Hebei University: Precise “Drip Irrigation” Creates a New Pattern of “Three-Dimensional Education” Guo Jian

For the past century, HBU has been strengthening moral education and cultivating people. This year, Hebei University celebrates its 100th anniversary. After a century of running university, HBU has formed an excellent tradition of educating people. In the new era, HBU adheres to the fundamental task of strengthening moral education and cultivating people, advancing with the times, keeping up with innovation, condensing and advocating the concept of “drip irrigation” education, building a “drip irrigation” ideological and political education pipe network system, and taking multiple measures to promote “drip irrigation” education, so as to create a new pattern of “Three-Dimensional Education”.

Continue the Red Blood, Adhere to the Fine Tradition of Education

Hebei University will celebrate its 100th anniversary. In 1921, HBU was originally founded as Tianjin Technology and Business University. At the very beginning, it was founded as a “university” and carried out four-year undergraduate education. It has been continued and never been interrupted in the course of a hundred years of development. In 1933, HBU was renamed Tianjin Business and Technology College. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, it adhered to Jinmen and ran the university under adversity. At that time, a large number of famous teachers and giants gathered here, which enjoyed a high reputation of “the best industrial and commercial university in north China”. In 1948, it reached a scale of one thousand students and was renamed as Private Jingu University, forming a tripartite position with Nankai University and Beiyang University in higher education community in Tianjin. In 1951, it was restructured into a state-run university. In 1952, its engineering and business courses were merged into Tianjin University and Nankai University respectively; based on the Normal College, Tianjin Normal University was founded on the original site. In 1958, it was expanded to Tianjin Normal University and became famous Normal University in North China and even the whole country. In 1960, the People’s Government of Hebei Province decided to build a comprehensive university with a provincial name, thus, Tianjin Normal University was rebuilt into Hebei University. In 1970, HBU moved from Tianjin to Baoding. In 1984, HBU trained first doctoral supervisor and established the first doctoral degree authorization point in Hebei Province; in 1996, it introduced the first academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to Hebei Province; in 1999, it trained the first academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Hebei province; in 2005, it became a university co-constructed by the Ministry of Education and the Hebei Province; in 2012, it was listed in the “Comprehensive Strength Enhancement Project of Universities in the Central and West Regions”; in 2016, it became a national key construction university of “One Province, One University” in the Central and West Regions, and entered the “Double First-Class” construction of a first-level university in Hebei Province; in 2018, it was selected as one of the 14 universities to be “co-constructed by the Ministry of Education and the Hebei Province”, marking that HBU has entered a new stage of high-quality development and has become a milestone in the development history.

To save the nation and rejuvenate China, Hebei University stirs up the red blood. Beginning when the country and the nation are in distress, HBU has uphold the banner of patriotism and science, and determined to enrich the people, which has demonstrated a strong patriotism. In the summer of 1936, Comrade Yao Yilin, an outstanding proletarian revolutionary, was admitted to the Accounting Department of Tianjin Technology and Business University. His registered name is Yao Keguang. He developed underground party members, rebuilt revolutionary organizations, founded progressive publications in Tianjin, which led the national salvation movement that resist against Japan in Tianjin. After the “July 7 Incident”, Tianjin Business and Technology University established a refugee shelter, built temporary housing, participated in flood relief, and received 823 refugees. After the fall of Tianjin, the students actively participated in the “anti-Japanese and anti-traitor group”, burning the Japanese army’s straw and cotton warehouses, killing the president of the Puppet Tianjin Chamber of Commerce and the manager of the Tianjin Branch of the Puppet China United Preparation Bank, which greatly boosted the anti-Japanese fighting spirit During the Beiping-Tianjin Campaign, Comrade Mai Xuankun, an underground party member who graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering of Tianjin Technology and Business University, secretly “copied” the “Defense Map of Tianjin City” in time and sent it to the liberated area through underground party leaders. He made important contributions to the 29-hour liberation of Tianjin and was awarded the title of “Meritorious Statesman for the Liberation of Tianjin”. The red gene has been integrated into the blood of HBU since its founding, and it has always inspired teachers and students to work tirelessly for the happiness of the people, the prosperity of the country and the national rejuvenation.

