【Education Salon】
The scale of engineering education in mainland China has ranked first in the world
What kind of engineering education is needed for the training of high-quality engineering and scientific and technological talents
On May 29, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the fifth collective study of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee that science education and engineering education should be further strengthened, the independent training of top-notch innovative talents should be strengthened, and talent support should be provided for solving key core technology research in the mainland.
Guests
Ye Min, Vice Chairman of the Development Committee of Zhejiang University, Director of the Academic Committee of the China Academy of Science and Education Strategy
Wang Sunyu is a professor at the Institute of Education, Tsinghua University
Guo Hui is a professor at the Institute of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
compere
Guangming Daily reporter Yang Sa
At present, the scale of engineering education in mainland China ranks first in the world, and its overall strength has entered the world's first square. In the face of the rapid advancement of new technologies and the rapid development of the new situation, how should mainland engineering education exert its strength? We invited three experts to explain and discuss the development of engineering education from different perspectives.
Cultivate engineering and technology talents who adapt to and lead the industrialization of digital technology and the digital transformation of industries
Reporter: At present, with the in-depth development of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, what opportunities and challenges will new technological breakthroughs such as big language models and artificial intelligence bring to the reform of engineering education in the mainland?
Guo Hui: The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to build a new generation of information technology and artificial intelligence and other new growth engines, while emphasizing the promotion of the digitalization of education. With the continuous rise of emerging artificial intelligence technologies, on the one hand, the application of AI in the industrial system has greatly improved productivity and accelerated the pace of engineering and industrial transformation and upgrading. On the other hand, generative artificial intelligence technology (AIGC) kicked off the third generation of artificial intelligence, combining the first generation of knowledge-driven and the second generation of data-driven, big language model gives full play to the efficiency of data and computing power, with new advantages such as low marginal cost at the technical level and efficient production of personalized content, so that everyone can participate in the era of intelligent creation, and directly affect engineering education, profoundly changing the traditional engineering education and engineering learning mode. Therefore, we should follow the trend of artificial intelligence development, deepen the reform of engineering education, and train outstanding engineers in the new era to prepare for the transformation of digital engineering education.
To a large extent, the new round of engineering education reform is to explore how to cope with the engineering and industrial changes brought about by new technologies such as big data, AI, Internet of Things, and cloud computing, so as to cultivate engineering and technological talents who can adapt to and lead the industrialization of digital technology and the digital transformation of industries. In the past five years, a series of reforms and explorations have taken place in the field of engineering education in mainland China from extension growth to connotative improvement: First, a number of new technology majors and new technology empowerment majors have been set up, such as artificial intelligence, robot engineering, intelligent manufacturing and other more than 40 new majors, with more than 2,000 professional distribution points and an annual training scale of more than 400,000 people. Secondly, a new type of college organization will be created to cultivate different types of outstanding engineers, and research universities will establish future technology colleges to cultivate future scientific and technological innovation leaders through multidisciplinary cross-integration and a continuous academic system; Relying on multi-subject resources such as government and enterprises, application-oriented universities have established modern industrial colleges to cultivate application-oriented and compound talents. At the same time, traditional engineering majors continue to explore the integration of new technologies, giving new connotations to the cultivation of professional talents, which is the foundation of new engineering. Taking mechanical engineering as an example, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Harbin Institute of Technology and other related majors are exploring the interdisciplinary knowledge system based on the deep integration of intelligent technology and manufacturing technology, reconstructing the curriculum system and engineering training system, focusing on cultivating students' integrated technical awareness, as well as digital thinking and critical thinking and other thinking abilities.
ChatGPT (pre-trained generated chat model) is a blockbuster product in the AIGC era, which will penetrate into market research, product design, production control, process improvement, etc., and the work and responsibilities of engineers will be directly replaced by machines in large numbers. ChatGPT AIGC will bring great challenges to the development of engineering education: First, the change in the competency of engineering students. The large-scale industrial application of AIGC will replace some of the work of engineers, and the competency of engineering students will revolve around how to use AI systems innovatively, critically, and integratively. Second, changes in competency lead to adjustments in teaching content. On the one hand, engineering teaching should pay more attention to cultivating students' ability to integrate engineering knowledge and AI tools, so that students can be good at asking questions and prompting AI systems, self-learning around problems, and correlating engineering problems, so as to improve the ability to propose real engineering problems and solve engineering problems from complex engineering phenomena; On the other hand, it is necessary to standardize the use of ChatGPT tools in engineering learning, scientific research and work, so as to avoid problems such as academic integrity and engineering ethics. The third is the transformation of engineering teachers' teaching thinking and methods, prompting teachers to develop the thinking and methods of using artificial intelligence to organize teaching, strengthen learning through collective teaching and research and technical discussion, and improve digital teaching capabilities. For example, ChatGPT and metaverse technologies are tried to jointly generate immersive virtual learning scenarios, shape a highly interactive engineering learning and interactive environment, and help engineering students obtain a more realistic learning experience.
