Chinese government official shares thoughts on international education

Last April, Felice Marcus (former Assistant Director, China Business Program) interviewed Liu Limin, father of Miami exchange student Liu Da. Liu Da was one of many Chinese students studying in the Farmer School this past Spring.

We are pleased to have Liu Da and his classmates with us at Miami this spring. He and his classmates are contributing greatly to our community. What does your son hope to gain from his experience at Miami? Why did he choose Miami?

As Liu Da’s father, first of all, I would like to express my appreciation to the Farmer School for receiving him and his classmates into your fine university. Liu Da chose to study at Miami University to learn the most advanced business and academic concepts, to expand his horizons, and to gain some international experience. Meanwhile, he hopes explore opportunities to pursue further study in the U.S.—to earn a masters or doctorate degree. From feedback I’ve gotten from him so far, during his first six weeks in Oxford, I can see that he has become familiar with and comfortable at Miami University. He has begun to love the environment there.

What do you think are the largest differences between the education you received, and the instruction that students in your son’s generation receive today?

The biggest difference between my education and the instruction that today’s students receive, is that when I went to university, higher education was considered “elite education.” Today, however, higher education in Beijing has entered a stage of “mass education.” Nevertheless, at either stage, the path to earning a college degree is not a smooth path for students. This is probably because easterners take their studies too seriously.

In comparison to my generation of college students, students in my son’s generation spend even more time on course study than we did. On the one hand, this reflects that today’s students have inherited my generation’s spirit of industry and enterprise, but on the other hand, this shows that course content and teaching methodologies are in need of major reform. Students should be given more time to think, reflect, and even rest. Students now-a-days are crushed by the sheer amount of information they need to learn and the pressure to get high scores.

China currently applies the system of one national examination for college entrance. I believe that both personal interests and other types of competencies should be taken into consideration during the college application and admissions process.

At Miami University, we motivate students to think internationally by encouraging them to study abroad for a semester, participate in a “study-tour” during the summer, and by enrolling students from other countries such as China at Miami. Is “globalization” also a priority at Chinese universities? Are student exchanges between countries popular?

I often exchange views with my son over the internet. He recently introduced me to the concept of “internationalization” that your university ascribes to. As a parent and experienced, educational professional, I applaud this concept. In recent years, the idea of educating our students to think globally has gradually become embraced at Beijing’s universities, and in this spirit, international exchange has became popular.

In the past, the number of Chinese students studying abroad greatly exceeded the number of foreign students studying in Beijing. The situation has changed greatly in recent years. In 2008, approximately 66,000 international students came to Beijing for long-term or short-term study, and to my knowledge, more and more Chinese universities offer degree and non-degree programs for international students. Some universities design specially tailored programs for international students with courses or entire curriculum taught in English. Some universities offer scholarships to international students. To attract more excellent foreign students to study in Beijing, the Beijing Municipal Government launched the Beijing Government Scholarship Program for International Students in 2006.

Have Chinese University curriculums changed at all due to the increasing connectedness between countries? Are there foreign teachers in lower schools and universities? When can students begin to learn a second language?

Currently, Chinese universities are making efforts to integrate their curriculums with international benchmarks. In the spirit of integrating China's education with international practices and standards, some universities have adopted university partnerships. In these programs, instructors are exchanged and teach at partner universities, and credits transfer back and forth more easily between the schools.

There are many foreign teachers in lower schools, as well as in universities in China. Most of the foreign teachers in primary and secondary schools are language teachers while in universities, foreign teachers can be found teaching in a variety of disciplines or conducting and supervising research. In China, students’ first foreign language is English, which is taught in primary and secondary schools, as well as in universities. The teaching of a second foreign language generally begins in the postgraduate education stage.

Miami University was ranked as providing the “best buy” for a college education in 2008 by US News and World Report. Just last week the Farmer School of Business was ranked 18 in the country by Business Week based on various criteria including job placement rate, teaching quality, facilities and student high school test scores. What kind of criteria are used in China to rate universities?

The first minute he learned about it, My son Liu Da shared with me the news that Miami University was ranked as providing the “best buy” for a college education in 2008. I would like to extend my congratulations to Miami University. In China, there is no official rating criteria for universities. There are several rating criteria for research institutions, which model on the quality accreditation system of the US and the UK; however, there might be small differences.

What do you see as the biggest differences between the system of higher education in China and in the US?

The differences between higher education in China and in the US are vast. The fundamental concept of what it means be to “college educated” and basic system of higher education differ greatly. There are 27 million students studying on Chinese campuses: the number of students receiving a college education in China has become among the highest in the world. However, I feel we still have a long way to go in terms of student-teacher interaction, class size, and giving students more freedom to explore, and learn about their unique individual strengths.

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