By Jinghuan Shi, Institute of Education, Tsinghua University

1. Jinghuan Shi 史静寰
Institute of Education, 教育研究院
Tsinghua University 清华大学
1
Higher Education Quality
in China

2. Changing Context Globally
• Knowledge-based society and knowledge-
driven” growth model;
• world village and global citizen;
• (higher) education becomes more crucial
for any countries .
•Three major trends of HE ：
massification, marketization, globalization
•Three major themes in HE ：
equitability, excellence, efficiency
China is strongly influenced by all the global
trends and issues in higher education.

3. Concepts of globalization and internationalization of HE
“ 全球化”与”国 化”的概念际
• Globalization: refer to economic, political, and societal forces
pushing higher education toward greater international
involvement. 在优势资本和现代信息网络压力下形成
的经济日益一体的客观世界变化。
• Internationalization: include policies and practices
undertaken by academic systems, institutions—and even
individuals—to cope with the global academic environment.
系统、机构或个人为应对客观世界变化而采取的主
动行为策略。
Philip G. Altbach and Jane Knight. The Internationalization of Higher Education: Motivations and Realities
Journal of Studies in International Education (2007) 11: 290-305

4. The explosive growth of the Chinese economy in the
past 30 years has made China:
•the second largest economic entity;
•the second largest country in the field of international
trades;
•the second largest power in scientific and technology;
•the second largest country in comprehensive
competitiveness.
China’s changing role in the world
China is trying to change its role from the largest
"workshop of the world” to an innovation-driven platform.

5. Understanding China’s
Complexity
The combination of four worlds, “4C”:
•Confucianism(ancient culture)
• Communism(political revolution)
• Commercialization (economic reform)
• Computers(modern technology)
The complexity exists in education, too

6. China’s land and population scope
Hu’s Line
36% land
96% population
64% land
4% population

7. China’s attitude and policy in global time
• China's economic development has
entered a new normal. The country is
in a crucial period.
• We need to develop twin engines to
drive development: popular
entrepreneurship and innovation,
paired with increased supplies of
public goods and services, achieving a
better-quality, more efficient,
upgraded economy.
• China (NPC 2015): Promoting the equitable development of education
and improving its quality. Enabling people change their fate through
education. - Government Work Report2015-

8. 8
Rising importanceRising importance
Of HEOf HE
高教地位与功能高教地位与功能
Key decisions in HEKey decisions in HE
高教发展特点趋势高教发展特点趋势
How to see globalization and internationalization of HE in China?
如何理解中国高教的全球化与国际化特点与趋势？
How to deal with the two tendencies?
中国高校如何应对处理全球化与国际化的挑战？
Increase higher education enrollment
Build world-class universities
Ensure the quality of future workforce
Carry out cutting-edge research
Develop the national capacity
Changing context of higher education in ChinaChanging context of higher education in China
化中的高等教育：中国情景变化中的高等教育：中国情景变

9. Schwarzman College and Scholar Program starts in 2016
Youth Leadership Forum （ 2016-7-7 ）Schwarzman scholars （ 2016-9-10 ）

10. “Schwarzman Scholarhip” in Tsinghua
• The target ： select 200 best undergraduates (45% from the US, 20%
from China and the rests from other parts of the world ) annually
from the world top universities for 1 year master degree studies in
Tsinghua focusing on three areas: international relations, economy
and public policies. 每年在世界顶尖大学选拔 200 名本科生（美国 45% ，中国
20% ，世界其他国家 35% ）到清华进行一年的硕士学习，专业方向为经济、国关、公共
政策。
• The goal: cultivate future leaders with a global vision, understand
Chinese culture and society, gear to promoting the world peace and
human civilizations. 培养具有宽广国际视野、优秀综合素质和卓越的领导能力，同
时了解中国社会、理解中国文化，有志于为促进人类文明与进步、世界和平与发展贡献聪
明才智的未来领导者，
• Courses and training methods: integrating global vision with China’s
perspective, having a better understanding of the world future
through deep investigations to the complexity of the Chinese society.
突出全球视野和中国视角，通过深度考察中国社会，理解全球化背景下中国的变化，探讨
世界发展的共性问题和现实挑战。

11. Global students: First cohort of Schwarzman
Scholars start at Tsinghua in 2016
• More than 3,000 among 9000 applications
were first reviewed by a distinguished
team of readers from around the world,
with 300 semi-finalists invited for in-
person interviews in Beijing, Bangkok,
London or New York before international
panels.
• 111 students were selected finally through
a rigorous application process designed to
evaluate proven intellectual and academic
ability, as well as leadership potential,
strength of character, ability to anticipate
emerging trends, and desire to understand
other cultures, perspectives and positions.

12. MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses and
boundless education
• MOOCs: a new type of college class
based on Internet.
• Udacity ， Jan. 2012 (Stanford)
Coursera ， April 2012 (Stanford)
• edX ， May 2012 (MIT+Harvard)
• Over ten millions of students
take courses online, 70% of
them are outside of the US.
• Tsinghua joined the EdX in
May and developed the
Chinese platform called
“XuetangX” （ www.xuetantX.
com ） in mid Oct which is the
first online learning platform
in Chinese. 清华 13 年 5 月加入
edX, 10 月清华“学堂在线”正式投入
使用 , 是全球首个中文在线学习平台。

13. “xuetangX.com”online courses
清 “学堂在 ”华 线
《中国建筑史》
《文物精品与文化中国
》
• xuetangX.com has 800 online courses
now and over 4 million students.
• Tsinghua online course“Electric Circuits”
started in Oct. 16. Over 16,000 students
registered, among which 70% from
outside the country.
• MOOC and SPOT together, big data on
learning process may change the research in
education.

14. Sweden
1960: 35,000
1965: 70,000
1971:150,000
Tripled within 10 years
on the bases of 10
thousand.
France
1960: 200,000
1965: 400,000
1975: 800,000.
Tripled within 15
years on the bases of
100 thousand.
China
1998: 6,430,000;
2002: 16,000,000
2005: 23,000,000
Tripled within 8 years
on the bases of 1
million.
Big increase of student numbers
HE expansion: Students increasing in three
countries: Sweden, France and China

15. China’s higher education system
• By 2014, China has
2824 HEIs, with
35,590,000 students
which takes 37% of
the cohort population
and number 1 in the
world.
15

16. China’s higher education development
• “China is building the fastest growing system–in quality as well as
in quantity–in the world. China higher education is entering the time
of investment, growth, experimentation, and internationalization”.
• “To rise is not necessarily to lead”. The foremost global powers of
the past all offered models in the realms of culture, ideas, and
education. Are Chinese universities poised for global leadership?
-William C. Kirby
Quantitative expansion of HE? Yes, has been achieved.
Quality improvement of HE? No, a long way to go.
China’s higher education is now moving from the quantitative
expansion to the quality improvement
16

17. Students mobility internationally
Open Door Report 2013 shows:
•the total number of international students studying in
the US. is 819,644, increased by 7 % over the prior year,
at a record high.
• 29% of international students come from China, India
(12%) and Korea(9%).
•the total number of American students studying
abroad for academic credits is 283,332, grew by 3%
over the prior year, also at the record high.
•Leading destinations of US. Students are UK(12%),
Italy(11%), Spain(9%). France(6%), China (5%).

18. Quality of education is a multi-level and dimensional concept.
• quality as excellence ：
• quality as fitness for purposes:
• quality as responsiveness:
• quality as improvement or enhancement:
• quality as satisfaction: students
The second round nation-wide evaluation of
undergraduate education in China started in 2012
emphasized the items in red.
Howe to identify quality of HE?

19. • International standard or benchmarks based on the “substantial
equivalence” principal, like “Bologna Process”in Europe and
“Washington Accord” in engineering.
• Student learning centered: emphasizing student learning process
and experience.
• Evidence based and value added: based on the student’s
performance and learning outcomes.
• Improvement focused: using assessment as a tool of improvement.
How to evaluate HE: major trends
Evaluation (assessment) itself is not the purpose. It is for the
quality improvement.

