As an exchange student, I have finished my first and second years of university in China and will now attend U of G for two semesters. After two weeks of classes, I noticed three major academic differences between higher education in our two countries.
1. INTERACTIONS IN LECTURES
At Nanjing Normal University, in order to finish the course plan, a professor usually teaches quickly in lectures without interactions with students. The professor shows all prepared recourses (methods in textbook usually) to us during class time, which means during the whole lecture you often only hear the professor’s voice.
2. EXTRA HELP OUTSIDE OF CLASS
There are no fixed office hours or TAs to help you after class in China. If you have questions, you can ask your professor after class or go to his office, but the result of the latter depends on your luck. It seems that my teachers in China seldom check their e-mails.
3. SPEED VERSUS DEPTH
According to my study experience from primary school to university, Chinese education emphasizes speed and quantity. What my Chinese linear algebra teacher taught in one class is equal to two weeks’ worth of courses taught here. No complete calculating process, no detailed derivation, and no Q&A time in class; the only aim is to teach as much as possible and show us the outcomes.
It is hard to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of these two countries’ teaching methods. It is more like a trade-off between effectiveness and efficiency.
Personally, I prefer Canadian education. The slow process of clearly understanding all information behind a theory and active lecture circumstances makes me feel at ease. Thanks to education in China, I have basic knowledge in different subjects, and now the education in Canada helps me to think deeper about things I have learnt.There is an old saying in China, “The meaning of a book will become clear if you read it hundreds of times.” I think it’s really cool to get the chance to learn things again under different circumstances.
Photos courtesy of Annie Sprat (right) and Stefan Stefancik (right) via CC0
Modified by Alora Griffiths