中美高等教育对比The-Differences-of-Higher-Education-between-China-and-America.doc

Abstract
Education has become a symbol of the national power. Every year a great number of students from all over the world come to American for studying. On the contrary, China as an ancient country civilization with over five thousand years, only have several famous universities. This paper aims to study the difference of higher education between China and America and find out the merit of American education. Then take the essence and discard the dregs to improve the quality of our own education.
Key words: Higher Education; Difference; China; American

Introduction
Higher education is an educational level that follows a completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, or a gymnasium. Higher education is normally taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education vocational education and training. Colleges, universities and institutes of technology are the main institutions that provide higher education. In many developed countries, a high proportion of the population, now enter higher education at some time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national economic, both as a significant industry in its own right and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy. College educated workers command a significant wage premium and are much less likely to become unemployed than less educated workers.
The American university has been considered as models by the world, although it only has a history of 300 years. Every year thousands of students from all over the world come to American for studying, including a large number of Chinese excellent students. With the development of economic, China also attracts a lot of oversea students in recent years, but there still are many differences on higher education between China and America. As a result, we should learn from America and make improvement in our education.
I The Differences of Higher Education between China and America
Firstly, they are different in teaching methods. In American, inspiring students is great important for teaching. In classroom, teachers will specially put forward some inspiring questions for students. In such a teaching mode, students in the classroom have a higher degree of freedom, and they can be ready to make their own doubt for teachers which made the teaching atmosphere lively and vivid. This method of teaching helps students develop the ability of independent thinking and solving problem. However, China’s higher education pays more attention to the systematic study. When teaching the curriculum, teachers should follow in accordance with certain teaching programs. Although students have certain interactive questions, this kind of questions tend to be concentrated after the class, rather than in the classroom. It is the main mode that class is taught by teachers and students just listen to the records. This approach is conductive to help the students learn systemic knowledge, and they have less sense of innovation.
Secondly, they have differences in the dependence of students. In America, college students are likely to be more independent of their parents. Students often make decisions by themselves, no matter on studying and live. And students are often expected, as part of learning to be an adult, to pay for part or all the costs of college by themselves. On the other hand, pa rents also give more freedom for children to the best of their abilities. Some American college students thrive in this new found freedom, and some flounder. Many grow up quickly during college, while others fail and leave college to find full-time jobs. In China, college students are likely to be their parents’ only child—the focus of family pride, concern, and hope. Their parents’ work hard to help them succeed, including helping them study for the dreaded college entrance exams. And parents try their best to teach traditional Confucian values of honoring family, teacher, and education and the modern realities of rapidly expanding commerce and technology.
Thirdly, they have different targets. In American, every university has its reasons to exist, no matter how small it is. And each university knows what their target is. For example, the economic institute of Stanford university has three goals for undergraduate. There is no doubt the number of universities in China is increasing but most university don’t know why it should be established and exists. Just because China has a large population, more universities can let more students go to the university. In addition, the development of Chinese universities behaves a bit impulsive, for example, many universities are seeking for certain “world rankings” but overlook the formal development of themselves. And most of students choose to go to university is to get a diploma which can help them find a job easily.

II The Reasons for the Differences
China and America has different social environment. America is open social. The society’s openness urges the American college to abandon the old education on thought which European traditional university sticks to, adopts open policy to absorb all advantages from other countries and establishes diverse and open education control system which emphasizes the actual effects. America is the biggest immigrant country which has very strong containing nature in the culture. American economy emphasizes on the practical value, matter reward as well as individual value realization with fast development, rich material life, strong material idea and etc. The American advocates the independent way of life and work. The American owns full creative humanities spirit, the innovation is the forever subject in their brains. They pursue the high-tech and prefer to compete.
Contrast with young American, China is the great nation with glorious history and cultural traditions. The Chinese people have the excellent moral of modesty, rigorous and implicit, but also have been over cautious and conservative. Through Chinese economy and technology is quite backward, it has very strong potential development. Therefore, China implements the policy of opening up, abundantly absorbs the benefit and enriches itself.
Besides, Education is a cultural phenomenon, different education response to a different culture. So we can see the cultural difference in the view of higher education. From ancient on, Chinese people are always very conservative, which result in they lack of spirit of adventure and innovative conscious. As a result, the student in the classroom is not very active. By contrast, America is a nation of immigrants with a short history. With the influence of multi culture and different values, it is easy for them to be more lively and free.

III Enlightenment from the Concept of American Higher Education
Nowadays, China’s higher education is shift from the examination-oriented education to quality education. Indeed what kind of education principles and practices to choose is not only related to quality of education, but related to the future of the Chinese nation and all young students’ life development. The reform of higher education should respect history and national conditions with compatible absorption and innovation. Here is some enlightenment from the concept of American higher education.
Firstly, teaching management should achieve the reunification of system and flexibility. Teaching management system is a set of regulations and criterions to ensure the normal functioning of teaching and extracurricular life. In the development of teaching management system, standard and uniformity nature of the system if often focused, while the humanities, reasonableness and flexibility is consider insufficiently.
Secondly, students’ sense of participation should be fully prominent in teaching practice. The stress of individualized education is to awaken and mobilize students’ main principle, promote students’ initiative and creativity. It not only emphasizes the lead role of teachers in the process of teaching, but also give the main role to students in the process of learning. Therefore, teaching should focus on taking individualized teaching methods, strategies and techniques, widely apply the science teaching methods.
Furthermore, our education system should have appropriately change. Every university should adjust its direction and position in a timely manner with the social development, so that it keep pace with the times, and successfully transform the university into a higher level.
Conclusion
From what has mentioned above we know the differences of higher education between America and China as well as its reason. There is no point saying which kind of education is superior. We should improve ourselves continuously only if we could find out our weaknesses in this comparison and learn from the best. American higher education is the heaven for the students to learn what they like and what they need actually. Higher education in China is continuously growing, changing and developing. Higher education in China has played a significant part in economic growth, scientific progress and social development in the country by bringing up large scale of advanced talents and experts for the construction of socialist modernization. At the end of the paper lists some enlightenment from the concept of American higher education. If we can follow these changes, Chinese higher education will go to a bright future and American also can get something they lack of from our higher education.