Hebei University has formed an excellent tradition of educating people. From the beginning of its founding, HBU upholds the original intention of saving the country through education and strengthening the country through industry, opening two subjects of engineering and business, and proposing the mission of “cultivating promising young people in China, running a university with both moral and intellectual education, and promoting China’s modernization”. In the 1930s, China’s modern architectural engineering education pioneer and well-known railway engineering expert Mr. Hua Nangui served as the president of Tianjin Technology and Business University. He summed up more than 10 years of school-running experience and concisely established the school motto of “seeking truth from facts”. In the school magazine in 1937, “Seeking truth from facts” was explained as follows: “Not obstinately follow the tradition, not dazzling the new, not plagiarizing, not meaningless, not outdated, not exaggerated, not conservative, not blind, unambiguous, not contradictory. The opposite of the above ten points is to create, to be enterprising, to be disciplined, and to be in line with the times. Only in this way, the truth can be obtained based on the facts. ‘Seeking truth from facts’ should not only be the case for study, but everything should be the same.” The school motto of “Seeking Truth from Facts” has formed a distinctive cultural symbol of HBU, which has nurtured generations people of HBU. Mr. Hua Nangui also put forward the five-word motto of “Honest, capable, diligent, thrifty, and healthy”. He asked students to “learn and do well”, cultivate a sound personality, devote all their knowledge to national liberation, and become “the backbone of the nation.” After the founding of the people’s Republic of China, HBU adhered to the full implementation of the party’s educational policy, and teachers and students worked in the same direction with the party. Mr. Qi Xia, the leading authority in the history of the Song Dynasty in China, comes from HBU’s history department. In 1989, his teaching research results “Insisting on Marxism as a guide to instruct history, teaching, and educating people” won the National Excellent Teaching Achievement Special Award. Mr. Qi Xia is a model of school teachers who insist on teaching and educating people under the guidance of Marxism. For one hundred years of advocating culture and encouraging education, HBU’s students have grown from a dozen to more than 40,000 at present, which have made contributions to China’s higher education from elites to popularization. More than 400,000 outstanding alumni are all over the world, and they actively participate in the great cause of revolution, construction and reform led by the party.

Innovate Educational Concepts and Consolidate the Thought Foundation of Educating People

In the new century, HBU promotes fine traditions, comprehensively strengthens and improves talent training, and continuously deepens the reform of the ideological and political education model. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, HBU continues to update educational concepts. The education system has become more complete and has formed a characteristic brand.

Explore the “integration” education system. In November 2009, HBU held the sixth undergraduate teaching work conference, and put forward the concept of “big teaching concept”, which shifted education from narrow class teaching to broad first class and second class, theory and practice, and collaborative education with the domestic and external resources, advocates taking young students as the main body, undergraduate education as the core, quality improvement as the guidance, curriculum reform as a breakthrough, social development as the guidance, and resource optimization as the guarantee, to build a “integration” education system . Focusing on the fundamental question of “who to train, how to train, and for whom”, we will further give full play to the “high” starting point for running a university, “thick” cultural heritage, “strong” faculty, “complete” disciplines, and “good” morality. Continuously improve the “integration” education system, and realize the integration of discipline construction and professional development, theoretical teaching and practical innovation, general education and personality cultivation, enrollment training and employment and entrepreneurship, ideological and political courses and curriculum ideological and political education. In 2018, HBU’s “Empirical Research on the Integration and Education Model of Local Comprehensive Universities Based on the Big Teaching Concept” won the second prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award.

