Education Research Frontier June 2014, Volume 4, Issue 2, PP.35-41
Innovation of Talent Cultivation Mode under the Background of Transnational Cooperation Lihui Xie1, #, Junyue Cheng 2, Youping Fan 3 1. School of Inter-cultural Studies, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, P.R.China 2. College of Arts and Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA 3. Department of Electrical Engineering, Jiangxi Electric Power Vocational Technology, Nanchang, 330032, P.R.China #Email: lhxie2111@126.com
Abstract University is based on the fundamental philosophy of “educating” and has, all along, adhered to the idea that teaching quality is lifeblood of institutions of higher learning. The talents cultivated by a university can be used by the society and can amount to something. Ever since the past over one decade after China’s entry into the WTO, education has also become more and more geared to the international society. As one of the important patterns of international cooperation and communication in China education, universities of Sino-foreign cooperation education play a positive role in burdening the task of cultivating all kinds of talents urgently needed for the national economic construction. This paper makes an analysis of formation of human capital from an international perspective, proposes establishment of talent cultivation objective and system in international cooperation innovates the talent cultivation mode and idea and realizes comprehensive development of man. Keywords: Higher Education; International Education; Talent Cultivation; Mode Innovation
1 INTRODUCTION Currently, the concepts of “global village” and “globalization” have been gradually accepted and become a common view. More and more Chinese students have the opportunity to choose to receive higher education in other developed countries that possess abundant educational resources, such as, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada and so on and to employ the global common language (especially English) to acquire professional knowledge, broaden the cultural horizon and strengthen international comprehension. Nevertheless, restricted by geographical environment, economic condition, cultural background, social religious and even kinship and ethics, their wishes and choices are limited. Therefore, Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools has played a favorable and complementary role in satisfying people’s demands on higher education and enabling them to get in touch with foreign high-quality educational resources. Students in Sino-foreign joint school running cooperative universities are entitled to choose the following cooperative school running mode to finish their school: either finishing the credit hours of the basic courses in the first two or three years in the mother country or choosing to go to the foreign cooperative universities to continue their studies at the last one or two years. This infuses new vitality to talent cultivation in higher education of transnational cooperation and also brings new challenges and problems. With continuous and thorough practice of this kind of mode of Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools, it will necessarily become an eternal topic in talent cultivation of higher education in transnational cooperation.
2 HUMAN CAPITAL IN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION 2.1 The Concept and Formation of Human Capital in International Cooperation Human capital is an important backbone for development of a country and is also the most important wealthy foundation and significant resource of development. With regard to the concept of human capital, western scholars extend their viewpoints on capital. That is, the knowledge and skills of man are means of production produced by - 35 www.erfrontier.org
investment in human resources which can bring income and wealth. Schurz defines human capital from the perspective of formation of human capital. According to him, human capital is embodied on laborers and the capital is constituted by the knowledge, skills and physical strength of laborers in the form of investment. It is thus clear that, human capital is an outcome of investment made by education in cultivation of labor forces and popularization and improvement of technology. And education plays an extremely important role in the process of human capital formation. Just as Schurz (1964) concluded in his analysis of the US economic growth during the period from 1929 to 1956 that 21% to 40% of US national revenue growth should be attributed to the educational investment made for the purpose of increasing human capital stock. (Schultz, 1964, pp450-464) In order for all countries all over the world in the 21st Century to remain at an invincible position in the fierce competition, it is necessary to vigorously cultivate talents and develop education. Just as Scott says, it is no longer fleet and guided missile that are the major means adopted by all countries in the international competition. Instead, it is the “intellectual property” symbolized by basic science and commercial patent and the “human capital” symbolized by advanced and experienced labor force. (Peter Scott, 2009, 166) As the highest level of educational system, higher education has played an incomparable role in the historical development of human kind and in economic growth by means of investment in human resources with high quality. For the time being, integration of global economy, and popularization and internationalization of higher education have proposed new requirements for higher education. To respond to the fierce international competition, institutions of higher learning need to adjust their talent cultivation objectives and cultivate talents equipped with an international vision and international communication competence, international economic theory, international economic market operation and international economic knowledge. That is, these talents are supposed to be familiar with the current international economic and technical conditions as well as modern management methods and have a good knowledge of relevant rules and standards as well as the national situation, which are necessary for them to participate in the international competition and better serve the economy and the society.