20. 20
Evaluation
Starts in
engineering
Evaluation of qualification and
excellence
Evaluation of teaching
levels randomly
Evaluation of overall levels of
undergraduate education
Evaluation system
of every five years
National outline of educational
reform and development ()
MOE, Temporary regulation of evaluation
in regular higher education institutions
Late 80s
1990
1994-95
1999
2002
2003
2011
2012-
16
Brief review of HE evaluation in China
1980-2015
2nd
round national
evaluation of
undergraduate
edu.

21. 21
Basic Structure of the Evaluation System
in China
Ministry of Education (MOE)
Department of HE, MOE
National Expert
Commission of
Evaluation, Regular HEIs
of MOE
National Expert Panel of
Evaluation
Higher Education Institutions
Ministry of Education (MOE)
Department of
Higher Education, MOE
HE Evaluation Center of
MOE
National Expert Commission,
Regular HEIs of MOE
National Expert Panel
Higher Education Institutions

22. National Evaluation System in China
with Five Forms of Activities
Integration
Institutions are the major
actors for the QA and QI
Third party evaluation is a
crucial factors influencing
the evaluation process.
Routine data and every
day experience work in
the evidence-based
evaluation.
Program accreditation
based on international
standards is a new
element in building.
University(colleges) and faculties are the major actors in quality improvement.

23. Three types of quality increasing strategies
• State － led ： with a clear national goal, strongly supported by
the state and directly under the supervision of the government.
• University （ institution) － led ： directly target institutional
needs, with more academic autonomy and deeper cooperation
within the university.
• Government/ university cooperation: integrate the goals of both
state and institutions, balance the interests of the two sides.
With joint efforts from the governments, universities and other relevant forces,
China is building a new quality governance system with the feature of
• global vision-oriented,
• student learning-centered,
• modern technology- supported
• process improvement-focused.

24. TEQSA’s Evidence-based approach to regulation | Slide 24CAE-TSINGHUA CENTER FOR ENGINEERING EDUCTION | Slide 24
Tsinghua Global Vision Lectures
Meeting with global leading figures
“The world is globalising quickly --
exchanges have never been so rich, nor
connections so deep.”
— Ms. Irina Bokova at Tsinghua in June, 2014

25. the Establishment of Global Innovation Exchange
Institute (GIX) in the US
With $40 million in foundational support from Microsoft, Tsinghua University
and University of Washington create groundbreaking partnership with launch
of the Global Innovation Exchange Institute (GIX) in Oct. 18, 2015 in Seattle ,
providing master’s degree in technology innovation. GIX marks the first
time a Chinese research university has established a physical
presence in the US. Chinese President Xi Jinping Presents Gift to
GIX in Sep. 24, 2015.

26. Student learning centered education
• Do you really know your students (their
changing characteristics)?
• What is the situation of college student learning
in China influenced by the macro social trends
and modern technology, especially in a rapid
expanded system with an increasing diversity of
institutions and personal characteristics?
• “Students now do not study as hard as the old
days”. How to asses student learning and what
factors affecting student learning?
• Student learning-centered, behavior evidence-
based, process improvement-oriented.
Student
engagement

27. Student learning
learning behaviors
Interaction with
people and
environment
Student learning
learning behaviors
Interaction with
people and
environment
Vision
Academic
Network
Social Economic
Status(SES)
Pre-College
experience
Recruitment
Knowledge
Ability
Skill
Satisfaction
In and out
Classroom
learning
The macro
context and
concept
framework
Going global,
Learning to be
innovative.
Institutional
initiatives

28. Issues
Learning Features
of first generation college students in China,
2012 data of CCSS
75.6%
“GOOD” student based on the tradition.
Less communicating less presentation or question
spend a more time on playing game or online
videos
CONSTRAIN themselves in a small social circle
LESS support from other important people
LESS extracurricular activities easily to be
IGNORED

29. Quality education can make a
difference…

30. Governing the quality: a long journey
• “Governance” and “quality” are wicked
problems in higher education policy. They are
almost impossible to resolve.
• Student learning must be positioned as a core
objective within institutional and system-level
governance arrangements. Enhancing quality
must be a key objective of governance reform.
-Glen A. Jones :” Governing Quality: Positioning Student Learning as a Core
Objective of Institutional and System-Level Governance”

31. 31
Thanks and welcome to Tsinghua
University