Contemporary Higher Education Studies (《现代高等教育研究》, ISSN 3107-3387) is an international academic journal based in Asia with a global outlook. Published by HONG KONG SOURCEFOUNT PRESS LIMITED., the journal was officially registered in 2026 and appears bimonthly. It is dedicated to publishing cutting-edge, original research and in-depth theoretical explorations on contemporary higher education, with the aim of fostering scholarly dialogue among higher education scholars worldwide. The journal focuses on the core functions of higher education, the challenges it faces, innovative practices, and the active role of universities in social, economic, and cultural development within a rapidly changing global context.
Research on the Path of Empowering Design Talent Cultivation in Higher Education through Art-Science Integration in the Context of New Liberal Arts
The construction of New Liberal Arts emphasizes interdisciplinary integration and program optimization, driving the transformation of design-related majors in higher education institutions toward an art-science integration paradigm. This paper analyzes the theoretical interpretation and contemporary demands of art-science integration in the context of New Liberal Arts, examines the existing problems in talent cultivation models for design-related majors, and proposes the path for empowering design talent cultivation through art-science integration under the New Liberal Arts framework, with the aim of cultivating high-quality design professionals who possess both artistic creativity and technological competence to meet the developmental needs of the new era.
Copyright (c) 2026 刘洋 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the Construction of Digital-Intelligent Competency Matrix and Curriculum-Certificate Integration Path for Hotel Management Major
From the perspective of industry-education integration, this paper integrates industry job requirement surveys with the 1+X certificate system to construct a digital-intelligent competency matrix for the Hotel Management major and to expand the path for curriculum-certificate integration. The proposed competency matrix comprises three progressive levels: digital foundational literacy, intelligent system application, and data analysis and operational decision-making. Additionally, achieving effective curriculum-certificate integration necessitates synergistic efforts in two key areas: credit mutual recognition, and the alignment and optimization of curriculum modules. Ultimately, this framework aims to improve educational effectiveness and drive the high-quality development of the hotel industry.
Copyright (c) 2026 李静，金一星 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Exploration on the construction of the SC-OBE Teaching Model for Mechanical Drawing Courses under the Background of Industry-Education Integration
In the context of the integration of industry and education, the development of the Internet and scientific and technological progress have led to profound changes in the manufacturing industry. Multidimensional changes such as digital and intellectual transformation, green and low-carbon development, globalization reconstruction and enterprise organizational model innovation also put forward higher requirements for the talent cultivation of mechanical majors in colleges and universities. The paper constructs the SC-OBE teaching mode for mechanical drawing courses to enhance students’ learning effectiveness and provide useful references for the practice and teaching mode innovation of mechanical courses in universities.
Copyright (c) 2026 褚文君，周天宇 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on Practical Application of Integrating Design Thinking with AI Tools in Business Education
Design thinking adopts human-centeredness as its innovation methodology, and the rapid development of AI technology has reshaped the concept and mode of business education. How to achieve the organic integration of the two has become an important direction for business teaching reform. The paper reviews the theoretical foundations for the integration of design thinking and AI tools in business education, proposes a five-stage teaching model incorporating both, and details its practical application scenarios, aiming to provide theoretical guidance and practical insights for business teaching reform.
Copyright (c) 2026 王舒婷 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the Teaching Paths of Telling China’s Stories Well in College English Classrooms Empowered by AI
With the deepening of globalization and China’s growing influence on the world stage, college English teaching is entrusted with the vital mission of telling China’s stories well and conveying China’s voice effectively. The rapid advancement of AI technology provides unprecedented technological support for fulfilling this mission. From the perspective of AI empowerment, this paper systematically analyzes the pedagogical significance and challenges of telling China’s stories well in college English classrooms. Furthermore, it proposes AI-empowered teaching paths, including reconstructing the curriculum content system, enhancing teachers’ AI literacy, innovating teaching context paradigms, and perfecting the competence evaluation mechanism. This study aims to provide innovative insights and practical references for the transformation of college English classrooms in the new era, shifting from “language tool training” to the “cultivation of cultural communication competence”.
