Studies on the Quality Assurance System of Art and Design... Universities

M & D FORUM
Studies on the Quality Assurance System of Art and Design Major in
Universities
HAN Hongbin
Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, Henan, P.R.China, 454000
Abstract: The quality of teaching is a key factor in the quality of personnel cultivating. How to improve
the quality of teaching is also the eternal theme of universities. The tasks of art and design education are
not only to follow the world trends in this field but also to foster high-quality talents who can adapt to
domestic economic construction and cultural construction of the rapid development and keep the pace
with the information age. Through the professional management practice and research on art and design
teaching, it has been deeply recognized that the establishment of a sound, humane teaching quality
assurance system is the only key to improve the quality of personnel training.
Keywords: Art and design major, teaching quality, Quality assurance system
1 Introduction
According to Chinese long-term education reform and the National Development Plan (2010-2020), it
has clearly stated to improve the quality of personnel training, to firmly establish the work of personnel
training as the centre task of Universities and to perfect teaching quality guarantee system. The quality
of teaching is a key factor in the quality of personnel cultivating. How to improve the quality of teaching
is also the eternal theme of universities. Therefore, establishing a sound, humane education quality
assurance system is one of the major issues of universities’ continuous study and practice.
2 The Current Situation and Development Trend of Art and Design Education
With the adjustment of higher education policy and the rapid development of art and design education,
many universities have set up the major of art and design. After decades of exploration and development,
general art and design education in China has been showing a prosperous situation, but due to the rapid
development of the social and economic construction, it also exposes some problems. The new trend of
world art and design is back to nature, the overall art, a high- degree modernization and nationalization
and service convenience orientation that are to break the same, to emphasize the human orientation and
to focus on the design of coordination and cooperation. Facing the demands of information age and
knowledge economy society, the development of art and design education in China is not away from the
international environment, but to meet the actual demand of the domestic economic and cultural
construction.
3 The Existing Problems and its Reasons of College Art and Design Teaching
3.1 Vague subject position, undefined direction of specialization, non-standard curriculum
Chinese art and design major’s discipline system is not yet mature, since it started late and most of the
professional art and design institutions are set up around the year 2000; because of covering a wide
range, crossing the building, planning, machinery manufacturing, blending with the communication,
aesthetics, psychology and other disciplines related to, this major has got compatibility and marginality .
As a result, the setting of the discipline is just borrowing ideas from abroad. Compared with other
disciplines, the theory and research of this discipline is still at the exploratory stage, which hasn’t
formed a sound, scientific teaching and training system, resulting in vague subject position, undefined
direction of specialization, non-standard curriculum.
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3.2 The indistinct training objectives that can not meet the needs of the community
The talents of art and design should have a broad vision and good knowledge of professional quality,
who should own creative and innovative spirit, and a high cultural and artistic accomplishment. They
must not only have a solid theoretical foundation, but also a design capacity of the application. However,
most colleges and universities haven’t set up the distinct training objectives and spare efforts in study,
research and product, which educate low- practical -ability students who lack innovation and creativity
and can not fully meet the needs of society.
3.3 The expansion of enrollment and student quality reduction, which influence the depth
professional development
It is well-known that art major has always required higher tuition fees so during the enrollment
industrialization of education, art and design major has become the most profitable professions which
lure all colleges and universities to expand enrollment again and again. The low–grade of general
knowledge courses appeals lots of students whose cultural classes are not competitive to register as a
popular profession for examination. Whether they have the interest and talent in art or not, they are
active to enter themselves to the exam, consequently the level of student’s culture classes is not good
and the professional interest is not keen, which influences deep-level professional development.
3.4 Lack of professional characteristics in teaching evaluation system, monitoring system, and
teaching management
There are no unified professional qualification standards and evaluation system in art and design major.
And each university follows the same teaching evaluation system, monitoring system and teaching
management as other disciplines, not taking the law of the art and design professional features into
consideration.
