A Study On Credit-based Systems Comparison And Their Implications

With the development of economic globalization, multi-polarization, and technology, the competition for intellects became more stiff than ever in the21st century. Since China is now facing new challenges with its reforms stepped into a critical phase, education sector in China takes its role to conform with the trends of reformation of the whole country. In order to adapting to national socio-economic improvement, improving quality of talents cultivation, and providing students’ with well-rounded development, institutions at tertiary level in China began a new round of pedagogical reform, characterized by credit-based system reforms. As an advanced system for educational management, credit-based system has been generally adopted by institutions of tertiary education all over the world. Its advantages include flexibility in course selection, favor with students’ autonomous learning, and adaptation to talents cultivation. In the Chinese context, the credit-based system has been accepted, in varied forms, by the majority of universities; however, the system adopted is not the credit-based system in its true sense. Though the credit-based system has experienced ups and downs as well as explorations and reforms within Chinese tertiary education for decades, several questions concerning it remained unaddressed. For example, what is the current situation of credit-based system adoption in schools both home and abroad, and what problems did it bring up; why credit-based system is a wise choice for Chinese schools at tertiary level; how to solve the problems schools are facing with in the process of credit-based system reformation. The present study aims at identifying the problems concerning credit-based system faced by universities in the Chinese context and analyzing their causes by introducing the origin of credit-based system and comparing credit-based systems accepted by schools in both home and broad, hoping to investigate the possible path leading to the implementation of credit-based system in its true sense.By adopting literature study method and comparison study method, the present study provides an in-depth analysis of the founding background and philosophical foundations of credit-based system in the international context, focusing on investigating developmental trends of credit-bases system and reforms on curriculum design in the United States, especially at Harvard University. The study also compares policies and practices concerning credit-based system accepted by Chinese universities and universities in foreign countries, analyze problems concerning the system in the Chinese context, and provide references to foster the development of credit-based system in China from the perspective of educational internationalization.This study is divided into five chapters.Chapter One introduces the background, purpose, significance of the study. It also offers a review of previous studies both home and abroad. Research content and method are also stated in this chapter.Chapter Two concerns with the origin and concept of credit-based system, investigating the founding background, developmental trends, contents, and characteristics of the system.Chapter Three provides an analysis of the current situations of credit-based system adaptation in foreign universities and makes an in-depth comparison between them. Credit-based system in the United States and curriculum design at Harvard University are introduced in detail in this chapter.Chapter Four reports an investigation of the predominant problems faced by Chinese universities in credit-based system adoption by introducing the current situations of the implementation of the system. This chapter also introduces the necessity and feasibility of credit-based system adoption in the Chinese context.Chapter Five is about suggestions for further developing the credit-based system in Chinese universities based on the current situations of China and the problems faced by Chinese universities in credit-based system adoption.Reforms on credit-based system need systematic efforts. Since it was generated in the background of educational liberty and rapid socio-economic developments, developed on the basis of local political, economic, and cultural system, it unavoidably influenced by factors such as socio-economic development, national educational policy. Since China differs from any other countries with its unique socio-economic, educational, technological, and cultural situations, even different domestic regions and universities have different cultural backgrounds and developmental situations, borrowing and applying credit-based system from foreign universities cannot solve problems faced by domestic universities. Therefore, developing a credit-based system for Chinese universities by comparing and analyzing the systems adopted by foreign universities is a must take step for tertiary education in the Chinese context.