A huge teaching reform project called "Project 101" is being implemented in a low-key manner.

"China Science Daily" learned that Hu Zhenjiang, the dean of the School of Computer Science of Peking University, was the leader of the computer discipline that was the first to implement the reform in this plan. The heads of the subject expert groups are also top scholars.

What is "101"? In computer language, binary numbers are composed of "0" and "1", which is the basis of computer language; in mathematical language, "101" in decimal is the smallest prime number composed of "0" and "1"; in English In , "101" is used to refer to "the most basic knowledge in a subject". The "101 Plan" is a plan that focuses on undergraduate education in basic subjects, and it not only focuses on computer science.

On April 19 this year, the Ministry of Education held a kick-off meeting for the “Series of 101 Plans” in basic disciplines at Peking University. The leaders of various disciplines introduced the implementation plans of the “101 Plans” in their respective fields.

At present, nearly 3/4 of the planned timetable for the computer field, which was the first to implement reforms, has passed. What is the result? What kind of path has been explored? In this regard, "China Science Daily" interviewed Hu Zhenjiang and Guo Yao, secretary-general of the Computer Science Working Group and deputy dean of the School of Computer Science, Peking University.

Concentrate the strengths of the country

The "101 Plan" in the computer field is divided into two steps: the first step is to build 33 top-notch students' training bases in computer basic disciplines as the first batch of reform pilots; The classification is promoted step by step.

Through the evaluation of domestic and foreign experts, the working group selected 12 core courses, and each course formed a curriculum construction team led by one school and participated by 10 to 15 schools. In this plan, Peking University is responsible for three of the courses, Tsinghua University is responsible for two courses, Beihang University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Nanjing University, Renmin University of China, National University of Defense Technology, Zhejiang University, and Harbin Institute of Technology are responsible for one each. courses.

A teaching material writing group has been set up for each course, and the teaching material writing team with nearly 100 authors as the main body will cooperate to compile 31 main teaching materials. The planning and sample chapters of these textbooks have passed the review of a committee composed of academicians and experts.

Under the suggestion of John Hopcroft, a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Turing Award winner, each course will be organized in the form of knowledge points. Each course will decompose about 50 key knowledge points, and classroom teaching, textbook compilation and course practice will be iterated and improved according to these knowledge points.

The important task of the plan is to improve classroom teaching methods and teaching effects, that is, through classroom observation, guide teachers to pay more attention to teaching and research on teaching issues, and discover and form a high-level teaching team that can listen to, lecture, and understand classrooms.

Each school has a classroom observation panel. Li Xiaoming, a professor of the School of Computer Science, Peking University, served as the person in charge of the first year of classroom observation, and Lu Junlin, an associate researcher at the School of Computer Science, Peking University, served as the person in charge of the second year of classroom observation.

It is reported that in the first year of the plan, a total of 209 teachers (446 person-times) participated in 240 lecture activities of 142 courses, and completed a total of 443 lecture records. One variable is that due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, most of the classroom observation activities in the spring and autumn semesters of 2022 will be conducted online, which objectively affects the effect of classroom observation.

Hu Zhenjiang said that the nationwide system is the biggest Chinese characteristic of the "101 Plan", and this mode of operation is unimaginable in other countries such as the United States.

most valuable part

In September 2022, the "Computer Education" journal published 12 "101 Project" classroom improvement teaching papers. Among them, Professor Liu Qizhi from the Department of Computer Science and Technology of Nanjing University said that it is precisely because the "101 Project" has nothing to do with awards, awards, and application projects that this kind of non-utilitarian, multi-dimensional and equal classroom observation may be the most valuable part.

Liu Qizhi concluded that classroom observation is to encourage teachers to discover and record teaching that is worthy of reference and promotion, or that may need improvement. These records will become valuable resources for the "101 Project" and an important reference for classroom improvement.

Classroom improvement is exactly what Hopcroft values. He mentioned an example in the preface of the "101 Project" white paper - "Strategic Research Report on the Training of Computer Professionals in Colleges and Universities and the Core Curriculum System": In a class with 30 students taught by an excellent young teacher, the initial class Every student was engaged, but after about 30 minutes, half of the students started to distract themselves. At this time, the teacher just proposed a mathematical theorem and spent 20 minutes to prove it. After class, Hopcroft discussed with the teacher and thought that perhaps spending 20 minutes proving the theorem is not very meaningful. If she can intuitively explain why the theorem is important and how to use the theorem, the effect may be better. As for the theorem itself , only the key proof steps need to be given.

Renmin University of China attaches great importance to the "101 Plan". Zhang Xiao, deputy dean of the school's School of Information, introduced in his "Computer Education" teaching paper that Renmin University of China organized and established the "101 National People's Congress-Classroom Improvement Group", including 17 course teachers. They also implemented a monthly meeting system, that is, a monthly classroom observation progress and experience exchange meeting.

In the first half of 2022, Renmin University of China will observe more than 30 people in class, involving institutions including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Beijing Institute of Technology. Among them, Zhang Jing, an associate professor of the school, participated in the data structure course group. In the first week, he observed the course taught by Professor Deng Junhui of Tsinghua University offline, and then audited the course for the entire semester.

For the compilation of teaching materials, according to the overall plan of computer science, the publication of teaching materials will be completed in the first half of this year, and trial readings and expert review will be organized to solicit opinions on revision of teaching materials. The textbook will be officially published by the end of this year.

Guo Yao said that from the construction of knowledge points to the construction of teaching plans, the ultimate goal of the "101 Project" is to improve the overall effect of classroom teaching and learning, and textbooks are only by-products. After all, textbooks are more often used as reference books.

(Original title ""101 Plan", under low-key implementation")