3.5 Weak professional teachers whose vocational level is not high
In our country most institutions set up the art and design major after the start of the new enrollment, so
part of the teachers are from painting and the majority of teachers are just graduating from a
professional art college. Generally young and inexperienced, the teachers’ qualifications and titles
structure are relatively low, who can not become academic leaders.
4 The Construction of Universities’ Art and Design Teaching Quality Guarantee
System
4.1 To control enrollment and improve the students quality
The severe shortage of the teachers who have possessed real teaching experience and design capabilities
cannot support the large amount of enrollment; the heavy teaching tasks make the teaching quality
greatly reduced. The better way is to control enrollment effectively in order to guarantee the teaching
quality. To minimize the ratio scores between specialized courses and cultural courses can recruit a
number of highly qualified students. In addition, it is necessary to inform the public the knowledge of
art and design. The publicity can be used to guide students to make choice of profession from their own
interests and personal abilities, which fundamentally enhance the quality of students.
4.2 To apply innovative education to orient scientifically and clearly and to standardize
curriculum
4.2.1 To draft curricula syllabus and training programs scientifically
If a training program does not meet the new educational concept, it is impossible to implement
innovative education. As we know, training program development is directly related to the objectives
and the quality of personnel training. All colleges and universities should take into account of their
academic characteristics and professional discipline advantages to make clear scientific orientation,
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moreover, according to their geographical characteristics, market demand, teaching conditions, teaching
staff etc, and it can establish realistic goals. Then, professional teachers are fully organized to
demonstrate, plan and set reasonable curriculum and a complete syllabus, furthermore, a rigorous,
scientific training program for sustainable development will be laid out at the same time. To achieve
so-called “deep foundation, wide caliber”, it is necessary to attach importance to the accumulation of
basic knowledge and a multidisciplinary blending courses. Following the main thread of “art plus
technology”, the set curriculum system, applied and knowledge-oriented, employs the module with the
platform model, which set reasonable basic courses, specialized courses, art appreciation courses and
adequate practice teaching, so as to complete the learning of new knowledge and Technology. Finally,
the curriculum knowledge system and ability system will be integrated, which is useful to establish a
new discipline system of both comprehensive theoretical knowledge and practical ability. The purpose
will be fulfilled that students’ comprehensive innovation and scientific thinking will be stimulated and
their comprehensive ability will be improved simultaneously.
4.2.2 To continuously strengthen the construction and reform of curriculum as well as the teaching and
research
The construction and reform of curriculum is the core area to improve the quality of teaching, which is
important and difficult. Facing the current development requirements of art and design education, the
biggest drawbacks of the traditional educational thinking, are that the theory and practice are out of line
and classroom and society are dislocation. Art and design education had better meet the social and
economic development, meet the needs of the market so that more efforts will continue to spare to carry
out innovative ideas in education in curriculum development. What teachers have to do is make
continuous researches on the teaching method and means, and actively try to use different approaches to
mobilize the students’ interest and enthusiasm.
4.3 To lay out the management system consistent with development of art and design
characteristics to aim at standardizing the teaching management
Managing staffs need renew ideas, broaden horizons, realize the clear differences between the art and
design with other disciplines, and have the ability to focus on the content construction and improvement
of the quality of personnel training in conjunction with professional features. It is necessary to not only
meet the professional development of art and design but also adopt the strict rules to teach, and standard
means to manage, in order to ensure the centrality of teaching, perfect rules and regulations, and
promote continuous improvement of teaching quality.
4.3.1 To standardize the daily teaching management
Teaching requirements include the management of all aspects of daily teaching, down to every details of
daily teaching. The features of art and design education and the series of documents from the schools
and the relevant departments decide the formulation of a series of daily teaching regulations, which
make up the system and then will be published in book form. Teachers are planning to learn them so that
each teacher consciously abides by the regulations of the daily teaching management and then they will
develop good habits of following the regulations.
4.3.2 To emphasize the daily management of the teaching process
According to Regular daily work pattern, the most important thing of ensuring the quality of daily
teaching is to grasp the teaching program and the process of teaching. First of all, to plan the courses
smoothly will maximize to yield each teacher's professional advantage. Secondly, the series of following
details including the calendar for teaching, teaching and research activities, lesson plans, courseware,
teaching must be given more attention, not a mere formality. The theoretical teaching, practice guidance,
teaching file archiving, performance evaluation should be stressed and checked regularly.