Copyright (c) 2026 曹莉 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Exploring the Practical Teaching Reform of Integrating Central Plains Culture into Environmental Design through Digital Intelligence Empowerment
Integrating regional culture into environmental design education represents a crucial practice in the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture within professional pedagogy. Addressing current challenges in teaching—such as superficial cultural interpretation, the decontextualized application of cultural symbols, and an overemphasis on visual presentation in the use of digital intelligence tools—this paper focuses on undergraduate environmental design students, takes the public space design training that incorporates Central Plains culture as an entry point, and proposes an implementation pathway for integrating Central Plains culture into the environmental design major through digital intelligence empowerment. Specific measures include establishing teaching scenarios based on projects, optimizing the dimensions of process-oriented evaluation, and creating channels for the conversion of course outcomes. This teaching model facilitates the transformation of regional cultural resources into curriculum content, design competencies, and practical outcomes, providing a valuable reference for similar curriculum reforms in design education.
Copyright (c) 2026 马蒙超 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the Optimization Paths of Mental Health Education for University Counselors in the Intelligent Media Era
In the era of intelligent media, university counselors’ engagement in mental health education is not only a practical necessity to adapt to media transformations and safeguard students’ psychological well-being, but also a crucial approach to meeting contemporary demands and innovating pathways for psychological education. However, counselors currently face practical dilemmas in this environment, including cognitive lag, competency deficits, and rigid working mechanisms. In response, this paper proposes optimization pathways from three dimensions: updating educational philosophies, enhancing professional competencies, and innovating institutional mechanisms. These measures aim to promote the deep integration of psychological education with intelligent media technologies, thereby improving the overall effectiveness of mental health education in universities.
Copyright (c) 2026 雷兴强 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the Construction of Mental Health Education Models for College Students from the Perspective of Positive Psychology
Positive psychology, with its core tenets of identifying human strengths, cultivating virtues, and pursuing happiness, provides a novel theoretical perspective for mental health education for college students. This paper analyzes the value implications of college students’ mental health education from the perspective of positive psychology, and explores the foundational applications of positive psychology theory in this field. Furthermore, it proposes strategies for constructing a mental health education model for college students based on positive psychology, aiming to better promote students’ mental health and personality development.
Copyright (c) 2026 赵文青 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the Practical Pathways for Integrating Tai’an’s Red Resources into University Cultural Construction
As a historic revolutionary base area, Tai’an City boasts abundant Red Resources that carry the glorious revolutionary history of its people, serving as a valuable asset for university cultural construction. This paper analyzes the current status of Tai’an’s Red Resources, discusses the favorable conditions and unfavorable factors for integrating these resources into university cultural construction, and proposes practical pathways for such integration. The aim is to fully leverage the educational role of Red Resources and provide solid support for cultivating newcomers of the era.
Construction of Ideological and Moral Education
Copyright (c) 2026 张敏 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the Ideological and Political Education Reform of Courses in the New Energy Materials and Devices Direction in Universities
With the advancement of China’s “Dual Carbon” goals, New Energy Materials and Devices, as a key field for realizing energy structure transformation and supporting technological innovation, is facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities in the cultivation of high-level talents. Guided by the concept of curriculum-based ideological and political education (CIPE) in the new era, both undergraduate and graduate education need not only to focus on the cultivation of professional competence but also to strengthen the integration of ideological and political education. This paper analyzes the development trends and existing problems of the CIPE system in universities, and proposes reform pathways for CIPE in the New Energy Materials and Devices direction, in order to provide theoretical references and practical pathways for the construction of CIPE systems in postgraduate science and engineering programs.