For the first time to advocate the “Drip Irrigation” ideological and political education model. In 2009, under the guidance of the concept of “big teaching concept”, HBU took the lead in advocating the “drip irrigation” ideological and political education model in the “integration” education system. “Drip irrigation” is an advanced technology in the agricultural field. It uses a pipe network system to accurately deliver water to crops, which is more precise, subtle and efficient than the traditional “overflow irrigation”. HBU has penetrated the concept of “drip irrigation” into the work of ideological and political education, and used various methods to integrate resources from all sources. Gave students “point-to-point, line-to-line, face-to-face” education and guidance during their important growing period. Further improve the pattern of “Three-Dimensional Education”, and build a “drip irrigation” thinking characterized by a grid, three-dimensional, and full coverage, under the unified leadership of the party committee, the joint management of the party and the government, the coordination of departments, and the participation of all teachers and students. “Drip Irrigation” ideological and political education advocates the fine education concept of “stay close to the foundation and drip into the heart”, requiring teachers to go deep into the students, so as to resolve the students’ ideological confusion and psychological problems in study, life, and emotions in a timely manner; advocate the long-term education concept of “continuous infiltration and long-term contribution”, and promote Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristic in the new era in the teaching materials, classes, and minds through party and league organizations, classroom teaching, network media and other carriers and channels. Guide students to build a firm belief in Marxism, in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and be confidence in Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation; advocate the comprehensive education concept of “systematic integration, intensive and efficient”, and use information technology to establish a large database to realize point-to-point interaction between teachers and students, schools, colleges, instructors, teachers, and students can be connected to each other during class, and realize the three-dimensional connection of students in class, out of class, study, life, and practice scenes; advocate the effective education concept, through the coordination and linkage of the pipe network system, and the coordinated development of multiple elements, students can receive education in a gradual and orderly manner, which greatly enhancing the affinity, pertinence and effectiveness of ideological and political education. In 2019, HBU’s “Watering the Root of Flowers, Educating People by Heart-Ten Years Exploration of ‘Drip Irrigation’ Ideological and Political Education in Hebei University” won the first prize of Hebei Higher Education Teaching Achievement.

Upgrade the “Drip Irrigation” Pipe Network System, and Promote the “Three-Dimension Education” in Depth

From the height of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, building a modern and powerful socialist country, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, HBU has firmly grasped the ideological and political work, strengthened overall planning, promoted the establishment of rules and regulations to promote the quality and upgrade of the “drip irrigation” ideological and political education pipe network system.

Strengthen the top-level design. In July 2020, HBU issued the “Implementation Plan for the Implementation of the ‘Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of the Ideological and Political Work System in Colleges and Universities’” to accelerate the construction of the seven sub-systems of theoretical arms, subject teaching, daily education, management services, safety and stability, team building, and evaluation and supervision, and integrate strengthen moral education and cultivate people into all links and the entire process of education. At the same time, it has formulated a key task book for accelerating the construction of the ideological and political work system from 2020 to 2022, drawing a “operational map” of overall planning, step-by-step implementation, and comprehensive advancement.

Pay attention to classroom teaching. HBU plans and comprehensively promotes the “Curriculum Ideological and Political” and the “Ideological and Political Curriculum” in the same direction, creating a synergistic effect. In November 2020, the “Implementation Plan for Deepening the Reform and Innovation of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in the New Era” was formulated, with the School of Marxism as the key college, the discipline of Marxism theory as the key discipline, and the ideological and political courses as the key courses to strengthen the construction. Give priority to the development planning, talent introduction, resource allocation, etc.; adhere to the “dual drive” of internal tapping and external introduction, with a full-time team of full-time ideological and political teachers; set up a post allowance, ideological and political teachers can get 1000 yuan per month. All ideological and political course teachers actively promote the reform and innovation of ideological and political theory courses, and continuously enhance its ideological, theoretical, affinity and pertinence. In January 2021, HBU issued the “Implementation Plan for Comprehensively and Deeply Promoting Curriculum Ideological and Political Work”, established a curriculum ideological and political work leadership group headed by the party committee secretary, and established a curriculum ideological and political research center and 25 teaching units for curriculum ideological and political work to comprehensively promote the curriculum ideological and political work, forming a good atmosphere of “each college has high-quality products, unique courses, and everyone emphasizes education”. In May 2021, HBU’s three courses were approved as the first batch of national-level ideological and political demonstration courses.

Implement the “Five Educations Simultaneously”. HBU fully implements the party’s educational policy and implements the spirit of the National Education Conference. In the past two years, the “Implementation Plan for Promoting Labor Education in the New Era”, the “Implementation Plan for Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving Sports Work in the New Era”, and the “Implementation Plan for Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving Aesthetic Education in the New Era” have been issued in succession. Relying on the cultural heritage advantages of century-old institutions and the educational resources of comprehensive universities, HBU will improve the leadership system, increase funding, promote team building, establish incentive mechanisms, improve evaluation mechanisms. Through the construction of systems, courses, teaching, classes, and cultural systems, accelerate the construction of an education system for comprehensive training of morality, intelligence, physical education, art and labor, focusing on practical results, and integrating the “five educations” throughout all stages and aspects of students in university.