2.2 International Cooperation Is an Impounding Reservoir for Formation of Human Capital in Institutions of Higher Learning Development of international cooperation in running schools can date back to the beginning of the 90s in the 20 th Century (when international cooperation in running schools in a real sense has begun to take shape). However, Sinoforeign cooperation in running schools which has gone through a development course for two decades has been widely known. By August 11, 2011, there had been altogether 1340 institutions and projects engaged in Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools, covering 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipal cities. (Jin Xibin, 2008, 62) Considering the geographical distribution, these areas are relatively concentrated in Shanghai, Beijing, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangdong and other big cities in developed eastern coastal regions. Regarding the cooperative partners, foreign cooperators mainly came from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, France, the United Kingdom and other countries and regions with developed economy and advanced science, technology and education. Then, what, on earth, makes those economically developed and culturally abundant areas become a breeding place for Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools? And why Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools has extended to the sacred palace of institutions of higher learning within just a few years? It is discovered through investigation that it is quite persuasive to explain all the above phenomena from the perspective of human resource development. In light of the purpose of human resource development, it is not difficult to find that, in the society led by high technology, the continuously fossilized talent organization structure and seriously disconnected knowledge architecture can no longer satisfy the daily increasing job requirements, and even, to a large extent, obstruct development of the working process. Therefore, an urgent requirement is posed in the face of each enterprise or organization group. It is how to analyse, plan, adjust and even train corresponding human resources and enhance the existing human resource management level of the enterprise or the organization group to increase the efficiency of human resource management and create more value for the enterprise or the organization group. Of course, this issue is, first of all, put forward by economically and culturally developed areas as it is these areas that have this demand in the first place. Nevertheless, the heavy burden of resolving this issue is dropped, in the first place, on the human - 36 www.erfrontier.org
resource department of all enterprises or organization groups. At the very beginning, the human resource department resolves issues at hand at leisure. However, they feel more and more short of capacity. Especially when this demand expands to the degree that it can even independently represent an era, human resource managers come to realize all of a sudden that they lack scope for their ability even if they have a magic art. This era is called an era of Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools. Skilful Chinese and western integration in Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools and the western talent cultivation strategy employed by China cater to the demand of talent market and also incessantly cultivate supervalue human resources for the society. Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools is sparing no effort to serve for development of human resources in the enterprises or organization groups. It is not difficult to find that Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools and human resource development supplement each other. Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools is a manifestation form of human resource development. On the contrary, human resource development is the fundamental purpose of Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools.
3 REFLECTIONS OF “HUMAN ORIENTATION” ON TALENT CULTIVATION OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION
3.1 Talent Cultivation of International Cooperation Talent is a kind of resource and the long process in which one amounts to something needs realization of internal and external functions. Value of man is also excavated and discovered in this process of realization. A general survey on the definition of talent, it is usually defined as competence, knowledge, capacity, appearance and contribution of a person. Then, popularly speaking, talent refers to the high quality human resources who possess certain skills or speciality and who are able to make contributions to social wealth. Talent is more cultivated after one is born. Hence, in order to become useful, it is necessary to cultivate “talents” in the future, which is usually realized by means of education and training in the forms of systematic education and spare time education and off-job training or on-job training. Talents are of great importance to development of a country. In the current situation of globalization, talent cultivation has been enhanced to a level of national policy. By virtue of its unique advantages, a university more highlights its particular position in terms of cultivation of innovative talents.
FIG 1. REALIZATION OF THE OBJECTIVE OF TALENT CULTIVATION IN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION (Data source: Xi Youmin et al. Study on Development Features and Strategy of Chinese Universities. Beijing: China Renmin University Press, 2010, 62, 136, 204. Statement: this figure was based on compilation of the data) - 37 www.erfrontier.org
3.2 Innovation of Talent Cultivation Objective in International Cooperation At the Davos summer forum held in Dalian, China in September 2009, the 2009-2010 Global Competitiveness Report released by the World Economic Forum listed human resource as one of the indicators to evaluate the comprehensive competitive force of a country. Development of human resources by countries all over the world has never come to an end. Ever since the birth of the European medieval universities, universities have fulfilled the internationalization talent cultivation mode in dissemination and learning of knowledge by means of teachers and students flowing and migrating. Until today in an era of knowledge economy, the following requirements for international talents have proposed new demand on talent cultivation, namely, talents with solid basis, strong competence, innovative spirit and entrepreneurship consciousness, international vision and international competitive force. This kind of talents can play an important role in the international stage and are engaged in multinational operations, international negotiations, international cooperation projects and international scientific institutions. Just as showed in Fig 1, cultivation of internationalization talents has become a principle and strategic objective of Chinese universities.
