Chinese University scraps exams to boost teaching of classic books

Elaine Yau:

Exams are out, the Great Books are in.
In a far-reaching overhaul of undergraduate education, Chinese University will scrap exams for most mandatory subjects and boost the teaching of both Western and Chinese classics.

The changes are part of the university's preparation to lengthen degree courses from three years to four years next year.

Details of the overhaul revealed yesterday include a drastic reduction in the number of final exams for mandatory courses in general education, languages, physical education and information technology.

"We will focus on the classics by [authors such as] Adam Smith, Charles Darwin and Karl Marx. We want students to cite classics when thinking about modern problems," said Leung Mei-yee, director of the university's general education foundation programme.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at January 28, 2011 1:47 AM
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