On May 14, the inaugural class for a pilot project integrating higher education self-study exams with technical education commenced at Zhejiang Transportation Technician Institute. Xie Huixiang, Director of the Self-Study Examination Department at the provincial education examination authority, stated that this initiative marks Zhejiang as the first in China to create a training model that links higher education self-study exams with technical education. Moving forward, students at participating technical institutes can obtain self-study exam associate or bachelor's degree diplomas simultaneously upon graduation by passing the relevant integrated course examinations.
For many years, students from technical institutes have commonly faced the dilemma of possessing strong practical skills but being limited by their academic credentials. "Earning an associate or bachelor's degree through self-study exams typically requires self-teaching 15 or 16 courses. Due to a lack of systematic instructional guidance, the pass rate for these exams among technical institute students has remained low over the long term," explained Xie Huixiang, noting that this situation has hindered their personal development.
In January of this year, the provincial departments of education and human resources jointly issued a notice for this pilot project. Based on the industrial development needs of the province for high-quality technical and skilled talent, the initiative aims to establish a new comprehensive training model that combines skill acquisition with academic credentials. Since its launch, a preliminary institutional framework has been established, curriculum integration is progressing in an orderly manner, and initial progress has been made in aligning teaching resources and faculty. The first phase has already attracted registrations from over 1,500 technical institute students.
Reportedly, the pilot project involves leading examination universities providing instructional guidance and academic support services, while the technical institutes handle daily education and teaching. The provincial education examination authority is responsible for course evaluation and quality monitoring. After completing the relevant coursework, technical institute students can register for the integrated course examinations.
The leading examination universities participating in the first pilot phase are Ningbo University, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Ningbo University of Technology, and Zhejiang Business College. The participating technical institutes are Zhejiang Transportation Technician Institute, Zhejiang Business Technician Institute, Hangzhou Technician Institute, Ningbo Technician Institute, Wenzhou Technician Institute, and Taizhou Technician Institute.
"As one of the leading examination universities for the theoretical and practical courses in this pilot, we will participate in the teaching activities for the pilot majors at the technical institutes. This includes jointly developing integrated curricula, co-training faculty teams, and sharing teaching resources," said Jiang Xin, Party Branch Secretary of the Continuing Education College at Zhejiang Gongshang University. The integrated learning-and-exam approach is expected to create a smoother connection between instruction and assessment.
"Previously, graduation only meant a skill certificate, and obtaining a higher academic diploma was somewhat difficult. Now, my goal is to earn a self-study exam bachelor's degree diploma upon graduation," said Wang Tianyu, a first-year student majoring in Electromechanical Equipment Installation and Maintenance at Zhejiang Transportation Technician Institute, who has enrolled in the pilot class. He looks forward to broadening his future career path by enhancing his academic qualifications.
Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, believes that Zhejiang has taken a significant step in using policy innovation to break through the academic credential bottleneck for skilled talent, effectively addressing students' dual needs for both skills and qualifications. However, while improving students' academic credentials, it is also crucial to emphasize skill acquisition, ensuring both aspects develop in tandem and with equal importance.
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