3.3 Innovation of Talent Cultivation System in International Cooperation In the process of higher education internationalization, talent cultivation in higher education turns to be committed to cultivating universal talents “with an international vision”, and “open to new thoughts and new opportunities” who are able to face the world and possess the international competition competence. Internationalized talent cultivation ought to conduct internationalization education on basic theoretic courses, provide internationalization cultivation by consideration of the practical ability and integrate outward bound with the topic of all kinds of international exchange activities to construct an internationalization talent cultivation system (see Fig 2).
FIG 2. INTERNATIONALIZED APPLICATION-BASED TALENT CULTIVATION SYSTEM IN HIGHER EDUCATION (Data source: Pan Jun. Innovation of Undergraduate Application-based Talent Cultivation Mode in Sino-foreign Cooperation in Running Schools --- Based on the Relationship between Application-based Talent Quality Model and Cultivation Mode. In Conference Proceedings in the International Conference on Standardizing Chinese-foreign Cooperation in Running Schools, Exercising Administration According to Law and Promoting Sustainable Development. 2011, unpublished openly. Statement: this figure was based on compilation of the data) - 38 www.erfrontier.org
Internationalization education of basic theoretical courses in the knowledge system adopts the teaching design of “modularization”. It concentrates on the solid theoretical and knowledge basis of students in the entire teaching process. The curriculum constitutes foreign language training, international academic research and disciplines that cover international application-based subjects and the leading subjects urgently needed domestically. This is aimed to enable students to “master many skills while specializing in one” and realize accumulation of knowledge and formation of knowledge structure. Internationalization training of the practical capacity focuses on all aspects of capacity of students. This can cultivate students’ comprehensive capacity and capacity of practice as well as the capacity of observing, reflecting and resolving problems from a global perspective by means of exchange students project, international conference, joint cultivation, international competition, overseas internship and summer course. The quality system contains the life outlook of “happy living and successful career”. It emphasizes the values of “innovation and contribution” and trains an open mind with a global vision with the life philosophy of seeking common points while reserving differences.
3.4 Talent Cultivation in International Cooperation and Overall Development of Man As the image and symbol of education sustainable development, the overall and unconstrained development of man is the essential requirement of Marxism for construction of the new socialist society and is the essence and core of Marxism education. (Wang Zongguang, Li Jianqiang, Sheng Yi, 2003, 22) In the process of overall development of man, higher education should adhere to the strategic policy of “facing the modernization, the world and the future” and cultivate a new generation with the “four qualifications” of “ideal, morality, culture and discipline”. Cultivation of “innovative talents with international competitive competence in the 21st century” becomes a subject in internationalized development and talent cultivation in higher education all over the world. 3.4.1 Positioning of human-oriented idea and objective It is proposed in “Higher Education for the Twenty-first Century: Vision and Action” (1988) that, “In the contemporary world changing quickly, obviously, higher education needs a new student-centered perspective and a new mode”. In the situation when internationalization of higher education becomes increasingly distinct, a university should establish the educational idea “based on overall development of students”, and integrate both Chinese and western educational thoughts from the idea of school running to curriculum setting according to the rule and characteristics of talent growth, namely, “Chinese learning as the fundamental structure and western learning as the complementary structure”. A university is supposed to cultivate the innovation consciousness and pioneering spirit of students who are practical talents equipped with an international vision and an international competition capacity. In order to carry though the fundamental idea of overall development of man, it is the first thing to set up a new higher education quality concept and to be strict with talent cultivation requirements. Then, the education and teaching process should highlight the subjectivity of student learning. Finally, it is necessary to construct and innovate the knowledge platform of talent cultivation by consideration of the reality of talent cultivation objective and the actual local situation as well as the requirements for talent cultivation. 3.4.2 Innovation of internationalized curriculum system In order to innovate the curriculum system, it is necessary to bring in overseas education resources and international frontier curriculum according to the discipline features and requirements for talent cultivation and penetrate such elements as innovation, application and internationalization in the curriculum system. The heading of the Acknowledgment section and the References section must not be numbered. It is also necessary to promote English original teaching materials in due course according to the process of students foreign language learning and integrate cross-cultural comprehension into course teaching. A university should make full use of overseas education resources to launch high level academic seminars at the academic foreland and in a crossing field which introduce the latest international academic tendency and achievements. This helps to strengthen the international atmosphere and broaden students’ international vision. - 39 www.erfrontier.org
