Teaching-plan Management In Universities: Problems And Counter-measures

Influenced by the mode of teaching management of the Soviet Union, over a long period of time teaching plans of the institutions of higher learning in our country have been formulated in a unified way by the state. The law of Higher Education promulgated in 1998 explicitly stipulates, "Institutions of higher learning are entitled to independently work out teaching plans, to select and compile teaching materials, and to organize and carry on teaching activities." In an important speech entitled "Comprehensively Revise Teaching Plans and Construct the Talent Training System of the New Century", Zhou Yuanqing, former vice-minister of Education, also pointed out that "the right to formulate and implement teaching plans belongs to the school. 'The principles concerning the Revision of Teaching Plans for Undergraduates of General Institutions of Higher Learning', issued by the Ministry of Education, does not stipulate how many class hours to give, nor does it stipulate what courses to give. The purpose of this exceptional principle is to leave enough space in which schools can give full play to their independence in school running," From this it can be seen that the authority of choosing "what to teach" has been gradually transferred from the central government to the various universities. In that case, the related problems of how to distribute the right to work out teaching plans, what the procedures of formulation are and how to assess the teaching plans within universities are becoming more and more prominent.On the basis of investigations and interviews, and concerning the various problems appearing in the process of implementing the independent right of formulating teaching plans in various universities, this paper puts forward corresponding counter-measures. This mainly includes:Part I. On the basis of a comparative study of the management in teaching plans in the universities of China and the United States, this paper points out some of the problems in the management of teaching plans in Chinese universities. These problems include: the principle part of the personnel engaged in teaching plan formulation is unitary, which is at odds with the complicatedness of plan formulating; the way of management is typical of that of administration, which is at odds with the academic features in teaching plan formulation; the procedure of management is not standardized enough, which can affect the scientific features of planning; the channels of information are not accessible enough, which can weaken the democratic features in plan management; and the standards of assessment are too general, which can increase the randomness in reviewing the teaching plans. This paper also analyzes the reasons for these problems in the light of theoretical research, practical exploration and conceptual knowledge.Part II. This paper puts forward some measures, in an attempt to solve the problems existing in the management of teaching plans in universities. With the theory of course-leading theory and the theory of systematic organization as guidance, this paper explores the principal part of the personnel engaged in the management of teaching plan formulation in universities and the related management procedure. It is the purpose of this paper to created a mode of teaching plan management compatiblewith the organizational atmosphere of universities, through the construction of an organizational structure of a joint management by related teams. The concrete counter-measures include: to improve the information environment of planning with the participation of the representatives of many sides; to define the right and responsibilities of the members so as to optimize the structure of the heterogeneous groups; to balance the two authorities of academy and administration with academic organizations playing the leading role; and to standardize the planning procedure and to create a platform for the information exchange. In addition, with course-compilation theory and assessment theory as guidance, this paper formulates a system of standards for the assessment of teaching plans, with a view to providing a reference standard for the assessment of the quality of teaching plans in universities.