts and requirements of qualified assessment. With the background of national and international strategies from the National Conference on Education, she presented the new requirements and new ideas with regard to the development of higher education in China. She pointed out that China's higher education was at a historical turning point where evaluation and certification needed to be pushed in schools to strengthen undergraduate education, so as to construct a model of continuously improving personnel training. She said that higher education should have a perfect quality assurance system handled by colleges and universities themselves, with the goal of training talent for local economic and social development.
The Vice President of the Ningbo University of Technology, Wang Jinghua, presented a special report titled, "Characteristics and Thoughts on the Construction of Applied Undergraduate Colleges & Universities". She combined the medium and long-term national education reform development plans through in-depth analysis of application-oriented undergraduate education. Wang Jinhua spoke of 4 aspects of applied undergraduate education based on the development of the Ningbo University of Technology: personnel training, academic disciplines, teachers, and the structure of governance. She said that the nurturing of talent should focus on production and education through the integration of science and education, the identification of the right institution, conforming to the national and regional strategies, serving the local economy, submitting to the guidance of the government, complying with the culture of the institution, and satisfying students' demands. She said that applied research that is student-oriented and teacher-oriented will provide the impetus needed for the sustainable development of educational institutions. At the end of her lecture, the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Sias, Dr. Shawn Chen, presented Wang Jinghua with a certificate of visiting professorship at Sias University.
The former Vice President of Xiamen University, member of the Discipline Review Group of the 7th Academic Degree Committee of the State Council, and Vice Director of the Surveying and Mapping Teaching Advisory Board for Higher Education at the Ministry of Education, Wu Daguang, delivered a report on school funds, personnel training, cultural backgrounds, scientific management, and development focus. He analyzed how to channel the direction of higher education reform, as well as the contradictions and conflicts of higher education in China with regard to campus culture, and campus rules and regulations. He said that from an international perspective, China's undergraduate education still had some issues such as weak foundations, not a broad enough quality, a low number of interdisciplinary degrees, and not enough internationalization. He said that the reformers and leaders of higher education in China should clearly recognize the problems with the development of higher education and make full use of China's social and financial security to push it to the next level.
The reports presented were theoretical, instructive, and rich in their content. They also provided realistic suggestions and working ideas for the comprehensive development to take Sias to the next stage of its development. Reform, the promotion of innovation through evaluation, the improvement of the quality of education, and sustainable development of the university were also major topics at the Conference.
