China Higher Vocational Colleges Set Up Course On General Education

With the development of science, technology and social economic, the demand for talents increases rapidly. Advanced academic institutions, as the hatcheries of personnel, must adapt itself to meet the demands of the times and cultivate personnel with a reasonable structure of knowledge, ability and personality. However, the higher vocational colleges are located as the places to culture senior technical expertise for a long time. Thus, the cultured students have the following characteristics. First, the students is with a narrow range of knowledge; Second, the basic theoretical knowledge is poor; Last but not the least, the ability of social adaption is also poor. The purpose of general education is to culture the students to be a comprehensive development of highly qualified personnel and thus can remedy the shortcomings of higher vocational colleges in personnel training. The curriculum of general education is the basic but vital way in implementing it, and the colleges also can resort to the curriculum of general education to give the students a comprehensive and direct effects, nurturing them to be educated. It is imperative for higher vocational colleges to perform general education considering the following aspects. First, they are the nursery for culturing professionals with international standards. Second, the educated students from the higher vocational colleges must have the ability of social adaption to meet the adjustment of industrial structure and the frequent changes in occupational status. Finally, the implementation of general education is the inevitable choice to improve the overall quality of students.This thesis focused on the curriculum of general education among the higher vocational colleges, and randomly selected ten higher vocational colleges nationwide as research objects. Through investigation and analysis of the curriculum of general education offered by these ten colleges, it is can be concluded as follows. On one hand, the system of curriculum of general education among the higher vocational colleges has formed. However, owing to lack of the deep understanding of general education, guidance of the establishment of curriculum of general education, supporting of the specialized management agency, and the incompleteness of faculties for the higher vocational colleges, the purpose for setting up the curriculum of general education is still unclear. On the other hand, the curriculum of general education is lack of synthesis because of the curriculum trends to be applicable, instrumental, and knowledgeable. In addition, the course structure is rigid, the students have a limited selection, and the development of informal curriculum is also ignored.In view of the aforementioned problems, by resorting to helpful advices in setting up the curriculum of general education among the abroad including Hong Kong, and Taiwan, also in combination with the teaching reality of our higher vocational colleges, we propose the following strategies in setting up the curriculum of general education. First, we must develop the goals for establishment of the curriculum of general education among the higher vocational colleges; Second, strengthening the understanding of the importance of general education and general education and its curriculum; Third, we should construct the curriculum with its own characteristics, such as from the viewpoint of contents, depth and breadth of the curriculum, and the penetration of the curriculum to the study of professional courses. Fourth, improving the compulsory courses of general education, and increasing elective courses form the structure of curriculum. Developing the informal curriculum, and implementing the educational concept general education courses during the process of practice; finally, improving the level of teachers in higher vocational colleges. Only by utilizing the proposed strategies, can our higher vocational college develop stably and healthy.