Insight Into Curriculum Development Of Undergraduate Plant Production Education In China's Agriculture Higher Institutions

As one of the agricultural disciplines of higher agricultural education in China that have the longest history, plant production has evolved into an independent system that is most basic and self-integrated. Over the decades of its development, plant production education has churned out large number of agricultural professionals for China's socialist construction and its contribution to China's agriculture scientific development and to the promotion of agriculture production is not to be slighted. In light of China's economic development, the curriculum program for plant production education has been constantly revised and renovated. While the measures and experiences are still valid heritages for current educational administrators, the established curriculum still mirrors a distinct pattern of thinking of planned economy. In an era of fast technological development, society's need of cultivating agricultural professionals for the 21^st century calls for a dramatic shift from the past curriculum package of plant production education. The significance of this study on new a curriculum system for plant production education is therefore well defined. This research is aided by literature reviews, contrastive analyses, questionnaires, and selective interviews. It takes the curriculum development for undergraduates of plant production majors of China Agricultural University as historical data. It also makes a horizontal comparative study of similar curriculums in peer universities. This study offers a new plant production education curriculum that is expected to serve future curriculum need of China Agriculture University.