减负与加压之间:本科课程数量的变迁——学分制是如何失灵的?

Between Load Reduction and Pressure Increase:Changes in the Number of Undergraduate Courses——How is the Credit System Failing?

本文以北京大学为例,基于1977-2018年期间的本科教学计划对课程数量的演变进行纵向的历史梳理,并结合国外一流大学的现实情况进行横向比较。研究发现,本科教改四十年,本科毕业要求的学分总量减少了,但课程数量反而增加了,大学分变成小学分,越来越多的知识领域被纳入本科生的教学范畴。相比国外一流大学,中国精英高校本科生在相同的学习年限、相似的毕业总学分要求下,需要完成更多门类和数量的课程学习任务。细密纷繁的课程安排不仅割裂了本科生的日常学习时间,还极大威胁了知识系统的内在统一性,造成知识和时间上双重碎片化,给深度学习和自主探究带来严峻挑战。

Taking Peking University as an example,this paper makes a longitudinal historical review on the evolution of course numbers based on the undergraduate curriculum plan from 1977-2018,and makes a horizontal comparison with the world-class universities.The study found that during the 40 years of undergraduate education reform,the total required number of credits for undergraduate has decreased,but the number of courses has increased instead.Big credits have become small,and more and more areas of knowledge are being incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum.Compared with world-class universities abroad,undergraduates in elite Chinese university need to complete more subjects and more courses under the same study period and similar total credits requirements.The detailed and complicated course arrangement not only fragments the daily study time of undergraduates,but also threatens the internal unity of the knowledge system,resulting in the double fragmentation and bringing severe challenges to deep learning and independent research.