4.3.3 To strengthen the teaching supervisory mechanism
Strengthening the teaching supervision or comprehensive monitoring is an effective mechanism to
protect the quality of teaching. Firstly, set up the rule of check on work attendance system for teaching.
Managing staffs check the teachers on duty from time to time at random, mainly on the courses of the
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professional design or laboratory class. Second, examine the teaching documents during the midterm
period. Third, establish the professional teaching supervision system. The supervisor group checks
teachers from time to time on supervision and then gives feedback. Fourth, form a system of teaching
forum. Hold the meeting at regular intervals for teachers and students to discuss teaching issues. Fifth,
actively carry out the activities of professions discussion and view and emulation among teachers. Sixth,
establish the evaluation system of teaching. Every term, supervision group members, peer teachers,
students form the three levels to make the assessment of the teaching quality of teachers.
4.4 To reinforce the building of teaching staff, enhancing teaching standards
High level of professional teaching force is the primary factor to ensure the quality and teaching features.
It is forceful to build rich quality of the “Double” teachers with solid theoretical foundation and practical
experience, which is helpful to improve the quality of art and design teaching. Schools should unveil
fresh policies to encourage teachers to pursue further studies and take the initiative to improve their
academic levels. Schools should also encourage teachers to actively participate in learning, exchange
visits, and academic meetings, by which they exchange ideas, enhance the teaching ability and
competence. Meanwhile, it is significant to encourage teachers to conduct theoretical research and
academic teaching. Teachers’ innovative teaching and artistic creation practice assume apparently
importance. Practical construction planning for teachers building must be drawn up, then the boundaries
between teachers of basic courses and specialized courses will be less and less clear-cut. Ultimately the
plan of multi-skill teachers will be realized. Professional teachers, particularly young teachers, should go
to the first line of production companies to participate in exercises designed to improve the ability of
professional practice. In addition, make full use of human resources in society, for example, introduce or
employ professionals in the community who are having extensive practical experience to give lectures.
Optimizing the teacher aims at building a team. Teachers who form a delegation can also be sent to
professional design institutes and international best-known design firms to visit, learn advanced teaching,
and make known of the current model, and master the design technology and management concepts
from advancing front. In this way, the teaching level and professional level of teachers will be promoted
greatly.
4.5 To take full advantage of practice teaching platform and comprehensively improve the quality
of talent
Art and design teaching is diverse. Mastering knowledge and fostering ability can be reached not only
by classroom teaching but also by a variety of practical platform. It is very important to actively build
and give full play to the role of practice on the teaching platform. A lot of platforms planned to build
can aid the students to exchange professional knowledge into the professional competence, such as room
of multi-media computer design, photography, training room, practicing and training base, material
room, model training room, art gallery and the like. Students learn to further develop their
entrepreneurial spirit and ability that enable students to enhance their professional quality and
comprehensive ability.
5 Conclusion
To sum up, only to build a sound, humane teaching quality assurance system is the key to improve and
protect quality of the professional personnel training of college art and design.
References
[1]. Pan Lusheng, Development of Higher Arts Education Status and Strategy, Decoration, 2003, 3, p44
~ 45. (in Chinese)
[2]. Huang Qingfeng, Zhang Baoping, To Strengthen and Improve the Management of the Fine Arts of
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Teaching, Adult Education in China, 2009, 16, p144 ~ 145. (in Chinese)
[3]. He Xiaoqin, Research on Quality Guarantee System of Art and Design in Higher Vocational
Education, Forestry Education In China, 2010, 1, P57 ~ 60. (in Chinese)
[4]. Liu Baozhen, On the Improvement of the Quality of Undergraduate Teaching Thinking,
Journal of Petroleum Educational Institute of Xinjiang, 2010, 2, p61 ~ 62. (in Chinese)
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