27 December 2014

Gentlefolk,

This post is a continuation of the last post (24 December) on aspects of college education, but before I get into that subject let me make a brief comment on Xmas.

'Tis the festive season, a time to rejoice with family and friends.  Also a time to reflect on the past year, and look forward to the coming 12 months.

Probably the most significant event which happened on Xmas Day in our life time was the disintegration of the Soviet Union on 25 December 1991.  After more than 40 years of ideological struggle (the Cold War) the "Great Satan" was vanquished, and in its place 15 independent countries were created.

It was a miracle. We owe you, Gorby!

And, arguably, the most important development since that cataclysmic event in 1991 has been the dramatic rise and rise of China.

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across an interesting article in Toronto's Globe & Mail newspaper of 12 December, written by their Beijing correspondent Nathan Vanderklippe. He illustrates China's extraordinary economic development by profiling six locals who have made it good - but Nathan also contends that with the headlong pursuit of materialism has come a moral vacuum in The Middle Kingdom.

The article commences with the following statistics comparing changes in the USA and China in the 35 years since Deng Xiao Ping's 'opening & reform' policies were introduced (see Table 1).

  

Table 1: Changes 1978 to 2013

	USA Change 1978 to 2013	China Change 1978 to 2013
GDP per capita	402%	4,293%
Disposable income per capita	660%	7,761%
Imports	1,204%	17,809%
Exports	1,021%	22,560%
Number of air passengers	172%	22,809%
Urban population	10%	196%

Aren't these figures mind-boggling?

China has averaged GDP growth of near-10% for more than 30 years - I doubt any other country has ever grown so fast for so long.  Will it continue?  The economy is certainly slowing down. In 2015 China's GDP is expected to grow about 7%, the slowest in a while but still a very substantial number, don't you think?

It's strange - Western media seems critical of China for having a growth expectation of "only 7%", when their own economies are struggling to achieve 2% (is that part of a sub-conscious double-standard in reporting on China?).  Chinese media says 7% is about the minimum required to create the jobs for school and college leavers.

Actually, it's probably more sensible to grow at a steady 5% or 6% per annum as the economy matures.

OK, that's enough ... let's get back to the main subject.

...

Comparison China / US college

In my last post (24 December) I described the study workloads of Chinese students and mentioned that I would include comments by an American teacher.

When I was teaching at CUP's Dongying campus I met Ally Tredaldi, a young American teacher at nearby Sheng Li College.  Ally was a recent graduate of Skidmore College in upstate New York.  I thought it would be good for my students to meet someone closer to their own age, so I invited her to address my Western Culture class.

Ally was a great hit.  For over an hour, she stood in front of the class and answered questions.
 

One of the things Ally said, which greatly impressed the students, was that she was from a poor family (her mother, divorced, brought up 3 kids) and from a town in New York State with significant social problems (unemployment and gang violence).  

When Ally turned 15 she got a weekend job in a local shop.  At university she had three part time jobs to pay her way: she worked in the cafeteria, in the Administration Office, and also did some tutoring. 

Most Chinese have an image of America as being full of rich, happy people, so Ally’s comments were a revelation. 

China: harder to enter college, easier to graduate

Ally’s assessment was that in China it is harder to get into university (so much competition), but once in, it is easier to graduate (the ‘system’ encourages and supports students to study and pass exams).  In America, it is easier to get into university, but harder to graduate.

She explained that although Chinese students have twice as many lectures as American students, in her opinion that actually made their learning easier.  They get most of their knowledge and information direct from their teachers in the classroom, whereas in America students have to do much more self-study and research.

Ally majored in history, and every 2 weeks had to submit an 8-10 page essay on some historical event or issue.  It wasn’t enough to just state the facts, she had to explain her conclusions with carefully-argued reasoning.  The Chinese students were shocked - they said that this was very different from the minimal homework they were given.

At the China University of Petroleum a student’s score for a subject is based on 70% final exam and 30% class attendance and participation.  I understand that is the norm throughout China.  Ally said that these numbers are reversed in America (30% final exam and 70% performance during the semester).

In America, if students fall behind with their homework, or submit shoddy work, or miss too many classes, their enrollment is re-assessed and they can be, and regularly are, asked to leave the college.  That rarely happens in China.  Once a student manages to get into university here, the teaching system actively supports him or her and helps them to attain graduation. 

Ally said that in China 'the system' wants students to pass and graduate, whereas in America 'the system' doesn’t care if a student succeeds or fails – it’s up to the individual.

Cheating

The discussion then turned to cheating.  In theory, cheating is forbidden in both America and China, but there seems to be a much greater tolerance of it in China.

 

In America it is a ‘black & white’ issue  – if a student is caught cheating, he or she is disciplined.  If it involved plagiarism in an essay or other research work, the student is given a warning.  If cheating happens in an exam, the student is immediately expelled from the room and given an F (Fail) mark.  There are no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’ – you fail that exam and you could even be expelled from the Faculty and university.  Cheating is taken very seriously.

In China there seems to be a more tolerant attitude towards cheating.

 

China is a very competitive society and academic attainment is regarded very highly – it is the primary yard-stick of a person’s worth – and exam results are the measure of a person’s ability. 

From an early age, beginning in primary school, children are told that they must succeed and the measure of their success is judged by their exam results.  Anything which helps them achieve higher scores is regarded as acceptable. 

Friends are expected to help each other.  If someone knows the answer to a question, they are expected to help others, through hand signals, the passing of notes, or whatever.

Apparently some Chinese teachers turn a blind eye to cheating and students quickly work out what they can get away with and with whom. 

I asked a couple of Chinese English teachers about this recently, as the Final Exams for this semester are fast approaching.  They said that if they see students cheating in an exam they will admonish them and tell them to stop, but they will not expel the culprits from the classroom.

I certainly don’t want to imply that all or even most Chinese teachers ignore cheating. Actually, teachers who have helped me supervise exams have all seemed diligent and careful.  But that is a small sample, and in the presence of a foreigner.  But the overall impression I have gained from talking to people is that there is a more relaxed attitude to cheating here then back home - perhaps part of the ‘helping students to graduate’ approach?

My classes will have their final exams soon - will let you know if anything untoward takes place.

...

Well, folks, that's all for this post.

Exciting day: This afternoon Qingdao TV is featuring a program on foreign experts of which I am one.  Wonder how Vera & I will come across? Tonight all the foreign teachers have been invited to an end-of-year dinner by Professor Zha Ming, Vice President in charge of international matters (including foreign teachers), so will be nice to get a decent feed.

OK, must go.

Best wishes, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn/english/
Saturday, 27 December 2014