New energy materials and devices direction
Curriculum-based ideological and political education (CIPE)
Copyright (c) 2026 张鹏 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
A Study on Practical Paths of College Students’ Career Counseling Under the Concept of “Three-Wide Education”
Against the backdrop of social transformation and rapid changes in industrial demands, fully implementing the educational concept of “Three-wide Education” (encompassing all staff, the entire process, and all aspects) serves as the core approach for universities to optimize college students’ career counseling and improve the effectiveness of employment-oriented education. Based on the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, universities integrate career counseling into the entire talent training chain and build a collaborative, whole-process, and multi-dimensional supporting system for career counseling. This system can not only help students clarify their career orientations, improve comprehensive literacy, and strengthen employability, but also guide students to align their personal career aspirations with national development needs, realize the precise matching between students’ career development and social demands, and lay a solid foundation for improving the quality of university talent cultivation and facilitating high-quality employment of students.
Education for Employment and Entrepreneurship
Copyright (c) 2026 丽雪 马 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
新质生产力视域下大学生创新创业实践能力培养的策略研究
New quality productive forces represent a new form of productivity driven by technological innovation, characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality. The development of new quality productive forces relies heavily on a high-quality team of innovative talents. As the core reserve force for innovation and creation, college students play a pivotal role in this process. The effectiveness of cultivating their innovation and entrepreneurship practical abilities directly impacts the talent foundation necessary for the development of new quality productive forces. This paper analyzes the current status of cultivating college students’ innovation and entrepreneurship practical abilities, explores the significance of such cultivation from the perspective of new quality productive forces, and proposes corresponding cultivation pathways. The aim is to provide insights for universities to optimize their innovation and entrepreneurship education ecosystem and better serve the construction of new quality productive forces.
Copyright (c) 2026 世昌 王 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the Construction of Labor Education Curriculum System in Higher Vocational Colleges
As a crucial carrier in the cultivation of composite talents, higher vocational colleges are currently confronted with several challenges in labor education, including narrow curriculum objectives, fragmented curriculum system construction, deviations in curriculum implementation, and one-dimensional curriculum evaluation. To fully leverage the educational role of labor and promote students’ all-around development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor, this paper proposes strategies including constructing a modular curriculum system, leveraging the functions of the second and third classrooms, and establishing a comprehensive and multi-dimensional evaluation system. These strategies aim to facilitate the systematic construction of labor education and foster high-caliber technical and skilled talents.
Copyright (c) 2026 李明洋 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
An Empirical Study on the Current Status of Generative AI-Empowered Instructional Design among Pre-service English Teachers
The iterative evolution of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has opened up new avenues forenhancing pre-service English teachers’ instructional design competence. To examine the current status of GenAI-empowered instructional design applications, this paper surveyed 180 English pre-service teachers at Yulin University across four dimensions: cognitive attitude, application behaviors, TPACK fusion capability, realistic challenges and development needs. The findings reveal that pre-service English teachers generally recognize the value of GenAI-empowered instructional design and apply it to fundamental areas including instructional objective design, instructional content structure and instructional resource development, yet they remain less competent in higher-order tasks such as learner analyses, differentiated instructional design, and instructional evaluation. This paper proposes several pathways, including strengthening technology-tiered training, refining instructional design evaluation criteria, and cultivating the concept of human-AI collaboration, thereby promoting pre-service English teachers’ instructional design competence, as well as human-AI collaboration.
Copyright (c) 2026 刘冬婷，马利利，周大琴，张紫鹏 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Reform and Exploration of Practical Education in Higher Vocational Colleges Based on Training Innovation
Vocational education constitutes an important component of the national education system and human resource development. Higher vocational colleges aim to cultivate high-quality technical and skilled talents as their core objective, and practical training teaching serves as a crucial link between theoretical knowledge and workplace practice, as well as a key step in fulfilling talent cultivation goals. Based on the current state of practical education in higher vocational colleges, this paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the deficiencies in practical training teaching, and explores innovative pathways for training from four dimensions: training models, training content, school-enterprise collaboration, and training evaluation. By integrating the pedagogical principles of higher vocational education with industry development trends, this paper proposes safeguard measures for practical training reform, aiming to optimize the practical teaching system in higher vocational colleges, enhance students' job adaptability and innovative practical abilities, and cultivate versatile technical and skilled talents for the industry.