Take Multiple Measures to Promote “Drip Irrigation” Education to Improve the Effectiveness of Education

“Drip Irrigation” ideological and political education is based on the mutual complementation and integration of the two classes. Teachers know the needs of students and teaches students in accordance with their aptitude, and explores precise, comprehensive and efficient education and teaching through the point-to-point connection, line-to-line connection, and face-to-face education, which achieved good results.

Get close to the students, both into the mind and heart. HBU has innovated teaching methods, implemented the “micro-film” teaching method for ideological and political courses, and held 3 national ideological and political courses micro-film teaching seminars. 26,000 students participated in the shooting of more than 4,400 main theme micro-films, many of which won national awards, and related achievements were selected as “National University Ideological and Political Course Master Studio”, “National University Ideological and Political Work Excellent Project” and “Teacher’s Teaching Method Reform Selection and Promotion Plan of National University Ideological and Political Theory Course”, an ideological and political course was selected as the first batch of national-level first-class undergraduate courses. HBU also carried out “Reading Classics” for teachers and students, offered “Selected Readings of Classics of Marxism” elective courses for graduate students, organized undergraduates to form “Classical Interest Groups”, and co-hosted the “Marxist-Leninist” with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and China University of Political Science and Law. It also published the series of results of teacher and student reading and comprehension The Power of Belief, The Power of Truth, The Power of Thought, The Power of Classics and The Power of Ideals, and more than 120 papers have been published QIU SHI, STUDIES ON MARXIST THEORY, etc. Positive guidance, strengthen and standardize the management of various ideological positions, strengthen the guiding position of Marxism, and focus on the construction of ideological and political education websites such as “redline” and “aviation mark network”, actively guide campus public opinion, spread advanced culture, which successively won the “Top Ten Ideological and Political Websites” of National Colleges and Universities.

Take the initiative and teach students in accordance with their aptitude. In terms of mental health education, HBU relies on the mental health education center, youth development research center, etc., to scientifically analyze and accurately judge students' ideological trends, provide timely and effective guidance and services, and was awarded the national advanced unit of mental health education for college students. In terms of innovation and entrepreneurship education, HBU has built a national-level university science and technology park, two national-level maker-spaces, 4 provincial-level incubation bases, more than 350 off-campus entrepreneurship and employment practice bases, and more than 1,000 graduates are selected for internships each year, which form a three-level “double innovation” incubation acceleration system. In 2016, HBU won the gold medal of the “Creating Youth” National College Student Entrepreneurship Competition, and entered the top 40 of total scores in the 2017 “Challenge Cup” National College Students’ Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Competition. In 2016, HBU was selected as one of the first batch of demonstration universities to deepen innovation and entrepreneurship education reform in China. In 2017, HBU was selected as a national typical experience university for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Influence character by environment, persist in political leadership. Combining the theme education of “stay true to the Party’s original aspiration and the founding mission” and party history study and education, enrich the activities of “Young Marxist Training Project”, Youth College Study, “Red Research Society”, Party History Storytelling Group, “Music Party History” and other activities, and guides young students to know the history and love the party, know the history and love the country, firm ideals and beliefs in learning and understanding, show youth style in working hard. In 2019, the postgraduate work department of the party committee was established to strengthen the ideological and political work of postgraduates. Three party organizations were selected as the “double innovation” work training and founding unit, two of which were awarded the national party building work benchmark department and the national colleges and universities “100 postgraduate model party branches”. Strengthen moral education. Establish the Teacher Work Department of the Party Committee, formulate “Implementation Opinions on Strengthening and Improving the Construction of Teacher Ethics and Work Style in the New Era”, “Assessment Measures of Teaching Ethics and Teacher Style” and other documents, and regularly carry out “Teacher’s Ethics Model”, “Best Person in HBU” and “Three Educations” advanced individual selection and commendation activities. Hold the retirement ceremony of old teachers, establish the oath system for new teachers, and realize the passing of the teacher’s moral spirit.

Benign docking, mutual complementarity. Draw lessons from the characteristics of the institutionalization, standardization and standardization of the first classroom, build a second classroom management system with the same goals and different forms, and realize the complementarity of the two classroom courses and the exchange of credits. Created a moral education defense system and incorporated it into the “Second Class” management system. The reform of moral education evaluation in colleges and universities under the concept of ‘integration’ education-based on the 14 years of innovative practice of the “Moral Education Defense “curriculum of HBU” was selected into the 2021 college ideological and political work boutique project. Strengthen the construction of postgraduate courses, and set up postgraduate extension courses (GELS) based on the first-level subject knowledge system according to the concept of interdisciplinary integration, so as to realize the interoperability, complementarity and integration of basic knowledge of liberal arts, sciences, engineering, and medicine. Promote the collaborative education of science and education, and sign joint training agreements with key scientific research institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, allowing graduate students to use well-known domestic scientific research platforms to join teams, subjects, and laboratories, thus broaden academic horizons and stimulate innovation. Relying on Yanzhao culture, life sciences and green development, explore new talent training mechanisms, closely integrate postgraduate training with the needs of regional economic and social development, and encourage postgraduates to write papers on the land of Yanzhao Region.

Intensify resources and expand space. As a national pilot university of “one-stop” student community comprehensive management model construction, HBU always regards the “one-stop” student community construction as an important carrier for improving the quality of ideological and political work, achieving full coverage of student communities, full entry of teams, and full chain of education, the whole service system, and all students benefit. HBU is student-oriented. The branch campuses will build a high-standard “one-stop” community service center to create an integrated community of psychological counseling, funding management, study guidance, employment and entrepreneurship services, which will effectively enhance students’ sense of happiness and accomplishment. Strengthen online guidance. Build a student community network affairs platform, equipped with automatic printing terminals, covering more than 30 businesses, which realizing the transformation of the work model from “student errands” to “data errands”, from “students handle” to “departmental collaboration”. Promote self-education. Select outstanding members of the flag guards to station in the student community, lead the construction of student apartment civilization; carry out community cultural festivals, select “apartment star” selection, etc., and give play to the community’s function of cultural education; establish community plantations to guide students to uphold and respect labor; establish community management associations to encourage students to undertake community management services and create a “home” culture.

Practicing, knowing and doing. As a national college student cultural quality education base and one of the first batch of pilot universities for the implementation of the quality development plan for college students, HBU attaches great importance to volunteer service and social practice. During the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, HBU organized 323 party branches and 1,046 league branches to carry out thematic party day and league day activities online, mobilized more than 42,000 party members and cadres and students in HBU, and continuously launched the micro-group course of “flag of the war epidemic”. There have been 5104 students in their communities (villages) who have devoted themselves to voluntary service, with a total of more than 63,000 hours of service. As the main university responsible for volunteer service in Zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Village for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, 561 Winter Olympic volunteers have been trained and reserved. During the 16 years since the establishment of the postgraduate teaching team, 199 volunteers spread love and hope in the west. During the epidemic prevention and control period, the Qinghai team went to the plateau, and the Guizhou team built a cloud class to ensure that students in mountainous areas were suspended. Their deeds were reported by many media. The first tent elementary school after the earthquake was established in Zhangbei, Zhangjiakou, and the Bashang teaching support team was dispatched for 13 consecutive years, and it was rated as an excellent volunteer service team for national social practice. Every year, nearly 200 social practice teams have footprints in nearly 20 provinces, and HBU has been rated as an excellent organization unit for social practice activities in the “Three Rural Areas” for many times.

HBU has been established for a hundred years, and its future is bound to be promising! Standing at a new historical starting point, listening to the party and following the party, HBU will further study and implement Xi Jinping Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era, fully implement the party’s educational policy in the new era, and keep in mind the mission of cultivating talents for the party and the country. HBU will vigorously promote the excellent education traditions, cultivate more excellent socialist builders and successors, and make new contributions to the great journey of realizing the Chinese dream.