Experts on Quality Certification of Higher Vocational Education for International Students Visit NJCIT for On-site Review

According to the overall work arrangement of higher vocational education quality certification for international students of China Education Exchange Association, from September 14 to 17, a seven-member expert group on higher vocational education quality certification for international students conducted a comprehensive on-site review and evaluation accreditation of Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology (NJCIT) (as one of the first batch of initially accredited colleges) through briefing sessions, field visits to equipment and facilities, on-site lectures, interviews and discussions, and reference to archives. The expert group was led by Ma Xingnian, Vice President of Jiangsu Education Association for International Exchange, headed by Han Weichun, Dean of Hainan Institute of University of International Business and Economics, with Yuan Hongzhi, former Secretary of the CPC Committee of Changzhou Vocational Institute of Engineering, Qin Chuan, former President of Qingdao Technical College, Ji Limei, Director of International Exchange Center of Jiangsu College of Engineering and Technology as the members, Wang Hong, former Secretary of the CPC Committee of Nanjing Vocational Institute of Railway Technology as the observer, and Ren Yaqian from Jiangsu Education Association for International Exchange as the liaison officer. Tian Min, President of NJCIT, Du Qingbo, Vice-President of NJCIT, the main responsible persons from the centralized management department for international students in NJCIT, relevant functional departments, teaching branches for international students, teachers' representatives and representatives of international students attended this on-site review.

At the briefing, Vice President Du Qingbo introduced the participants. First of all, Vice President Ma Xingnian delivered a speech on behalf of China Education Association for International Exchange. He pointed out that higher vocational colleges are an important force in receiving and cultivating international students, and it is very necessary and urgent for them to participate in the quality assurance system for studying abroad in China. He hoped that both schools and experts attach great importance to certification and maximize the effectiveness of certification, so as to help improve the overall international education level of higher vocational colleges. Then, in his speech, Dean Han Weichun thanked the association for its trust in the certification expert group and said that it would carry out the review professionally and conscientiously. At the same time, he also introduced the contents and requirements of this on-site review to the participants in detail. Later, on behalf of NJCIT, President Tian Min expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the association for its concern about NJCIT, warmly welcomed the expert group to carry out on-site reviews, and said that all departments of NJCIT would actively cooperate with the expert group in various reviews. He hoped that all experts could give more valuable opinions on the work of studying abroad at NJCIT and help push it to a new level of high-quality development. Finally, Vice President Du Qingbo made a special report to the expert group on the overall progress of quality certification for international students in China, characteristics and highlights of international education, self-evaluation and self-reform work, existing problems and improvement measures.

During the on-site review, experts visited national communication engineering training bases, libraries, international student dormitories and canteens, as well as campus environment, observed the teaching of Communication Principle course on site, interviewed in depth with school leaders in charge, heads of relevant functional departments and teaching and cultivation units, personnel of centralized management departments for overseas study in China, teachers and representatives of international students, and carefully reviewed relevant archives and certification supporting materials such as enrollment, teaching and management of international students. Through the on-site review, the experts have gained an all-round and in-depth understanding of the education management and cultivation of international students in NJCIT.

At the feedback meeting on certification work, Dean Han Weichun gave feedback on the on-site review of accreditation on behalf of the expert group. He believed that since 2014 when NJCIT launched education for international students with academic qualifications, NJCIT has been able to closely follow the national strategy and rely on its own schooling characteristics and professional advantages to carry out talent training for international students in China. Meanwhile, he suggested that NJCIT should further unify its thoughts and attach great importance to the work related to studying abroad in China. NJCIT should start from innovative development measures, strengthening faculty construction, improving training quality, improving management services and other aspects, improve the educational system and workflow for studying abroad in China, and comprehensively enhance the level of studying abroad in China; reasonably expand the scale of degree students and create an international campus atmosphere; expand the scope of training personnel for retention and management business, improve the collaborative working mechanism, and play a role as a whole; strengthen the enrollment publicity of international students, improve the level of relevant management service information systems for international students, and build the influence of high-level institutions; carry out high-quality preparatory education, raise the enrollment threshold and further improve the quality of students; actively promote the development of international student mass organizations and alumni work, so as to promote the long-term healthy development of NJCIT's work related to international students. Later, other members of the expert group added some observations and suggestions for improvement.

Vice President Du Qingbo delivered a speech on behalf of NJCIT. He said that NJCIT will comprehensively and deeply study and summarize the feedback from the expert group, carry out self-inspection and self-correction in strict accordance with the requirements of the expert group's feedback, further strengthen the top-level design, formulate practical and effective rectification measures, and ensure that relevant functional departments and teaching units of NJCIT have an understanding of the ideology and implement the rectification in place.

The quality certification of higher vocational education for international students is a comprehensive test of NJCIT's work related to studying abroad and a comprehensive evaluation of its level of running an international school. NJCIT will take this on-site certification review as an opportunity to further improve the education, training, management and service system for international students in NJCIT. NJCIT will focus on improving quality and efficiency and comprehensively deepen the reform so that our work related to studying abroad in China can reach a new level and promote the implementation of the Double High-level Plan.

Photo by Cui Jun, Publicity Department of the CPC Committee

Text by Qiu Bai, School of International Education

Reviewed by Cao Xue, School of International Education