Copyright (c) 2026 张敏，王玉英 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Integration of Craftsmanship Spirit into Mathematics Teaching of Three-View Drawing Based on “Precision Implementation and Practical Innovation”
With the continuous deepening and development of educational concepts in the new era, mathematics, as a fundamental discipline, plays a crucial role in cultivating students’ logical thinking and innovative abilities. However, traditional mathematics teaching often focuses heavily on the transmission of knowledge and the training of problem-solving techniques, while neglecting the cultivation of students’ humanistic literacy and professional ethics. This paper analyzes the intrinsic alignment between the spirit of craftsmanship and the teaching of three-view drawing in mathematics. It explores the current practical dilemmas of this integration and proposes implementation strategies based on “precise implementation and practical innovation”. Ultimately, this study aims to provide a referenceable practical paradigm for similar curriculum ideology and politics reforms.
Copyright (c) 2026 周强，黄燕，木妍蓉 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Analysis of the Reform and Innovation of the University-College Two-Level Management Mechanism in Local Universities
The reform of the university-college two-level management mechanism is a core measure for universities to refine their internal governance structures and stimulate their institutional vitality. China has a long history of implementing this reform, and many universities have achieved remarkable results in optimizing this mechanism. Improving and innovating the internal management mechanism helps universities strive for first-class status and promotes their high-quality development. In this context, this paper begins with an analysis of the necessity and the meaning of reforming the two-level management mechanism in local universities, and proceeds to explore innovative strategies for its optimization.
Copyright (c) 2026 刘金鑫 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
An Analysis of the Growth Patterns and Cultivation Pathways for Innovative Talents in Agriculture-Related Majors at Higher Vocational Colleges
The cultivation of agriculture-related talents in higher vocational colleges, transforming from skill based form to innovation-based one, is helpful to promote the revitalization of rural areas. This paper puts forward he growth law for such talents, which is rooted with sentiment—“fermented” with knowledge—honed through practice—catalyzed through synergy. However, there are some predicaments, including narrow training objectives are, rigid curriculum systems, formulaic practical teaching, and shallow integration of industry and education, which are discussed in this paper. “The new agricultural talents” who are willing to go to the countryside, capable in practice, retainable, and innovative are cultivated through systematic training path, such as reconstructing course systems, building practical platforms, deepening the collaborative education mechanism, and cultivating cultural ecosystems.
Agriculture-related majors in higher vocational colleges
Copyright (c) 2026 柯梁，尹健 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Value Reconstruction and Practical Innovation of Universities’ Social Service Functions from the Perspective of Aesthetic Education Community
Grounded in the construction of an aesthetic education community, this paper reconstructs the value logic of universities’ social service functions, pointing out current practical dilemmas in their participation in social aesthetic education, such as the absence of collaborative entities, a shortage of aesthetic educators, and imbalanced evaluation orientations. Drawing on excellent practical cases from multiple domestic universities, this study explores innovative pathways for universities’ social service functions from the perspective of an aesthetic education community, including building open and shared aesthetic resource platforms, establishing university-local collaborative social aesthetic education communities, incubating distinctive practical brands of aesthetic cocreation, and setting up a multi-dimensional and integrated evaluation and feedback system. The study concludes that universities should promote the transition of social services from functional extension to value generation through the collaborative participation of diverse entities, thereby providing practical references for the construction of a social aesthetic education system in the new era.
