Honor classes in China's higher education: perspectives from four universities

Ever since the University of Science and Technology of China started the Special Class for the Gifted Young in 1978, many Chinese universities have set up their own honor classes under different names such as Gifted Young Class, Basic Science Class, Experimental Class or Elite Class. These are often small classes; some emphasize mathematics and physics, aiming to cultivate talents with broad basic knowledge, while others focus on a particular discipline, such as computer science. In 2011, the Chinese Ministry of Education started the Experimental Program for the Cultivation of Top Talents in Basic Sciences, which boosted a new round of honor classes. How do these classes cultivate their students? Which kinds of special strategies are employed? Have they indeed fostered outstanding graduates? How did the students develop after graduation? On the other hand, are these classes a violation of the spirit of 'equity in education'? Trying to answer these questions, in this NSR forum chaired by Professor Zhenjiang Hu, educators from four Chinese universities exchanged their experiences, views and perspectives on running the honor classes. Baoquan Chen Executive Director of the Center on Frontiers of Computing Studies, School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University. (Turing Class, Peking University.) Changqing Chen Professor and Head of the Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University. (Tsien Excellence in Engineering Program, Tsinghua University.) Zhenyu Li Professor of the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China. (School of the Gifted Young, University of Science and Technology of China.) Yong Yu Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. (ACM Class, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.) Ming Zhang Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group of Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) China; Professor of the School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University. Zhenjiang Hu (Chair) Dean of School of Computer Science, Peking University.