3.4.3 International communication activities In the final analysis, competition in the 21st century is the competition of talents. In the face of increasing global competition, it is a must to walk out of the campus and the country and to step to the international stage and have a face-to-face communication with advanced science in the world. A university is supposed to provide vigorous support in terms of human resource, material resource and financial resource and enable students to have more opportunities to participate in an international communication. Among the four 1/3 undergraduate talent cultivation strategies implemented by Beijing University of Technology, the third 1/3 plan is to enable 1/3 undergraduates to receive international education, or, have short-term or long-term exchange experiences abroad. 3.4.4 Internationalized university spirit Effect of the university spirit on overall development of man has the characteristics of diversity, dispersivity and elusiveness. It has become a unique spiritual culture with a feature imbued with personality and manifests powerful spiritual strength. (Wang Zongguang, Li Jianqiang, Sheng Yi, 2003, 22)
4 CONCLUSIONS The preliminary task of a university is to cultivate talents and the “human oriented” talent cultivation is regarded as the first function of a university. In “Higher Education Law of the People’s Republic of China”, it is definitely stipulated that “institutions of higher learning are supposed to focus on cultivating talents”. The 21st Century is one when science and technology is developed quickly and when the international competition environment becomes increasingly fierce. In such a situation, modern universities with the duty of cultivating talents have to size up the situation from a brand-new international perspective, comprehend characteristics of demand on talents more comprehensively and thoroughly and cultivate talents that are of real use to the society, satisfy the demand of social development on talents and that also comply with the need of overall development. Under the circumstance of internalization of higher education, university talents are supposed to international compound and application-based talents who possess fund of knowledge and are able to resolve actual problems and engage in research with relevant skills and knowledge. This kind of talents is also supposed to have competence social adaptation capacity and solidarity and cooperation spirit and possess innovative spirit and an international vision in participation of teamwork. Besides, they are required to have a profound comprehension in economy, science and culture of the international society, being optimistic and possess the competence for globalized cooperation, exchange and communication.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT One of the achievements of the planned project in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012) of social sciences in Jiangxi Province [No: 12YY21], of the Humanities and Social Sciences planning project (2013) in Jiangxi Province Colleges and Universities [No: GL1328], of Doctoral Start-up Funded Project in Jiangxi Normal University “Sustainable Development Research of the International Education under the Vision of Public Management”
REFERENCES [1]
M. J. Bowman, Schultz. Denison and the Contribution of ‘EDS’ to National Income Growth’ [J]. The Journal of Political Economy, Oct., 1964:450-464
[2]
Peter Scott. The Globalization of Higher Education: Theory and Policy, translated by Zhou Qian, Gao Yaoli. Beijing: Peking University Press, 2009:166
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Lin Jinhui. Pedagogy of Sino-foreign Cooperation in Running Schools. Xiamen: Xiamen University Press, 2011:55 (In Chinese)
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Jin Xibin. Pedagogical Economics. Beijing: People's Education Press, 2008:62 (In Chinese)
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Wang Zongguang, Li Jianqiang, Sheng Yi. Reform of Higher Education and Overall Development of Man. Shanghai: Shanghai Jiaotong University Press, 2003:22 (In Chinese)
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Xi Youmin et al. Study on Development Features and Strategy of Chinese Universities. Beijing: China Renmin University Press, 2010:62, 136, 204 (In Chinese)
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Pan Jun. Innovation of Undergraduate Application-based Talent Cultivation Mode in Sino-foreign Cooperation in Running - 40 www.erfrontier.org
Schools --- Based on the Relationship between Application-based Talent Quality Model and Cultivation Mode. In Conference Proceedings in the International Conference on Standardizing Chinese-foreign Cooperation in Running Schools, Exercising Administration According to Law and Promoting Sustainable Development, 2011 [8]
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AUTHORS 1Lihue
degree
XIE (1968- ), female, born in Nanchang, obtained PhD from
School
of
Political
Science
and
Public
Administration of Wuhan University in 2012, major in Public Management; Master degree from Poitiers University in France in 2003, major in MBA; BA degree from Jiangxi Normal University in 1996, major in English Education and graduated from Nanchang Vocational Technical Teacher’s College in 1989, major in English.
2Junyue
Cheng (1990- ), female, born in Nanchang, obtained
BA degree from Kansas State University in 2012, major in Art Science. 3Youping
Fan (1973- ), male, born in Nanchang, PhD candidate
at School of Political Science and Public Administration of Wuhan University, works currently at Jiangxi Electric Power Vocational Technology as Assistant to the President , title of Senior engineer.
- 41 www.erfrontier.org