Students from the School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation of Shenyang Institute of Technology operate the five-axis machining center in the school's training workshop. Xinhua News Agency
Attaching importance to the construction of engineering pedagogy disciplines, colleges and universities must take the initiative
Reporter: The reform of engineering education in the mainland has entered a deeper and higher level, and cultivating high-level engineering education talents is an important measure to meet the strategic needs of building a strong country in education, science and technology, and talent in 2035. What are the thorny problems faced in the construction of engineering pedagogy? What's the way to crack it? How can universities take the initiative?
Ye Min: The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China put forward the goal of accelerating the construction of a high-quality education system, accelerating the construction of national strategic talent forces, striving to cultivate outstanding engineers, and building a strong country in education, science and technology, and talent. The reform of engineering education in the mainland has entered a deeper and higher level, and we must attach importance to the construction of engineering education disciplines and cultivate high-level engineering education talents. In this regard, colleges and universities can take the initiative from the following aspects:
First, embody cultural self-confidence and road self-confidence, and build an engineering education discipline system with Chinese characteristics. The mainland has formed the world's largest engineering education system, but it is not yet a strong country in engineering education, and it is urgent to build an engineering education discipline system with Chinese characteristics. Engineering education needs to be traced back to its roots, thought guidance, based on Chinese philosophical thought, fully absorb the ideological essence of Marxist philosophy and excellent traditional Chinese culture, take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide, pay attention to and strengthen social environment and cultural construction, enhance cultural self-confidence, and gradually form China's unique engineering concept and industrial spiritual culture. China's industrialization road is a catch-up industrial development path of late-developing countries and the coexistence of multiple industrial forms, which requires us to play a role in the mainland's engineering education in the competition of big countries and leapfrog development based on the great changes unprecedented in the world in a century, so as to adapt to the overall structure, scale and quality requirements of industrial development, respond to scientific and technological progress, serve the interests of the public, long-term and fundamental interests, and achieve safe and sustainable development. Colleges and universities should strengthen the comprehensive summary of the reform and development of engineering education in the past 40 years of reform and opening up in the mainland, promote the self-transformation of engineering education, keep pace with the times, and constantly adapt, promote and lead social development and progress.
Second, strengthen the construction of research teams and improve the quality of talent training in engineering education disciplines. Engineering education has a distinct interdisciplinary nature, which determines that talents in engineering education should have multidisciplinary backgrounds such as engineering, education, and management. Colleges and universities should first establish an engineering education research team of engineering + education + management, gather a group of full-time and part-time researchers from engineering, science, education and other disciplines, engage in engineering education research, carry out engineering education seminars, guide engineering students to study, cultivate engineering education research doctors, and promote the rapid development of engineering education through multidisciplinary cross-integration and collaboration. Secondly, colleges and universities with the conditions can issue policies to encourage engineering teachers to carry out engineering education teaching and research based on their disciplines, attract engineering experts and engineering teachers to participate in engineering education research, and play a role in basic research, applied or service research, and education and teaching reform consulting research of engineering faculties. In 2022, the Ministry of Education agreed that colleges and universities independently set up second-level disciplines in engineering education, and carried out the first batch of pilot work in 10 colleges and universities across the country, Zhejiang University actively carried out relevant pilot work, and has formed a master's and doctoral program construction plan in engineering education, based on the team foundation of the Engineering Education Innovation Center (CIEE) of Zhejiang University, it is planned to collaborate on management science and engineering, public administration, mechanical engineering, power engineering, electrical engineering, Computer Science and Technology and Engineering Thermophysics and other related discipline resources, as well as the Graduate Education Research Center of Zhejiang University, set up secondary disciplines in engineering education, build a physical engineering education research institute, and cultivate high-level talents in the field of engineering education.
Third, improve institutional safeguards and build platforms to promote exchanges. The rapid development of engineering education disciplines requires sound institutional mechanisms to guarantee: First, relying on national engineering education societies, such as the Education Committee of the Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Education Professional Committee of the China Higher Education Association, and the Pilot University Alliance, etc., build a platform for researchers to communicate and exchange, and promote the sharing and deepening of engineering education research results by holding academic conferences and issuing reports on engineering education reform. The second is to strengthen the discussion and practical exploration of common issues in the construction of engineering education disciplines, such as curriculum system, teaching and learning methods, evaluation and standards, etc., to enhance the exchange of engineering education circles; Study key issues in engineering practice and promote the solution of real-world dilemmas. The third is to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation, closely dialogue and interact with international representative engineering education and research institutions and international organizations, send out China's voice to the world, expand international discourse power, and enhance the global influence of China's engineering education.
