Source: University Dean’s Office
Written by: University Dean’s Office
Translated by: Yang Qing

On March 7, the undergraduate teaching conference for the first half of 2013 was held on South Campus with the theme of implementing the undergraduate teaching work in 2013. Professor Chen Chunsheng, Executive Deputy Secretary and Vice President of SYSU, attended the conference and made a speech. Nearly 170 people participated in the conference including the deans of schools, heads of departments directly under the university, presidents of affiliated hospitals, deputy deans (deputy directors) in charge of undergraduate teaching and teaching administration staff; persons in charge of public course teaching centers and teaching administration staff; relevant personnel in the university’s teaching administration departments; persons in charge of undergraduate education and teaching affairs in Equipment & Lab Management Office, Teaching Experiment Center, Network and Information Technology Center, Student Affairs Office, SYSU Youth Association, Career Development Counseling Center, Admission Office, Office of Development Planning and Discipline Construction, and Office of International Cooperation & Exchange. The conference was moderated by Xiao Haipeng, Director of Dean’s Office of Medical Education Affairs.
Executive Deputy Secretary and Vice President Chen Chunsheng emphasized that according to the development strategy and the objective of talent cultivation, by means of thorough investigation and rational analysis, SYSU will make a top-level design for the long-term development planning of undergraduate education. He also introduced the work that will be specially promoted in undergraduate teaching in 2013, which includes: to actively facilitate international evaluation of undergraduate programs; establish the development center for teachers and teaching; further optimize undergraduate programs, enhance specialty training, deepen general education, strengthen teaching practice, explore a more closely cooperated mechanism between graduate and undergraduate education; further improve the “three-semester” system; optimize the top-level design and system management for the cultivation of top-notch innovative talents; and promote the establishment of “teaching and academic degree committee” in schools and departments.

Professor Deng Shaozhi, Director of University Dean’s Office, made relevant arrangements for the undergraduate teaching work. She briefed the attendants about the school-opening work in the spring semester of the 2012 academic year, specialty management and application for the 7th provincial teaching achievements award; she introduced the work arrangements in various aspects including formulation of teaching arrangements for the summer semester of the 2013 academic year, revision and formulation of undergraduate programs, the specialty choice of 2011 undergraduates, construction of undergraduate teaching projects, teaching quality management, organization construction of university level and school level undergraduate teaching management, internal control and external evaluation of teaching quality, budget and settlement of “teaching expenses”.

At the conference, Professor Xu Xinzhong, Dean of Lingnan College, delivered a speech entitled “Rebuilding undergraduate education: thought and action”. He introduced the idea of “liberal arts education” in undergraduate teaching and the teaching reforms and achievements in various aspects, such as the integration of specialty education and liberal arts education, teachers’ guidance in study and character building, quality guarantee system, global vision and public participation, etc.