Construction of aesthetic education community
Social service functions of universities
Copyright (c) 2026 滑侨新，赵若文 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on Generative AI Empowering the Digital Transformation of Higher Education
With the rapid iteration of digital technology and the in-depth advancement of building China into a leading country in education, educational digitalization has become an important direction for higher education reform and development in the new era. Leveraging its robust capabilities in content creation, logical reasoning, data analysis, and multi-scenario adaptability, Generative AI has comprehensively permeated core domains of higher education, including classroom teaching, talent cultivation, scientific innovation, and campus governance. Currently, China’s higher education digitalization has transitioned from the preliminary stage of hardware deployment and the popularization of online courses to a critical period of transformation characterized by the deep integration of human-machine collaboration. However, practical implementation still faces significant obstacles, such as the superficial application of intelligent technologies, insufficient digital pedagogical competence among faculty, inadequate adaptability of the talent cultivation system, lagging institutional safeguards, and ethical anomalies in intelligent applications. Grounded in the actual development of higher education, this paper analyzes the challenges hindering the empowerment of higher education’s digital transformation by Generative AI, and proposes optimized practical pathways. These measures aim to facilitate the deep coupling of intelligent technology with higher education, thereby driving universities to achieve high-quality, connotative development.
Copyright (c) 2026 司文叶 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the Talent Cultivation of Vocational Undergraduate Education under the Background of Municipal Industry-Education Consortium
With the vigorous development and continuous advancement of China’s manufacturing industry, the demand for high-caliber technicians and skilled workers has been increasing. This paper proposes talent cultivation strategies for vocational undergraduate education under the background of the municipal industry-education consortium. These strategies include aligning with enterprise talent demands, constructing a “3+1+X” talent cultivation model, and establishing curriculum systems. Furthermore, the paper explores the framework and operational mechanisms of vocational undergraduate talent cultivation within this context, aiming to provide effective pathways for cultivating high-caliber technicians and skilled workers.
Copyright (c) 2026 赵丽娜 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on Teaching Model Innovation for the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Course under the Background of New Business Studies
The wave of New Business Studies is profoundly reshaping the connectivity paradigms and circulation logics of business elements. As an important discipline in higher education institutions, Logistics and Supply Chain Management must make reasonable adjustments as soon as possible to meet the talent standards of the new era. In some higher education institutions, the teaching of Logistics and Supply Chain Management courses remains constrained by modular knowledge barriers and static scenario limitations, resulting in a prominent misalignment between knowledge supply and industrial realities. In response, exploring innovations in the teaching model of Logistics and Supply Chain Management courses and resolving the structural contradictions of supply–demand interface mismatches and the disconnection between teaching, assessment, and evaluation have become an inevitable choice for educational reform in higher education institutions.
Logistics and Supply Chain Management course
Copyright (c) 2026 张梦蕾 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Exploring Innovative Approaches to the Work of Teaching Secretaries in Universities under the Background of Digitalization
The digital transformation of education in the higher education sector is an inevitable trend of development. Digital transformation not only plays a key role as an engine in the advancement of higher education but also guides the innovative development of education and teaching. As the core grassroots position in the university teaching management system, teaching secretaries under the traditional working model face problems such as rigid workflows, low efficiency, and insufficient utilization of data, making it difficult to meet the demands of educational digitalization. Against the backdrop of digital development, teaching secretaries must transform their thinking models, innovate their working approaches, and align with digital teaching management and services, so as to contribute to the connotative development of universities in the new era.
Copyright (c) 2026 孙潇 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the Reconstruction of the Heritage and Museum Studies Discipline through Mathematical and Scientific Thinking from the Perspective of the New Liberal Arts
Exploring the construction of the New Liberal Arts requires deep cross-disciplinary integration of knowledge from the humanities, natural sciences, technology, and other fields, and calls for a paradigm shift in higher education disciplines, so as to achieve the reproduction and innovation of knowledge. The discipline of Heritage and Museum Studies has historically been attached to the traditional liberal arts model of history, and suffers from the structural predicament of weak mathematical and scientific thinking and insufficient capacity for historical and technological analysis. Introducing knowledge of mathematical and scientific thinking from traditional practical learning into heritage and museum education, translating it through modern science and technology, promptly and accurately adjusting talent cultivation models, and addressing the absence of science knowledge in teaching can provide replicable experiential pathways for the construction of the New Liberal Arts.
Copyright (c) 2026 马金，王晓菲 (作者) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0