Seek the focus of the integration of industry and education in the current reform of higher engineering education
Reporter: Although the integration of industry and education and collaborative education are being further promoted, they still face a mismatch between school knowledge and industry needs. Nowadays, what other aspects can the integration of industry and education exert efforts, strengthen the construction of systems and mechanisms, cultivate more industry leaders, and support the transformation of the first manufacturing country into a manufacturing power?
Wang Sunyu: The integration of industry and education is an important direction of the current reform of higher engineering education. In order to strengthen the integration of industry and education, cultivate more industry leaders, and support the mainland's transformation from a manufacturing country to a manufacturing power, we can make efforts from the following aspects:
First, innovate management mechanisms to give schools more autonomy. Colleges and universities can implement the separation of colleges and implement internal adjustment mechanisms, so that colleges can adjust their professional settings and curriculum systems according to national strategic needs and market needs, carry out teaching and scientific research activities more independently, and improve the flexibility and adaptability of running schools. At the same time, colleges and universities can incorporate the results of industry-education integration into the evaluation system, reform the academic evaluation system with papers as the main indicators, pay more attention to the contribution of practical experience and industrial cooperation, encourage teachers and students to actively participate in industrial cooperation, and promote the docking of knowledge and needs.
Second, find the combination of interests between enterprises and schools, and promote school-enterprise cooperation with real projects. The core of industry-education integration is to promote effective cooperation between schools and enterprises. Therefore, it is necessary to find the convergence of interests of both sides, give full play to the role of enterprises as the main body of innovation, and at the same time promote universities to closely match the needs of the economy and society for talents to achieve win-win cooperation. Both schools and enterprises should optimize the specific mechanism design of the integration of industry and education, clarify responsibilities and rights, fully mobilize the enthusiasm of both schools and enterprises, and make the reform of engineering practice teaching a breakthrough in the entire reform of engineering education. The school should understand the development direction of the industry and the actual needs of the enterprise, and adjust the talent training goals and teaching content in a timely manner. Enterprises should attach importance to talent training, increase support and investment in colleges and universities, and provide more internship opportunities in the form of project cooperation, so that students can contact the real working environment and projects, and enhance practical ability and professional quality.
Third, explore new mechanisms for teachers to exchange and cooperate in industry and academia. For some time, university teachers were mainly engaged in academic research and teaching, and lacked close ties with industry. Indeed, the mobility of teachers between industry and academia can greatly facilitate the flow and transformation of knowledge. Therefore, faculty mobility and collaboration between academia and industry should be encouraged and supported. On the one hand, an industry-university exchange platform can be established to provide opportunities for teachers to cooperate with enterprises. For example, teachers are encouraged to participate in the consulting and research and development of industrial projects, and solve practical problems together with business personnel. Such cooperation allows teachers to deeply understand industry needs and market dynamics, apply the latest scientific research results to actual production, and improve the practice and pertinence of teaching. On the other hand, teachers can be supported to conduct short-term exchanges and practice in the industry, so that they can experience the scene and challenges of industrial production firsthand, and cultivate practical ability and industrial insight. At the same time, colleges and universities can invite business professionals to campus to offer engineering-related courses and lectures to help teachers and students understand the latest engineering technologies and industry trends.
Fourth, encourage technological entrepreneurship and provide more impetus and opportunities for the integration of industry and education. The essence of engineering is to create new things. Technology entrepreneurship is an important way to transform knowledge into real industries, and it is also an important way to cultivate industry leaders. To this end, it is necessary to build a business incubation platform, provide funds, venues and other support, and help teachers and students turn innovative ideas into practical results. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen technical entrepreneurship education, cultivate students' innovative spirit, cooperation ability and market awareness, and equip them with the basic qualities of entrepreneurship. For example, some universities and enterprises have established basic training centers (iCenters), which accept thousands of scientific and technological innovation activities every year. Some schools carry out undergraduate research and training programs (SRT), as well as mechanical innovation design competitions, electronic design competitions, comprehensive ability competitions for engineering training for college students, hardware design competitions, etc. A typical case is Tsinghua University X-Lab (referring to the "Three Innovation Space", that is, the creative innovation and entrepreneurship education platform), so far more than 200 enterprises have established cooperative relations, nearly 200 experts have participated in entrepreneurial counseling, and established strategic cooperation with 24 top international institutions and well-known universities around the world. X-Lab has established partnerships with more than 1,000 funds, and the team has received a total of more than 10 billion yuan in financing.
Guang Ming Daily(Version 14, 06/06/2023)
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily