Introduction to the Physics Education in China
Yanlin Ye1), Mu Gu2), Yuxin Liu3)
1) Physics Education Committee of the Chinese Physical Society
2) Education Steering Committee of MOE for University Physics Courses
3) Education Steering Committee of MOE for University Physics Major
Abstract
The modern physics education in China has started at around the beginning of the 20th
century. Over the years the physics knowledge has been spread out into the whole society and
has the large impact to the economic as well as the cultural evolution of this nation. Especially
the higher education has been expanded rapidly for the last 15 years and correspondingly the
physics education has experienced a large increase in terms of the numbers of students and
teachers.
National standards are set for the newly established higher education bodies in order to
keep the physics (and the science in general) education at an appropriate level. The standards are
studied and established by the education steering committees of MOE and has played important
role in the evaluation of the Universities and Colleges in view of their education quality.
In the physics departments devoted to foster the physics experts, a number of physics
education bases were established in the 1990’s, in order to preserve the new force for the basic
science. Many new mode of education have been exercised in these bases to create
environments in favor of the growth of the innovative talents.
Teaching technologies and methods have been evaluated and the teaching facilities
largely improved over the past decades. Teaching laboratories have been enhanced in many
Universities and Colleges in order to keep the spirit of the physical science and to provide
students with good scientific and technologic training. Multimedia and network technologies
have influenced a lot the way of education.
Academic and international exchanges are of major importance in physics education.
Some regular or occasional conferences or workshops have been organized in the past years
which help teachers to improve their teaching skills and results.